Christopher Fee

Calling the 2013 Rochester Red Wings season a roller coaster ride would be a dramatic understatement. Rochester started off the year at 2-11, went on to finish the season 77-67, clinched a wild card berth and made their first playoff appearance in seven years. This year's team is completely different: none of the current pitchers were on last year's opening day roster and just three position players from opening day are returning. With the momentum from the 2013 team, manager Gene Glynn has more of talent on this team and the expectations are higher than ever. Starting Rotation (With 2013 Teams & Stats) Scott Diamond: Fort Meyers: 0-0 7.20 ERA 5 IP 0 BB 3 SO Rochester: 4-0 2.41 ERA 41.0 IP 9 BB 19 SO Minnesota: 6-13 5.43 ERA 131 IP 36 BB 52 SO Alex Meyer: 2013 Season GCL Twins: 0-0 1.08 ERA 8.1 IP 3 BB 16 SO New Britain: 4-3 3.21 ERA 70 IP 29 BB 84 SO Glendale (AFL): 2-1 3.12 ERA 26 IP 7 BB 28 SO Kris Johnson: 2013 Season Indianapolis: 10-4 2.39 ERA 135.2 IP 43 BB, 94 SO Pittsburgh: 0-2 6.10 ERA 10.1 IP 4 BB 9 SO Trevor May: 2013 Season New Britain: 9-9 4.51 ERA 151.2 IP 67 BB 159 SO Logan Darnell: 2013 Season New Britain: 6-6 2.61 ERA 96.2 IP 23 BB 77 SO Rochester: 4-4 4.26 ERA 57 IP 22 BB 43 SO Some familiar names are locked in the rotation for Rochester. Logan Darnell and Scott Diamond spent time with the Red Wings last season, and for Diamond it is the fourth straight year with Rochester. Alex Meyer, the 28th overall prospect according to MLB.com Top 100 Prospect List, is the biggest name in the rotation and also the one with the highest expectations. 2014 is an important year for every player, but I would argue that it’s even more important for Trevor May. With the Twins' off-season free agent signings and the expectation Meyer will join the rotation by 2015, the opening for May to be a starting pitcher in Minnesota is a small one. Standout Pitcher The obvious choice is to go with Alex Meyer or Scott Diamond, but as previously noted, I believe Trevor May has the most to prove this season. For the past two seasons May has had an ERA well above four, and his strikeout to walk ratio has been around two to one. In order for this season to be a successful this ratio will need to improve to at least three to one, which would bring his ERA down as well. Starting Lineup (With 2013 Team & Stats) CF: Darin Mastroianni: GCL Twins - .143, 0 HR 2 RBI, 2 SB Fort Myers - .400, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 SB Rochester - .240, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB Minnesota - .185, 0 HR, 5 RBi, 2 SB 2B: James Beresford: New Britain - .316, 0 HR, 19 RBI, 5 SB Rochester - .298 0 HR, 21 RBI, 5 SB RF: Chris Parmelee: Rochester - .231, 3 HR, 22 RBI Minnesota - .228, 8 HR, 24 RBI 1B: Brad Nelson: Iowa - .271, 20 2B, 20 HR, 71 RBI. 3B: Deibinson Romero: New Britain - .355 3 HR, 6 RBI Rochester - .266, 10 HR, 50 RBI 4 SB LF: Chris Rahl: Syracuse - .293, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 14 SB DH: Eric Farris: New Britain - .500 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB Rochester - .248, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 23 SB SS: Danny Santana: New Britain - .297, 2 HR, 45 RBI, 22 2B, 30 SB. C: Eric Fryer:Rochester- .215, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 8 SB Minnesota - .385 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB Similar to the start of the 2013 season, the Red Wings have three catchers on their 25-man roster again. Eric Fryer is expected to be the everyday catcher, however Dan Rohlfing and Chris Herrmann have experience playing other positions besides catcher. Breakout Pick Danny Santana is known for two things: his speed and his “shaky” defense. One of the things the Red Wings prided themselves on last season was good defense and drawing walks, two things Santana has not done very well. Hitting coach Tim Doherty stresses plate discipline and that is something Santana can benefit from. Don’t be surprised to see him steal 40 bases in 2014 and to draw 40+ walks as well, which would both be career highs. Season Prediction While Rochester has a very good team, Pawtucket and Buffalo have good rotations and perhaps better overall offenses than Rochester. Last season I drank the Kool-Aid and predicted a playoff birth. This season I expect the same, with Rochester going 80-64 and for the first time since 1997 winning the International League North division title.

Calling the 2013 Rochester Red Wings season a roller coaster ride would be considered a drastic understatement. Rochester started off the year at 2-11, finished the season 77-67, clinched a wild card birth and made their first playoff appearance in seven years. This year's team is completely different; none of the current pitchers were on last years opening day roster and just three position players from opening day are returning. After the momentum that was built from the 2013 team, manager Gene Glynn has a lot of talent on this team and expectations are higher than ever. Starting Rotation (With 2013 Teams & Stats) Scott Diamond: Fort Meyers: 0-0 7.20 ERA 5 IP 0 BB 3 SO Rochester: 4-0 2.41 ERA 41.0 IP 9 BB 19 SO Minnesota: 6-13 5.43 ERA 131 IP 36 BB 52 SO Alex Meyer: 2013 Season GCL Twins: 0-0 1.08 ERA 8.1 IP 3 BB 16 SO New Britain: 4-3 3.21 ERA 70 IP 29 BB 84 SO Glendale (AFL): 2-1 3.12 ERA 26 IP 7 BB 28 SO Kris Johnson: 2013 Season Indianapolis: 10-4 2.39 ERA 135.2 IP 43 BB, 94 SO Pittsburgh: 0-2 6.10 ERA 10.1 IP 4 BB 9 SO Trevor May: 2013 Season New Britain: 9-9 4.51 ERA 151.2 IP 67 BB 159 SO Logan Darnell: 2013 Season New Britain: 6-6 2.61 ERA 96.2 IP 23 BB 77 SO Rochester: 4-4 4.26 ERA 57 IP 22 BB 43 SO Some familiar names are locked into the rotation for Rochester. Logan Darnell and Scott Diamond spent time with the Red Wings last season and for Diamond it is his fourth straight year with Rochester. Alex Meyer, the 28th overall prospect according to MLB.com Top 100 Prospect List is the biggest name in the rotation and also the one with the highest expectations. 2014 is an important year for every player, but I would argue it’s even more important for Trevor May. With the Twins' off-season free agent signings and the expectation that Meyer will join the rotation by 2015, the window for May to be a starting pitcher in Minnesota is a small one. Standout Pitcher The obvious choice is to go with Alex Meyer or Scott Diamond, but as previously noted I believe Trevor May has the most to prove this season. For the past two seasons May has had an ERA well above four, and his strikeout to walk ratio was around two to one. In order for this season to be a successful, this ratio will need to improve to at least three to one, which would bring his ERA down as well. Starting Lineup (With 2013 Team & Stats) CF: Darin Mastroianni: GCL Twins - .143, 0 HR 2 RBI, 2 SB Fort Myers - .400, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 SB Rochester - .240, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB Minnesota - .185, 0 HR, 5 RBi, 2 SB 2B: James Beresford: New Britain - .316, 0 HR, 19 RBI, 5 SB Rochester - .298 0 HR, 21 RBI, 5 SB RF: Chris Parmelee: Rochester - .231, 3 HR, 22 RBI Minnesota - .228, 8 HR, 24 RBI 1B: Brad Nelson: Iowa - .271, 20 2B, 20 HR, 71 RBI. 3B: Deibinson Romero: New Britain - .355 3 HR, 6 RBI Rochester - .266, 10 HR, 50 RBI 4 SB LF: Chris Rahl: Syracuse - .293, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 14 SB DH: Eric Farris: New Britain - .500 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB Rochester - .248, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 23 SB SS: Danny Santana: New Britain - .297, 2 HR, 45 RBI, 22 2B, 30 SB. C: Eric Fryer:Rochester- .215, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 8 SB Minnesota - .385 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB Similar to the start of the 2013 season, the Red Wings have three catchers on their 25-man roster again. Eric Fryer is expected to be the everyday catcher, however Dan Rohlfing & Chris Herrmann have experience playing other positions besides catcher. Breakout Pick Danny Santana is known for two things, his speed and his “shaky” defense. One of the things the Red Wings prided themselves on last season was good defense and drawing walks, things Santana has not done very well. Hitting coach Tim Doherty stresses plate discipline and that is something Santana could benefit from. Don’t be surprised to see Santana steal 40 bases in 2014 and also to draw 40+ walks, which would both be career highs. Season Prediction While Rochester has a very good team, Pawtucket and Buffalo have good rotations and perhaps better overall offenses than Rochester. Last season I drank the Kool-Aid and predicted a playoff birth. This season I expect the same, Rochester going 80-64, and for the first time since 1997, winning the International League North division title.

Recently I had the opportunity to interview to MLB.com senior writer Jonathan Mayo about the Minnesota Twins farm system. In Part 1 of that interview, we talked about Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson, while Part 2 concentrated on Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. In the final part of the three part series, we talk about the 2014 MLB Draft, whether Josmil Pinto is the Twins answer behind the plate, Trevor May’s future and where you can find some of the Twins top prospects in 2014. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] CF – What do you think of the depth of the upcoming MLB Draft, how deep is it in comparison to past years? JM – From what I can tell, a lot can change in the spring, but early indications are that it seems to be stronger than last year and overall a pretty good class. It looks like there is going to be some very good talent. I mean there always is, but it does seem like it’s going to be a strong class for teams to consider. CF – Are there any particular players or positions that the Twins are targeting that you know of? JM – They’ve always been looking at the best available player. A lot of teams say that, but that’s how the Twins actually do it. The Twins pick fifth in the upcoming draft, and they’ve been known to go in any number of different directions. When you’re picking that high you’re always going to get a good player, but there are a lot of possibilities. There is a lot of good college pitching, although the top two guys might be gone by the time they pick. They could go in any direction, but this all depends on who performs well in the spring, and what they like. There’s a really good high school catcher from California. There’s a really, really good college shortstop at NC State, Trey Turner. There are a lot of good players out there. They will take whoever they feel like is the best available when they’re picking; I think that’s who they are going to take. They aren’t going to not take a guy because they already have enough players in the system. CF – Should people expect that Josmil Pinto would be able to be the every day catcher for the Twins now that Joe Mauer has moved to first base? JM – He’s always hit, had some struggles early on but made adjustments. I like his walk rate. Everything points to his ability to be an every day guy. I don’t know much about his overall defensive ability other than the fact that he can throw. It’s funny that there are all of these offensive-minded catchers that have incredible arm strength. I was just writing about Gary Sanchez, the Yankees prospect. There’s always been a question about his catching, although he’s improved, but he’s got a ridiculous arm. I think that he’s got a chance, and it’s not like they moved Mauer to make room for Pinto, they move Mauer to first to preserve his bat. That being said, they probably saw enough from him in AA & AAA to think, “Well maybe we stumbled on to something, and we're able to develop something.” I think that he’s got a chance if he can handle the rigors of handling a big league pitching staff, and that aspect of the game. I wouldn’t go nuts, this wasn’t a guy that was highly regarded or groomed in the sense that “Oh when Pinto’s ready we’ll have to move Joe Mauer.” It doesn’t always work that way, sometimes the guys that are hyped don’t always pan out to be what you thought, and sometimes the guys that you think are organizational guys suddenly figure things out, he may be one of those guys. Catching especially, there are so many things that have to work for you to get to that, it takes a different kind of individual to become an everyday catcher at the big league level. You never know when a highly touted guy is going to flame out because he just can’t put it all together, or when a guy who’s been toiling away, finally figures it out. CF – Trevor May is a guy who’s been pretty inconsistent and was a big part of the Ben Revere trade, and was well regarded in the Phillies organization. Is this the year he finally breaks through? He’s always had the strikeouts, but is he getting lost in the shuffle with all of the other prospects? JM – Maybe at some point they consider shortening him up and making him a reliever, but he can’t throw strikes. That’s been his biggest problem, and he kind of regressed. He’s 24, will be for the entire season - there’s still time, but it seems like every time he’s making progress he kind of stalls or regresses a little bit. That happens with power guys. It’s also kind of weird because he’s a fastball, changeup guy. I’m not sure what you do with that. You usually don’t have a guy coming out of the bullpen with a breaking ball as an out pitch, unless you have Trevor Hoffman’s changeup, and he doesn’t. I think this is a big year for him, I think he needs to go out and show that he can throw consistent strikes. He was in the Arizona Fall League, and threw mostly relief innings, I’m not sure if that’s because he threw 150 innings during the season or they want to have him throw his slider over and over again, or “let’s get a look at him as a reliever”. I don’t know the answer for sure. I think this is the year that he needs to show that he can command the strike zone enough to be a starter, or he needs to move to the bullpen. He clearly can miss bats, but it’s a question of strikes, and whether he can maintain his velocity, which is why you don’t want to give up on him. It’s not like he’s going out throwing three innings at 95 MPH and then the next throwing 89. He doesn’t get tired and he doesn’t lose velocity but if it gets to a time that his inability to command the baseball, and his breaking stuff is fringy, you’re not going to have a future as a starter. Those things need to improve in order for him to stay there. It’ll be interesting to see where he is in the spring. If he comes out of the bullpen, and then the Twins are saying that he can help us out of the bullpen, then he could impact the big league club this coming year. CF – I’d like to rattle off a few names and you tell me where you believe they will start the 2014 season. Miguel Sano? JM – New Britain. I think with how Sano hit in New Britain, the power was there, but he didn’t hit and his walk rate wasn’t terrible and the strikeout rate was higher as well. Could he show up to Spring Training [and] he wows everyone so much that he starts the year in Rochester? Yeah, but I think there would be no harm, given how young he is, to start the year in New Britain, set the Eastern League on fire, and then move up to Rochester. He’s still very very young and enormous. 6 foot 3, 195 is what he’s listed at, and both of those are off, and from a while ago. The first couple of times I saw him he was like a man-child, he was so enormous and not in a bad way. He’s one of those guys that the bat looks like a tooth pick in his hands. Unbelievable. Eddie Rosario? JM – After the suspension? He’ll probably have to start doing some sort of rehab depending on the timing of it, but I’ll say New Britain also. Alex Meyer ? JM – Rochester Byron Buxton? JM – New Britain Kohl Stewart? Cedar Rapids Jose Berrios? Fort Myers Thanks to Jonathan Mayo for taking time out of his busy schedule to speak to me. Make sure to check out his Top 100 prospect list on January 23rd at 10pm on the MLB Network, and then see the full list available on MLB.com. You can also find the first two parts of this interview here and here.

Recently I had the opportunity to interview to MLB.com senior writer Jonathan Mayo about the Minnesota Twins farm system. In part 1 of that interview, we talked a lot about Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson’s 2013 seasons, and what it means for their future. In part two of the three part series, I talk to him about Twins top prospect Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, and he identifies two Twins breakout prospects for 2014. CF – Do you think it’s possible for guys like [Miguel] Sano, [Alex] Meyer, and [byron] Buxton to reach the major leagues this season? JM – Is it possible? Sure. I think that Meyer will definitely be in the big leagues, without question. He’s the only one out of the three that I feel confident will see significant big league time in 2014. Sano, I could see a situation where he hits his way there: you send him back to AA to begin the year; if he hits in Double-A like he did in Fort Myers, then you can move him up in the second half. I know that a lot of people want Buxton to get there next year because of how well he hit in the Florida State League, and they can send him to Double-A to start the season. Unless he just continues to exceed already lofty expectations, pull a Mike Trout sort of thing - which he’s done a pretty good impersonation so far - I think that 2015 is more likely, which is far more quickly then people thought when he was first drafted. CF – I’ve read several people comparing Byron Buxton to Mike Trout. I know that’s a little crazy and putting his ceiling ridiculously high, but how good can Buxton really be? JM – Yes, it is putting it ridiculously high, but you can’t help but make the comparison. Just in terms of how good he was right out of the game, and better than people expected. Everyone knew that Buxton was going to be good - he went number two in the draft for a reason - and a lot of people felt that he was the best talent in the draft. Trout went at the end of the first round, so the comparison has some issues, but because Buxton played in a small town, and didn’t face great competition, I think people though that there was going be more of a difficult transition for him, and he’s proving people wrong. I think that’s why the comparison exists, that and the fact that he’s got all of the tools in the toolbox just like Trout does. They both dominated right away. I think the problem you have when you make that kind of comparison is, let’s say Buxton gets pushed to AA and struggles a little bit. Then suddenly he’s not as good as he was, because he didn’t do what Trout did, which was continue to be ridiculous and make it to the big leagues three years before he thought he would. No, he may just need to adjust a little bit. I’d be wary of linking the two of them too much, but I also would not put any ceiling on what Byron Buxton can become. I firmly believe that he has all of the abilities to become an elite level, All-star caliber player at the big league level. CF: The Twins haven’t had a 40 Home Run hitter since Harmon Killebrew in 1970. Is there a chance that Miguel Sano can be a 40 home run hitter in the big leagues and break that streak? JM – Yes, that’s the easiest question you’ve asked me. CF – Even at Target Field? JM – I think that he has the ability to hit the ball out anywhere, whether or not the fact that his home ballpark is not favorable for hitters. He does get to play 80 games in other parks. He has the potential to hit 40 homers a year. Without looking at all the stats, the Kingdome (Seattle) wasn’t a very good place to hit, but Ken Griffey Jr. managed to hit 40 homers. I’m not saying that Miguel Sano is Ken Griffey Jr. but he’s got that kind of power - probably more raw power than a guy like that. He’s got as much raw power as anybody in baseball. CF – Is there a guy in the farm system that you feel like will have a breakout season that may not be on the radar already? JM – Does Berrios count as an under-the-radar guy? CF – He has some hype behind him. JM- Well here’s the thing, he’s not really under the radar but I think he’s going to jump much more firmly on the radar in 2014. I think he’s going to take off and he’s going to be one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the league by the end of the year. But I’ll give you one more that I’m interested to see, Stephen Gonsalves. Just because he was a guy that came into the spring last year with a ton of hype, was thought of as the best high school lefty in the country and then just backed up. He had a really inconsistent spring, but he’s 6 foot 5 and has shown the ability to do a lot, and I think that him combined with the Twins player development staff, and what they’ve been able to do in the past, I’m curious to see what they can do. I don’t know whether he gets to go straight to the Midwest League, or what. He did throw well during his debut, so I do think he can get pushed. I think he can be one of those guys that the Twins can be the beneficiaries of the fact that he didn’t have a good spring. If they can get him straightened out, that could end up being one of the interesting steals of the 2013 Draft. For Part 1 of this interview, click here. Part 3 or the interview will be published on 1/14.

Recently I had the opportunity to interview MLB.com senior writer Jonathan Mayo about the Minnesota Twins farm system. Since joining MLB.com, he’s produced an annual Top 100 prospect list, several shows on MLB radio and Around the Minors, a radio show that is all about prospects. In part one of the three part series, I talk to him about the Twins' farm system as a whole, where certain prospects are on his Top 100 list and whether this year will be different for Kyle Gibson & Aaron Hicks. CF – First off, where do you currently rank the Twins farm system in comparison to all of the other teams in the league? Jonathan Mayo – Well, we don’t do an “official” organizational ranking. But that being said, I don’t think you’re going out on a limb by saying that they are clearly at or near the top of any list if you were going to put one together. CF – The MLB.com Top 100 list that you put together is coming out, I don’t know how far into it you are, but how many Twins prospects can we expect to see on there potentially? JM – Ohhhh I can’t tell you that. (laughs) CF – I had to try. JM – I think if you were to say that you would see several Twins on the list you’d be fine. I don’t know how you define several. CF – I could probably think of three. JM – Three is a few, I can say that there are more than that, but that’s as far as I’ll go. CF – Fair enough. I know that there’s a reveal and a special on the MLB Network coming up soon. JM- January 23rd – 10 pm EST, 9 pm central on the MLB Network, and the entire top 100 will be on the site right afterwards. CF – Do you believe that the struggles that they saw with [Kyle] Gibson in the majors and with [Aaron] Hicks are going to deter rushing guys to the majors? I know that was a big discussion with Hicks jumping from AA to the majors and didn’t live up to the expectations people had for him. Will the Twins be more likely to hold guys back because of those experiences, or is it more of a player-by-player basis? JM – I think it’s a player-by-player basis. The Twins have always been good at that. There was a lull when they weren’t producing many players. I think that Hicks was the head of the group in some respects, and he might have been rushed a little bit because they didn’t really have a center fielder. I think they felt that he could handle it, he had handled some failure in the minors, and was just starting to figure things out. With no disrespect to Aaron Hicks, Buxton has already been much more productive than Hicks in his first season, than Hicks ever was in the minors. I don’t think you can let what Aaron Hicks did or what Kyle Gibson - coming off of Tommy Johns surgery - did dictate decisions on other players. If Alex Meyer is throwing strikes at the beginning of the year, he’s going to see a lot of big league time. If Sano is lighting up AA and there is a need at third? I think you could see him. I think the situation of the individual is going to dictate it more than anything else. CF – Speaking of Gibson and Hicks, do you think that the potential is still there that made them top prospects? I know they are both relatively young guys, but do you see them starting the 2014 season in Rochester or do they have a real shot at making the opening day roster in Minnesota? JM – Aaron Hicks is going to be 24 for all of the 2014 season, but even if he goes down to AAA for a little while, he’s not that old. It gets more difficult for guys who have had struggles at the big league level, to be that guy who was there and then left. It’s not like they have guys to play center field in Minnesota. Alex Presley? I’m from Pittsburgh, so I actually like Alex Presley a little bit. I think he’s a very good fourth outfielder, but I don’t think you want him playing centerfield every day. I think that there is still the opportunity for Hicks to win that job again; it’ll be interesting to see what happens. If he has another really good spring training, and shows that he’s made some adjustments with what he struggled with in the big leagues last year I think he wins that job. As for Gibson, with some of the additions that they’ve brought in with Nolasco and Hughes, he’s going to have to work his way in. I still think that he has every chance of being a big league starter, but he’s 26; he’s no youngster anymore. I mean that’s still young enough, but that prospect clock is ticking. I think he probably goes in and competes for the back end of the rotation, and if he pitches well, then he has a chance. He’s never had the highest ceiling in the world, but he seemed to have a lower floor before he got hurt. Keep in mind that the learning curve for Tommy John, it’s shortened considerably in terms of the recovery time. Not everyone comes back throwing as well as they did before. That happens to some guys it seems, but definitely not everybody. He’s going to be another year removed; he could come back and look like the guy who was about ready to hit the rotation before he got hurt. He certainly can pitch his way into the rotation, and I certainly wouldn’t give up hope on either one of them. Truth be told, Gibson didn’t have that much time in the big leagues last season. It’s not like it was this huge resume of work to judge him by. If you really want to be optimistic about it you could say, “he was working his way back” and was basically rehabbing at the highest level of the minors and pitched his way to the big leagues. It used to be that the first year was almost like a mulligan, you just get your innings in, get your work in, building your arm strength back, get your feel for your pitches back., which is often the last thing that comes. So the fact that he pitched well enough to get up to the big leagues and make 10 starts, that’s pretty good. Part 2 and Parts 3 of this interview will be published on 1/9 and 1/14.

It's been just four days since the Red Wings lost game five of their playoff series against the Pawtucket Red Sox, 3-0. Immediately after the game the Minnesota Twins selected contracts of seven Rochester players, which started me thinking about what the Red Wings could look like in 2014. While there will be free agent signings and trades will take place, it will be interesting to see exactly what the Rochester Red Wings are going to look like next season, and see if they’ll be able to build off of a successful 2013 season. Catcher – Josmil Pinto 2013 Minor League Stats (AA New Britain/AAA Rochester) 126 G - .309 BA, 141 H, 32 2B, 15 HR, 74 RBI, 66 BB, 83 SO. As I write this Josmil Pinto is batting .500 with the Twins (13-26) with one home run and four RBI’s. However he played just 19 games with the Rochester Red Wings after spending the majority of the season with Double-A New Britain. While there is little doubt in my mind that Pinto will be with the Twins next season, on opening day he should be in Rochester. First Base – Chris Colabello 2013 Minor League Stats (AAA Rochester) 89 G - .352 BA, 119 H, 25 2B, 24 HR, 76 RBI, 43 BB, 89 SO. Chris Colabello’s first season in AAA was definitely one to remember. Not only did he put up the numbers that you see above, he also won the IL MVP award as well as the IL Rookie of the Year award as well. The Twins have invested two years in the 29 year old slugger, and I cannot see them giving up on him after the year he had for the Red Wings in 2013. Second Base – Eddie Rosario 2013 Minor League Stats (A+ Fort Myers/AA New Britain) 122 G - .302 BA, 150 H, 2 2B, 10 HR, 73 RBI, 38 BB, 96 SO, 10 SB, 10 CS. There’s a slight chance, in my opinion, that Rosario starts the year in AA again next season, but I’m optimistic that he’ll make the jump and start the year in Rochester. While there isn’t an overwhelming amount of home run power in his bat there is a good combination of speed and power to make him a dangerous batter hitting either second or sixth in the lineup. Shortstop – Danny Santana 2013 Minor League Stats (AA New Britain) 131 G - .297 BA, 160 H, 22 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 45 RBI, 24 BB, 94 SO, 30 SB, 13 CS. Of all of the prospects that the Twins have in their system Danny Santana may be the one most suited to bat leadoff in the major leagues. With his ability to bat near .300, stealing 30 bases and striking out fewer than 100 times this year there’s a lot to like. The only downside to Santana really is his lack of walks. In 539 at bats, he drew just 24 walks, which resulted in an OBP of .333; Santana could be an Elvis Andrus type player by the time he reaches Minnesota. Third Base – Miguel Sano 2013 Minor League Stats (A+ Fort Myers/AA New Britain) 123 G - .280 BA, 123 H, 30 2B, 35 HR, 103 RBI, 65 BB, 142 SO, 11 SB, 3 CS. Many people think that Sano could start the season in Minnesota coming out of spring training in 2014, but after what happened with Aaron Hicks that probably will not be the case. There is no disputing Sano’s power, it’s real and it’s spectacular (Seinfeld Reference… anyone?), but hitting just .236 in 67 games in New Britain is a reason to give him more time in the minors. Outfield - Dan Rohlfing 2013 Minor League Stats (AA New Britain/AAA Rochester) 112 G - .267 BA, 100 H, 15 2B, 3 HR, 42 RBI, 48 BB, 96 SO. Dan Rohlfing is one of the players the Twins organization loves, he has the ability to catch, play first base, and outfield. While there’s not a lot of major league upside for Rohlfing, in my opinion, there’s definitely an opportunity for him to make an impact with the Red Wings and he will potentially see a lot of at-bats with his multi-position availability. Outfield – Aaron Hicks 2013 Minor League Stats (AAA Rochester) 22 G - .222 BA, 16 H, 4 2B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 10 BB, 21 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS This may be the craziest prediction in this article, but in my opinion and from what the numbers show, it might not be a bad idea to give him a couple months in Rochester. There was talk about his hustle and his splits vs. LHP and RHP were not very good (.385 vs. LHP, .186 vs. RHP). With Hicks being just 24 years old his career is far from over and unless the Twins make some major off-season moves the likelihood of them contending in 2014 is not high. Outfield – Chris Parmelee 2013 Minor League Stats (AAA Rochester) 45 G - .231 BA, 40 H, 13 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 22 BB, 32 SO. Chris Parmelee is the other prediction that could be a little shaky for 2014. Like Hicks he has major league experience and the Twins want to know for sure what they have with him. There is one other similarity between Hicks and Parmelee: neither one of them did very well during his time in Rochester. Whether it’s motivation or something else, Parmelee hit just .193 in August, with 1 HR in 114 at- bats. Maybe I’m pulling the plug a little early, but it seems like he’s either a fourth outfielder or the dreaded “Organizational Depth” type of player. Designated Hitter – James Beresford 2013 Minor League Stats (AA New Britain/AAA Rochester) 103 G – .306 BA, 109 H, 12 2B, 0 HR, 40 RBI, 30 BB, 51 SO, 10 SB, 2 CS. James Beresford was one of the more consistent hitters in the Red Wings lineup down the stretch and was a big reason why they made the playoffs in 2013. There was a bit of a steep learning curve when he was first promoted in June where he batted just .233. However in July Beresford hit .351 in 18 games and then followed that up with a .303 average in 24 games in August. While Rosario is the better prospect without a doubt, having Beresford’s bat in the lineup makes the Red Wings from top to bottom extremely dangerous. 2014 Opening Day Starting Lineup SS – Danny Santana 2B – Eddie Rosario 3B - Miguel Sano 1B – Chris Colabello C – Josmil Pinto OF – Aaron Hicks OF – Chris Parmelee DH – James Beresford OF – Dan Rohlfing Rochester Red Wings Rotation Alex Meyer 2013 Minor League Stats (GCL Twins/AA New Britain) 16 GS – 4-3, 2.99 ERA, 78.1 IP, 32 BB, 100 SO After missing almost two months this season due to injury, Alex Meyer was impressive in his last two August starts for New Britain, pitching nine shutout innings and striking out 11 batters while walking just two. While Meyer may not be the opening day starter for the Rochester Red Wings in 2014, after all Kyle Gibson was the #2 starter this season, his starts will be watched closely by GM Terry Ryan and Twins fans everywhere. Trevor May 2013 Minor League Stats (AA New Britain) 27 GS – 9-9, 4.51 ERA, 151.2 IP, 67 BB, 159 SO After spending the entire regular season with the New Britain Rock Cats, Trevor May has to prove what he’s able to do at the next level. After being traded to Minnesota in the off-season in 2012, May spent his second full season in the Eastern League and the numbers were slightly better in 2013 than they were in 2012. It’ll be interesting to see if May is able to have a strong 2014 season in Rochester and have his name added to the list of September call-ups. Pat Dean 2013 Minor League Stats (AA New Britain/AAA Rochester) 28 GS – 9-13, 4.04 ERA, 165 IP, 22 BB, 83 SO. Pat Dean only made six starts in Rochester this season, but there was a substantial difference between what he did in Double- A versus Triple-A. Dean went 6-11 in N.B. with a 4.68 ERA, but was an impressive 3-2 in Rochester with a 2.03 ERA. It’s safe to assume that he will perform somewhere in the middle but he averaged almost six innings per start and will no doubt be a staple in the Wings rotation. Logan Darnell 2013 Minor League Stats (AA New Britain/AAA Rochester) 26 GS – 10-10, 3.22 ERA, 153.2 IP, 45 BB, 120 SO Logan Darnell’s season went in the opposite direction of Pat Dean’s in the sense that he was outstanding with in Double-A and had some trouble when he was called up to the Red Wings. With the Rock Cats, Darnell was 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA. When he was in Rochester he was 4-4 with a 4.26 ERA. There were starts where Darnell showed that he has some very good stuff and could make a big impact next season. Pedro Hernandez 2013 Minor League Stats (GCL Twins/AA New Britain/AAA Rochester) 10 GS – 3-3, 3.66 ERA, 64 IP, 15 BB, 45 SO This is one of the guys that I just don’t know where he will end up next season. Hernandez did not overwhelm while in Rochester this year, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts, but it was a small sample size. He’s not a power pitcher, won’t strike out a lot of batters, but he doesn’t give up many home runs either. Control is the key to his success. I thought that Pedro would be an impact player last season for the Red Wings, so why not try again for next season.

Entering his sixth professional season, Aaron Hicks has been one of the biggest prospects in the Minnesota Twins system for the past five years. After having a strong season with New Britain last year, Hicks was given the opportunity to compete and win the starting center-fielders job for the Twins. But after hitting just .192 in 281 at-bats in Minnesota, he was sent down to Rochester to continue to develop his swing and to ensure that he will be ready for the 2014 season in the majors. After batting practice on Friday I had the chance to talk to him about his season, some of the injuries he’s been facing, as well as his childhood and his other passion, golfing. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Photo Courtesy of Joe Territo Chris Fee: First off, how’s the wrist feeling? Aaron Hicks: The wrist is feeling really good, I took BP today and it felt great, and I can’t wait to get back into the lineup, it could be as early as tomorrow. (Saturday) CF: What’s your time in Rochester been like since you’ve joined the team? AH: Well, I’ve been hurt most of the time, so I really haven’t been able to get going. It’s been fun though, playing with this team, contending for the playoffs, and continuing to play great baseball. CF: What’s it like to come to a team that’s in the middle of a playoff hunt? The clubhouse atmosphere, the relationship between the teammates, how is it different than earlier in the year or if the team isn’t winning? AH: It’s a lot of fun. Not only being able to play with a new team, but being able to have fun with the things that they do in the locker room that I haven’t seen too much in my past teams that I’ve played with. So it’s definitely pretty fun. CF: Obviously being in Rochester isn’t where you thought you would be at this point in the season, what are you working on to get back to Minnesota and to have some of the success that you had in Spring Training? AH: Really it’s all about getting the swing back that I had back in Spring Training, and that I’ve had my whole life. I just need to get something going, get something to click, and next thing you know I could be back in the big leagues. Right now though it’s all about figuring myself out as a hitter and get the confidence up and keep battling. CF: Is that something that’s difficult to do, keeping the confidence up? Or do you just keep grinding and know that things will come around. AH: It’s not so much about having confidence in yourself, but having confidence in your ability. Being able to trust your hands, being able to hit pitches that aren’t necessarily strikes but pitches that you know that you can handle, being able to trust that and hit the ball hard. CF: I know that your dad played minor league baseball for a few seasons, is that what started you in becoming a baseball player? AH: Ummm, actually it was more about me competing against my older brother when I was younger. We would play a lot of baseball in the back yard once I stopped playing golf and started playing competitive baseball. It was one of those things where I wanted to be better than my brother who is like 10 years older than me. At that time being 11 or 12 years old and my brother being way older than you the competitiveness definitely comes out of you. CF: What made you decide to become a switch hitter? One day did you think “Boy this is too easy I got to find some way to make this game more difficult?” AH: * laughs * No, actually it was my dad. He was a Righty/Righty when he played. He actually got hit in the face with a fastball from a right-hander that he didn’t see. Also the fact that I was playing golf, and I was good at it, he kind of thought that if I hit left-handed, eventually I would get mad and go back to playing golf. But that’s pretty much how I became a switch-hitter. CF: So your dad didn’t want you to “follow in his footsteps” so to speak? AH: No, not at all. Just the way that his whole career went, and how hard it is to become a big leaguer, it’s a tough grind. It’s something that definitely has made me stronger. CF: You were drafted in the first round a few years back, 14th overall I believe, was there any thought about going to college? Or were you thinking, “Being drafted in the first round? You can’t get any better than that.” AH: Well, I signed to go to USC coming out of high school. I mean, I really love their program and also that school. Being a Trojan was something big and something that I wanted to be apart of the history there. It was kind of 50/50 at that point, I really wanted to go get my education at a school that is established. CF: What ultimately helped you make the decision? Family, Friends, Coaches, the Twins? AH: It comes down to really how bad a team wants you. Definitely the dollar amount helps persuade you. * laughs * It was also about getting my career started, really getting something going and being able to just go out and play baseball. CF: You’re the 18th player to reach the major leagues from your High School; do you still talk to some of your old teammates and the coaches? AH: Yeah, I talk to a lot of the former players there. The whole coaching staff actually went and saw my first big league game. My coach at the time, I was his first player to make it to the big leagues so it was a big honor for him and myself to be able to enjoy that together. CF: Going back to you as a golfer, what is your handicap right now? AH: Right now? Probably like a five or a six. CF: That’s pretty good. AH: Yeah, but when you’re a scratch golfer and then you go back to a five or a six it’s kind of frustrating, because when you’re at five or six you can easily go back to a ten. It all depends on what your day is like. CF: What side did you swing from, were you a switch-hitting golfer as well? AH: * laughs * I was a righty golfer, and that came naturally. I was so young, and my dad actually would buy two buckets for me, and one bucket for him. I would finish my two buckets before he would finish one. I was young, I didn’t realize the importance of trying to get your swing down, I just teed it up and swung and then teed it up again. CF: Any chance of trying out for the tour after your baseball career is done in 15-20 years? AH: Yeah, I mean that’s definitely another dream of mine. I want to play a long career in baseball and then go and finish up what I started when I was younger. CF: Any thoughts on playing some Pro-Am tournaments? I know there are a lot of other current athletes that play in those during the off-seasons. AH: I don’t know, I think I would try something more along the lines of the Long Drive Contests and start there, and then start playing in events. I mean the driver for me is the best part of my game; so being able to hit the long ball is what I like to do. CF: What do you put out there off the tee? AH: I would say, it all depends on the wind but I probably average around 330 yards. I think my longest is 410. CF: Wow! So you’re driving some Par 4’s? While the rest of us are lucky to reach in four shots. AH: * Laughs * Yeah I think I’m the perfect guy to have in a scramble because I just go for it, that’s the perfect opportunity to go for the greens. CF: What are you looking to work on the rest of this season, and going into the off-season what do you have to do to be ready for Spring Training next year? AH: Really just trying to find my swing and to find the confidence in my abilities. I want to be the opening day starter in centerfield in the big leagues. I think if I finish strong here, stay healthy, anything could happen. I might play great here and end up playing in the playoffs for this team and might have a September call up. But those things are out of my control, so just to be able to compete. CF: Have you thought about playing winter ball at all? Or is it still too early to make that decision? AH: No, not this year. I think this is the year that I’m going to take my first off-season off; I’ve never actually had one before. I’m going to go and enjoy my family, enjoy my hometown and just relax and enjoy the time off.