Cody Christie

Welcome to the last week of June. It’s hard to believe July is just around the corner. For young baseball players, July can be a tiring month with the trade deadline approaching. Not only do they have to focus on the games at hand but they also have the thought of being traded in the back of their mind. It still remains to be seen whether the Twins will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline but time is running out to make a move. Otherwise, players with expiring contracts could find themselves in new uniforms in the weeks ahead.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Scranton/WB 4 (Suspended in 4th Inning) Sunday’s contest between the Red Wings and the RailRiders was suspended in the fourth inning with Scranton/WB up 4-1. This game will continue on Monday starting at 4:05 CST before playing tomorrow’s regularly scheduled game. The suspended game will go nine innings and be followed by a seven inning game. Before the weather came, Jake Cave hit a solo-home run in the first inning with two outs. Dietrich Enns pitched four innings and allowed four runs on five hits. Byron Buxton continued his rehab assignment and went 0-for-2 out of the lead-off spot. Check back on Monday for a full game report. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Biloxi 6 Box Score Anthony Marzi started for Chattanooga and allowed two earned runs with both coming on solo- home runs. He struck out five and walked two but he won’t figure into the decision in this one. Ryan Eades took over for Mariz and allowed two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked one as he saw his ERA rise to 5.36. Todd Van Steensel tossed 1 1/3 shutout innings before Cody Stashak allowed a couple of insurance runs to score in the ninth. The Lookouts only had four opportunities to bat with runners in scoring position and the team never recorded a hit in those situations. Jaylin Davis cracked a two-run home run in the fourth inning as part of a three hit day. For the second straight day, Andy Wilkins went 2-for-4 with a triple and scored a run. Besides those two, no other batters reached base multiple times. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Bradenton 5 (8 Innings) Box Score Miracle players got to see an abbreviated no-hitter on Sunday but they were the team not collecting any hits. Oddy Nunez pitched eight no-hitting innings before the game was called due to rain. Joe Cronin and Shane Carrier both reached base on walks and Alex Kirilloff was hit by a pitch. Those were all of the base runners for the Miracle. Jorge Polanco went 0-for-3 with a strikeout as he gets ready to get back from suspension. Andro Cutura took the loss but he pitched into the sixth inning and only allowed two earned runs. He carried a no-hitter of his own into the fifth. Overall, he pitched 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Tom Hackimer allowed three runs on two hits over 1 1/3 innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 14, Wisconsin 1 Box Score A 10-run inning and a big offensive day from Jacob Pearson helped the Kernels finish off a four-game sweep of the Timber Rattlers. Pearson had a career-high four hits, scored three runs, drove in three runs and finished a double shy of the cycle. The 10 run-inning was the most runs Cedar Rapids scored in one frame since 2015. Pearson wasn’t the only offensive star. Robby Rinn reached base four times and collected three hits. Jose Miranda drove in a team-high five runs and added his 14th double of the season. Andrew Bechtold and Jordan Gore added home runs. Every batter besides Trey Cabbage reached base at some point in the blowout win. Brusdar Graterol was able to cruise through five shutout innings while only allowing two hits. He struck out nine and walked three. He reached triple digits on the radar five times on Sunday including a 101 mph fastball in the first inning. Jose Martinez allowed one run on two hits in two innings of work. Tanner Kiest finished off the game with two shutout frames. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 9, Bristol 2 Box Score Elizabethton pushed across nine runs in the sixth inning to cruise to their fifth win in six games to start the season. Jared Akins went 3-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored. Alex Robles reached base three times and added two RBI. Chris Williams and DeShawn Keirsey also had multi-hit games. Three E-Twins pitchers all were asked to pitch three innings. Kody Funderburk and Blair Lakso each pitched three shutout innings. Funderburk struck out three and walked one. Lakso earned his second win after not allowing a hit. He struck out four and walked one. Derek Molina earned his first save but he allowed two runs in the final frame. He struck out four. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Jacob Pearson, Cedar Rapids (4-5, HR, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Brusdar Graterol, Cedar Rapids (5 IP, 0 ER, 9 K, 3 BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #3 – Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-2 #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 0-2 #7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-4, 2 K #9 – Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – 5 IP, 0 ER, 9 K, 3 BB #10 – Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K #14 – LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-1, 2B #17 – Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-3, 2 K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (3:05 CST) – LHP Adalberto Mejia (3-2, 2.91 ERA) Rochester @ Syracuse (Game 2) – TBD Chattanooga vs. Biloxi (6:15 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (3-4, 5.11 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit (6:35 CST) – LHP Bryan Sammons (3-4, 3.05 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Johnson City (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. 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Twins Daily Roundtable is a weekly series. As part of this series, a question will be posed to the site’s writers and they will respond in 200 words or less (Some writers don’t like to stick to this limit). This will give readers an opportunity to see multiple points of view and then add their own point of view in the comments section. In an off-season where the front office made plenty of moves, Minnesota’s only big offensive addition was Logan Morrison. Last season, the Twins ranked seventh in runs and on-base percentage, ninth in batting average, and sixteenth in home runs. Things haven’t been nearly as good this year as the club has dropped in runs (23rd), home runs (23rd), OBP (20th), and batting average (20th). Players like Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton haven’t lived up to their high production throughout different parts of the 2017 campaign. Jorge Polanco was supposed to take the next step but his suspension means he has yet to play a game. Other players like Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer have also struggled at times. This week’s roundtable discussion question is: “Who's the most important player for invigorating the Twins offense?"John Bonnes The bad news is that Brian Dozier has not been good. And I’m not talking about “versus expectations.” I’m talking about straight up “not good”. He isn’t (.223 BA) hitting. He isn’t (.300 OBP) getting on base . He isn’t (.394 SLG) hitting for power. The good news is it’s not unusual for Dozier to pair a pretty mediocre or crummy half season of hitting with a fantastic half season of hitting: Brian Dozier, 2017, 2nd half: 985 OPS (1st half: 745) Brian Dozier, 2016, 2nd half: 990 OPS (1st half: 786) Brian Dozier, 2015, 1st half: 841 OPS (2nd half: 639) You can make a case for a lot of bounceback candidates to give the Twins lineup a surge. Joe Mauer, Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Logan Morrison, Byron Buxton – an optimist can foresee a flicked switch on any of them. But the path of least resistance is for Dozier to do what he has done each of the last three years: go on a three-month killing spree. Nick Nelson To me, it's clearly Byron Buxton. If he gets back into the same zone he was in last July-through-October, when he hit .309/.358/.538 with 12 homers while going 16-for-16 on steals, he completely transforms the offense. Not only is that stellar individual production, but it also can infuse a contagious type of energy that reverberates. I think we saw that dynamic play out to some extent in the latter months of 2017 as Minnesota made its run. A healthy and thriving Buxton is exactly what this sleepwalking unit needs. Tom Froemming Lots of valid answers to this question, but I'm going with Brian Dozier for three reasons. 1) The absence of right-handed hitters Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton makes this team even more unbalanced than it already was. Without Dozier being a threat, the offense is susceptible to being shut down by even pedestrian southpaws. 2) It's easier to play with a lead, and when Dozier's hot he's causing damage early. He had a .908 OPS in the first three innings last season. If the runs don't come early, this 2018 team seems to tighten up as the game unfolds. 3) He's a great baserunner. How many outs have the Twins run themselves into over the past few weeks? Brian's not the fastest guy around, but something that sets him apart from some of the other potential answers to this question (Mauer, Morrison) is they're base cloggers. It'd be great to see Dozier go on one of his homer binges, but at this point I'd even settle for him simply sparking some rallies. Cody Christie To me, there are three candidates who could take over this line-up in the months ahead and propel the team towards a division title. Those three names are Byron Buxton, Brian Dozier, and Miguel Sano. In the first half of last season, Sano showed how dangerous he can be if he is making consistent contact. Fast forward to the end of last season and Buxton seemed to have it all figured out at the plate. It wouldn’t surprise me if either of these players impacts the offense in the second half but… Brian Dozier has to be the spark plug. He is the one that needs to get this offense moving in the right direction. There have some signs of life for the club against some good pitching in Cleveland and the first game with the Red Sox. Dozier still has dug himself quite the early season hole but you know he wants to snap out of it. Especially since he is in a contract year. Jamie Cameron For me, it's undoubtedly Brian Dozier. Dozier is remarkably streaky, has had monster second halves in the last two years, and may well do so again in 2018. Currently, he's virtually a non-contributor to the Twins offense. Consider the following numbers comparing Dozier in 2017 to 2018 Dozier: 2017 .359 OBP, .498 SLG, .362 wOBA, 125 wRC+, 5.0 WAR 2018 .309 OBP, .397 SLG, .309 wOBA, 93 wRC+, 0.7 WAR Dozier has carried the Twins offense for much of the last two years. This year he's a 7% below average hitter for his position. His numbers are brutal for someone the Twins expected to rely on and who gets the most at-bats for the entire team. While Dozier may have made the Twins thoughts on extending him to a long term contract much more clear, they have zero postseason hopes unless he gets hot and stays hot the rest of the way. Jeremy Nygaard When the lineup has been as collectively bad as it has been (besides Escobar and Rosario), it would be really hard to put that on one guy. But I will: Brian Dozier. Career low batting average, 19 points below his career average. 17 point below his career OBP. Lowest slugging and OPS since his rookie year. The leadoff hitter sets the tone for the offense and he isn't getting it done. Now Dozier isn't alone when it comes to disappointments. Logan Morrison has been really bad. Miguel Sano has been disgusting at the plate. Byron Buxton could be a spark, but he hasn't been healthy. Jason Castro, before the knee injury, was a disaster. Robbie Grossman provides nothing. But it comes down the Dozier. Unless he gets right, the Twins have no shot (and it's already only a slim shot). Seth Stohs I mean, there are so many pieces to the offense that are important. Coming into the season, the assumption was that the Twins offense would be one of the best in the league. To this point, Eduardo Escobar and Eddie Rosario have been the two that have gone above and beyond expectations. They (probably) can't provide more than what they have done. It would be nice if they kept it up. It's clear that having Joe Mauer around is also important because it seems the quality of at bats up and down the lineup has improved through osmosis. If the Twins are going to make a run, Brian Dozier is the key. We've seen what he can do in the 2nd half. He's done it four straight years. Hopefully it can happen again. The other key might be Jorge Polanco. Almost forgotten since spring training, the Twins could really benefit from Polanco putting up the kind of numbers he put up over the final two months of the 2017 season. Steve Lein Even with Eddie Rosario and Eduardo Escobar hitting at elite levels so far, the rest of the Minnesota Twins lineup has been so lacking that it hasn’t mattered much. Their collective OPS ranks ninth in the American League and they’re scoring only 4.26 runs per game, good for tenth. Even worse is their performance near the end of games, demonstrated by their 3-13 record in one-run contests and that they’ve endured eight walk-off losses already. From the seventh inning on, Twins hitters have managed just a .668 OPS, which is basically Miguel Sano level production this year and he just got demoted all the way to A-ball as he’s seemingly forgotten how to hit a baseball. So, what’s been missing? I’d argue it’s an All-Star caliber #3 or cleanup hitter as those spots in the Twins lineup currently rank in the bottom third of nearly every hitting category in the AL. Know who that guy is? You should, because he was one of their All-Star representatives last year and I’ve already mentioned his name. Sano clubbed 21 home runs and had a .908 OPS in the first half of 2017 and they’re going to need him to step back into that role, and soon, for there to be any hope in 2018. Ted Schwerzler With Miguel Sano out of the picture currently, I think the answer has to be Brian Dozier. Getting Joe Mauer back is great, but he’s more of a defensive asset. Dozier bringing some semblance of his offensive prowess is a must. He’s always been a streaky hitter, but it’s time for him to get going. In a contract year, I’d have hoped for a bit more consistency. After Dozier, I think getting a level of fair production out of Logan Morrison would be nice. He’s flashed reason to be optimistic that things will turn around, but the production hasn’t followed just yet. Steve Buhr I don’t think we can expect much, if anything, from Miguel Sano for a while and it would probably be unfair to load up Byron Buxton with that kind of responsibility before he even shows up for a rehab game. I’d go with Max Kepler. Kepler has been streaky, but the talent is there. I think if he can start consistently contributing some pop and getting on base with regularity, that would do a lot for the Twins’ offense. Andrew Thares The most important player for invigorating the Twins offense remains Brian Dozier. Dozier has been the Twins' offensive leader over the last four seasons and his performance so far this year has been sub-par to put it nicely. However, as Dozier has show in the past, he has the potential to get hot and carry the offense. With Dozier's recent move down to the five spot in the order, it might help him regain his focus and become the All-Star level hitter he has been over the past few years. If you missed any of the previous roundtable discussions, here are the links: Romero’s Rotation Spot Top Prospect Timelines Minnesota’s All-Star Selection Extension Candidates Click here to view the article

Life as a minor league player can be tough. Few players ever get to live out their dream as a regular player at the big league level. For every player who realizes their dream, another player is forced to be released or find another organization to keep his dream alive. Right-handed pitcher Zack Jones was released from the Twins organization on Sunday. The 27-year old was drafted by the organization in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He pitched seven years in the minor leagues and reached Triple-A once in 2016. This actually came in the Brewers organization after being taken by Milwaukee in the Rule 5 Draft. This year with the Lookouts he had a 2.49 ERA in 25.1 innings with a 39 to 25 strikeout to walk ratio. He was over 2.5 years older than the competition in the Southern League.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 3 Box Score Rochester jumped out to a 1-0 lead without recording a hit in the second inning. With one out, Jake Cave and Kennys Vargas coaxed back-to-back walks. Cameron Rupp moved both runners into scoring position with a groundout. Then with Gregorio Petit batting, a wild pitch allowed Cave to scamper home. Aaron Slegers started for the Red Wings and he saw the lead disappear in the bottom half of the second. With two outs, Slegers allowed a solo home run. He walked the following batter and then a throwing error by third baseman Taylor Featherston allowed an unearned run to score. Overall, Slegers lasted five frames, struck out four and walked two. The Red Wings tied the game in the top of the fifth. Zack Granite led off the inning with a walk before moving to second on a LaMonte Wade single. Nick Gordon grounded out into a near double play to allow Granite to score. However, his hustle down the line forced the pitcher to drop the ball while covering first. Jake Reed took over for Slegers in the sixth and promptly gave up a lead-off double. After a ground out and a sacrifice fly, Bufflo had taken a 3-2 lead. Tyler Duffey and Nick Anderson combined for two shutout innings. Anderson pitched a perfect ninth with a pair of strikeouts. Vargas was the lone Rochester hitter with multiple hits. He finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. Granite and Wade both reached base twice. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga --, Birmingham – (Cancelled – Rain) Chattanooga and Birmingham sat in a rain delay before the game was eventually cancelled. The Lookouts finished the first half with a record of 36-33. The club will return home on Thursday to face the Biloxi Shuckers to kick off the second half. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 12 Box Score Cedar Rapids took a first inning lead thanks to back-to-back hits from Jacob Pearson and Alex Kirilloff. Pearson singled with one out before Kirilloff cracked his 19th double of the season. Pearson came all the way around from first to score. Later in the game, Kirilloff collected his 20th double. Jordan Balazovic took his first loss after allowing three earned runs on eight hits. He struck out six and walked two. In relief of Balazovic, Jose Martinez surrendered three earned runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings. Tanner Kiest ran into a little trouble in the late innings as he allowed six earned runs on five hits while recording only two outs. Calvin Fauchers finished off the final two outs for the Kernels and without allowing a run. Pearson and Kirilloff got the offense started again in the sixth. With two outs, both batters walked before a Jose Miranda single singled to drive in Pearson. Cedar Rapids loaded the bases the bottom of the ninth but only pushed across one run. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Alex Kirilloff, Cedar Rapids (2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Aaron Slegers, Rochester (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #3 – Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-4, K #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB #10 – Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-5, BB, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Fort Myers vs. Tampa (6:00 CST) – TBD GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Twins Daily Roundtable is a new weekly series. As part of this series, a question will be posed to the site’s writers and they will respond in 200 words or less (Some writers don’t like to stick to this limit). This will give readers an opportunity to see multiple points of view and then add their own point of view in the comments section. Baseball has certainly changed over the years. Gone are the days of starting pitchers throwing 220+ innings on a regular basis. In fact during the 2017 season, only 15 MLB pitchers tossed 200 inning or more. Go back 20 years and there were 40 pitchers during the 1997 season to throw 200 innings or more. Young pitchers like Fernando Romero are another story. No one is expecting Romero to throw 200 innings (at least not yet). In his first big league season, there are questions about how much use the Twins will be able to get out of their rising star. This week’s roundtable discussion question is: “Should Fernando Romero be on an innings limit, and if so, what should it be? If not, why not?”Seth Stohs In my opinion, along with Jose Berrios, Fernando Romero should be a cornerstone of the Minnesota starting rotation for years to come. So while the concept of limiting innings can be disputed (and has been), my biggest concern is doing what is best for Romero and his future. Therefore, I would be in support of an innings limit for the hard-throwing right-hander. In 2016, his first season back from Tommy John, he threw 90 1/3 innings between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers. You can likely add another 20 to 25 innings that he threw in extended spring training before joining the Kernels in mid-May. He spent the 2017 season in Double-A Chattanooga where he threw 125 innings. Late in the season, he was limited to five innings per start. He came up with a 'dead arm' and was skipped in the final start of the season. If you subscribe to the theory that a 20% increase in workload is where he should be limited, that would be 150 innings. Romero is currently at 62 1/3 innings combined between the Red Wings and Twins. So, maybe a creative DL stint around the All-Star break might be wise. Maybe limiting him to five innings late in the season or piggybacking him with another starter might make sense. Nick Nelson Romero's long-term health should be the team's primary concern, so at some point a limit almost has to come into play. I think somewhere in the 150-175 range would be reasonable after he logged 125 in 2017. One strategy that deserves consideration is giving Romero some time off in the middle of the summer (or maybe a few weeks in the bullpen), thus enabling him to go deeper into the season. But that really only becomes a factor if the team gets on a run pretty quickly here and offers signs that September games will actually matter. John Bonnes Yes, he should be. He should not go over 155 innings and shouldn’t make a start once he gets to 150 innings. Romero is at 62 innings so far this year (21 in AAA, 41 in MLB) which leaves him a maximum of 93 innings. Throughout his career, he’s averaged about 5.1 IP per start, so that gets him about 17 starts. That means he would be shut down mid September. The tougher question is, short of just shelving him late in the season, can the Twins figure out a way to have him available in case those September (or October?) games mean something? Maybe someone else on the roundtable will have a better idea, but to me the answer is “No.” Screwing around with his work, whether that means skipping starts, moving him to the bullpen, or demoting him to AAA for shorter starts, seems risky considering the long-term upside he represents. Plus, given the Twin are on the outskirts of the division race right now, one could argue these games are far more likely to be valuable than those in September. So stay the course with Romero. It’s certainly paid off so far. Tom Froemming Yes, I do think the Twins should be concerned about Romero's workload, but I don't think he needs an overly restrictive innings limit. I don't think I'd want him throwing more than 180 innings, which is a lot these days anyway. Romero logged 125 innings last season, but really sputtered to the finish line. I think it'd be a good idea to skip either Romero's last start heading into the All-Star break or first start after the break. I also think the team should use extreme caution if even the smallest issue should come up. With a DL stint being only 10 days now, you can slide him on there and basically use that to skip a start. I'm sure they'll find ways to get creative if they feel he needs some extra rest. Other than that, let him roll. Maybe he gets hurt, maybe he doesn't, but as long as they're not asking him to throw 120+ pitches or ignoring signs of fatigue, such as a drop in velocity, I think they're doing what's best for him. Cody Christie When considering this question, my first thought was to compare Romero to Berrios because those have been the two “big name” pitching prospects to debut over the last couple of years. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this might be a fool’s errand. These are two different pitchers with two different body types and two different injury histories. Both players are listed at 6-feet tall but Romero has at least 30 pounds more on his frame. Romero has also undergone Tommy John surgery and that plays into the equation as well. Romero’s innings will most certainly be limited at some point this season. However, the new front office has been utilizing tracking data to analyze pitchers for fatigue. I think it will become clear in the second half as to what the front office plans to do. Minnesota isn’t out of the race but Cleveland could pull away. Minnesota needs to be smart with Romero because he can’t be on pace for over 250 innings like Max Scherzer. Jeremy Nygaard It's always important for an organization to be cognizant of a pitcher's workload. So, simply put, the answer is wrong if you think he shouldn't be on some sort of limit. But does it have to revolve around innings? Romero threw 90.1 innings in 2016. He increased that total to 125 in 2017. That might be a little misleading, though, because in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Romero started the 2016 season with seven weeks in extended spring training. Upon closer look, he threw 1245 pitches in those 90.1 innings in 2016 and threw 1991 pitches in those 125 innings in 2017. His innings increased 38%, but his pitches increased almost 60%. So despite not knowing what his actual workloads were, the Twins let Romero throw a significantly higher number of pitches in 2017. If you wanted him to make 32 starts and not increase the number of pitches he'd throw, he'd still be able to throw over 60 pitches a game. Let's look at how that relates to another young pitcher in the organization, Jose Berrios. Berrios went from 140 inning in 2014 to 166.1 innings to 169.2 innings to 185.1 innings in 2017. Pitch-wise he went from 1450 to 2509 to 2735 to 2942. For both players, as they've increased in level (and facing better hitters), their pitches per inning has increased, but seem to stabilize just shy of 16 pitches per inning. Looking at the jump Berrios took in pitches (not innings) from 2015 to 2017, it was an increase of 1285 pitches. I used the increase of two years because it was basically when he went from being limited to being full-go. If you use that same jump for Romero and divide that number of pitches (1245+1285) by the average pitches per inning (15.74), that puts Romero at about 161 innings before you'd start to get cautious. Of course, that doesn't count the aforementioned work he did in extended spring training. I'd approximate that they could add another 10-15 innings before he hits a hard limit of around 175 innings. At this point in time - around a third of the season - Romero has thrown only 57.1 innings, which has him on a pace to get around 170 innings without skipping any starts. But his pitch total (994) is over 100 pitches over the normal usage pace. In a season where Romero's health is likely to be more important that a few games in September, I'd err on the side of caution if his pitch total continues to trend higher. Maybe we throw innings out completely and don't let him start any more games after he's thrown his 2500th pitch of the year. That's simple enough, right? Ted Schwerzler With regard to Romero and limiting innings this season, I think a good deal of what the Twins should do will be dictated to them by how the rest of the summer plays out. Right now they're a talented team that's severely underperforming. While Cleveland hasn't run away and hid, they are capable of doing that at any point. Should things stay close, the Twins will need to get creative and could skip a few turns for Romero to stretch him out further. If they fall out of it however, I'd have no problem with shutting him down for September. He threw 125 innings a season ago, and 20% seems to be a healthy increase for this year. If he can get up around 150 innings and is still feeling good, then maybe it becomes more of a touch and feel type of thing. At this point, I don't think much of a rigid plan should be put in place. SD Buhr Easy. You add 30 to Fernando Romero’s 125 innings pitched in 2017 and you put a limit of 155 innings this year. That keeps you in compliance with “the Verducci Effect,” which argues that pitchers 25 and under face increased risk of elbow breakdown a year after they increase their workload by 30 or more innings above the previous year. So, if we don’t want Romero breaking down in 2019, we don’t let him pitch more than 155 innings in 2018. The math is easy. But PLEASE tell me that the past 20 years have brought more science to the issue than can be applied using Tom Verducci’s second grade math. Last I knew, most teams were using biomechanics compression sleeves to measure pitching arm fatigue on an individual basis. Maybe there’s something newer. Certainly, there is some way to evaluate when a pitcher is entering risky territory that applies a more scientific approach than adding 125 and 30. So, my answer is, yes, I would limit Romero’s workload this year. But without knowing what the Twins are using to measure his specific level of arm/elbow fatigue, I have no way of knowing where to place that limit. Andrew Thares Yes, I believe Fernando Romero should be on an innings (well, workload) limit as he has never pitched more than the 125 innings he did last season. The main thing the Twins need out of Romero is his long-term health after this season. However, I don’t think the Twins should take the same approach that the Nationals did with Stephen Strasburg a few years back where they rode him all season then shut him down once he hit 160 IP even though they were in the playoff race. However, as things stand, the Twins might not have to do a lot to limit Romero’s innings. He has only thrown 62 1/3 innings so far this year between AAA and MLB. Say the Twins choose to keep him around 160 total innings, this gives Romero roughly 100 innings to work with. So far Romero is averaging just over 5 innings per start. If he keeps that pace it will give him another 17-20 starts with which to work with 100 games left in the season. So in reality, all the Twins might have to do is skip a couple of starts here or there for the rest of the season and he should keep his innings low enough for a potential Twins postseason run. Steve Lein While I was happily wrong in my preseason forecast on how Fernando Romero might be used when predicting players to make their MLB debut this season, the concerns brought up about how many innings he might be able to pitch are still valid. Whether you believe innings limits are a thing or not, Romero just hasn’t pitched much as a professional. His 365 and change career innings pales in comparison to someone like Jose Berrios, who pitched nearly 600 innings in the minors alone, along with a career high of 185. Romero got up to 125 before he was shut down last season. Add in that Berrios is only half of a year older than Romero, and all signs point to Romero being cut off at some point in 2018. I do think he should be on an innings limit due to those reasons and his health history, but where that number should fall I’ll only take a stab at: I’ll predict that if Romero remains healthy and productive going forward, as soon as he hits around that 125 number from last year, he’s going to get shifted into the bullpen and remain there the rest of the season. Let’s call it a compromise on that preseason prediction. If you missed any of the previous roundtable discussions, here are the links: Romero’s Rotation Spot Top Prospect Timelines Minnesota’s All-Star Selection Extension Candidates Click here to view the article

Teams in the minor leagues are starting to separate themselves from the pack. Rochester entered play on Friday with a record right around the .500 mark. This puts them in third place in the International League North. Chattanooga is the lone Twins affiliate with a winning record and they entered play tied for first in the Southern League North. Fort Myers has struggled in the Florida State League and the club is already eliminated from contention in the first half race. Cedar Rapids is also under .500 and the club started Friday closer to the bottom of their division than the top. Even if the clubs aren’t winning, there are still some strong performers in the system. Who shined under the Friday night lights?RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Durham 2 Box Score Both starters put up zeros in this one until the fifth frame. Willians Astudillo led off the bottom of the inning with his fifth home run of the season to put the Red Wings up 1-0. From there, the Red Wings offense went cold. Jake Cave finished 2-for-4 and Chris Carter reached base three times in four plate appearances. Overall, the team only had two at-bats with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base. Adalberto Mejia put together one of his best starts of the season. In seven innings of work, he allowed two runs on five hits while striking out eight and walking one. Luke Bard finished off the game with two shutout innings. He struck out two and walked one. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Montgomery 12 Box Score Chattanooga got out to an early lead after plating six runs in the first four innings of the game. However, the Biscuits found a way to jump all over Lewis Thorpe. Thorpe couldn’t make it out of the fourth inning as he allowed nine runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked two. Ryan Eades took over for Thorpe and allowed two earned runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings. Sean Miller had a solid day at the plate. He finished 3-for-3 with three (!!) doubles and two runs scored. LaMonte Wade reached base three times out of the lead-off spot and collected his second double of the season. Brent Rooker reached base four times but he didn’t collect a hit as they were all free passes. Overall, the club went 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Dunedin 8 Box Score Fort Myers couldn't put together a big inning in this one and one bad inning for a Miracle pitcher put the team in a hole. Fort Myers scored one run in five different innings but they didn't have a single inning with a crooked number. Jaylin Davis and Luis Arraez did their best to carry the offensive load. Davis finished 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Arraez reached base five times including a 3-for-3 night at the plate with a double and a triple. Charlie Barnes started and pitched five frames. He gave up three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Kevin Marnon was saddled with the loss after he allowed five runs (three earned) on four hits in 1 2/3 innings. Alex Robinson pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings with four strikeouts and two walks. He didn't allow a hit. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 5 Box Score Royce Lewis started off the game with a bang. After falling behind 1-2 in the count, Lewis cracked his fifth home run of the season to put the Kernels up 1-0. Entering play on Friday, he had gone 4-for-31 (.129 BA) in June. The team’s only other run came in the fifth inning when Jacob Pearson led off the frame with a single before Andrew Bechtold drove him in with a double. It was Bechtold’s seventh double of the season. Bryan Sammons put together a strong start on the mound. He lasted seven innings, a season high, and held the Timber Rattlers to four runs (three earned) on five hits. He struck out eight, which also tied a season high. Jose Martinez pitched one inning and allowed one earned run on two hits. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Jaylin Davis, Fort Myers (4-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Adalberto Mejia, Rochester (7.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 K, 1 BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, HR, R, RBI K #3 – Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-4 #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, BB, K #7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-1, 4 BB, R #10 – Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, 2 K #12 – Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – 3.1 IP, 9 ER, 5 K, 2 BB #13 – Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 1-4, RBI, 2 K #14 – LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 2-4, 2B, BB, R #17 – Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-3, R, BB, 2 K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Durham (6:05 CST) – TBD Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:05 CST) – RHP Omar Bencomo (4-0, 2.08 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Dunedin (5:00 CST) – RHP Andro Cutura (3-1, 3.57 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35 CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (2-1, 4.09 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. 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Twins Daily Roundtable is a new weekly series. As part of this series, a question will be posed to the site’s writers and they will respond in 200 words or less. This will give readers an opportunity to see multiple points of view and then add their own point of view in the comments section. Minnesota has a lot of questions surrounding their roster for next season. The club has very little money committed beyond the 2018 campaign. While this can be seen as a roster reset, it’s also scary to consider which players might be getting significant playing time next season. That being said, extensions are a tricky endeavor. Players reaching free agency can have some flaws. Fans saw how cold the free agent market was last season. This year’s free agent class has some big names but I doubt any of them will end up in a Twins uniform. This week’s roundtable discussion question is: “Who’s the one player the Twins should be working the hardest to sign to an extension?”John Bonnes I’m hesitant to commit long term to pitcher, but Jose Berrios looks like an exception. Here’s why: The Time Is Right Next offseason he’ll be in the sweetest of sweet spots for an extension, between his second and third year of service time. At that point he still has one year of making close to minimum wage, so if he has some arm problems, they’re on him. For that kind of player, especially a pitcher, a big chunk of guaranteed money can make a lot of sense. He’s Young Berrios relatively early start to his career works in both Berrios’ and the Twins’ favor for a long-term extension. He’ll become a free agent after the 2022 season, but he’ll only be 28 years old when he hits the free agent market. If he agrees to a deal that buys out a year of free agency or two, he can still hit the free agent market in his prime as a 29 or 30-year-old He’s Good But you know that. He should be the top priority this offseason for an extension. Nick Nelson Before the season started, I suggested that signing Byron Buxton to a contract extension ought to be the front office's top priority. Right now, that take admittedly looks... not good. But I'm not backing away. In fact, Buxton's tumultuous start to the season only decreases his leverage while increasing that of the Twins. Existing questions about his ability to stay healthy and produce at the plate are only magnified, so his desire to attain long-term security ought to be heightened. Despite his tribulations and constant regressions, I remain a strong believer in Buxton's game-changing talent. I'm confident he'll pull it all together and blossom into an MVP-caliber player. If the Twins take action now, they could score a discount on some of his best years. And if he continues on the path he's currently on? Well, they'll have much bigger concerns than overpaying him in salary. Tom Froemming Can I say Royce Lewis? OK, that may be a bit premature. There are so many good extension candidates, but I’m going to go with the most urgent one to address. No, not Brian Dozier. The player I think the Twins should be working hardest to extend right now is Eduardo Escobar. Like Dozier, Escobar is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Unlike Dozier, however, Eduado has proven he can be trusted at multiple positions. That creates a ton of flexibility. If Dozier leaves, no problem, Esky can play second. Not convinced Miguel Sano can stick at third? No problem, put Esky there. Think Nick Gordon may need to shift to second base? That’s OK, Esky can handle himself at shortstop. The Twins have no shortage of younger players they’ll certainly be interested in keeping around long term, but time is on the team’s side with the majority of those guys. It would be a shame to see Escobar in another team’s jersey next year. Cody Christie Multiple players could fit into the category of extension worthy. Young players like Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, and Jose Berrios are all still in their arbitration years. Veteran players like Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, and Joe Mauer will all be free agents at season’s end. For veteran players, I believe Dozier and Escobar test the free agent market. I doubt either will be back in a Twins uniform next season. Mauer’s reoccurring concussion issues put his future plans in doubt. I don’t think he goes to another team but I don’t know if he will continue playing after this season. For the young core, I don’t trust Sano and Buxton to stay healthy at this point. Rosario is in the midst of a career year so it might not be optimal to sign him right now. That leaves Kepler and Berrios on my list of extension candidates. Pitching has always been a sticking point for the Twins. I try to buy out the remaining arbitration years from Berrios and add on some of his free agent years. Even if he is never a true “ace,” he can provide value at the top of the rotation. Jeremy Nygaard The thing that makes this question really difficult is that the player that's playing the best is likely to be the guy that most fans would say they should try hardest to extend. That guy, right now, is Eddie Rosario. The problem is that when a player is playing the best baseball of his career, you're bound to have to pay a premium to get that player to extend. So I wouldn't work hard - or at all - to extend Rosario. Ask me again the off-season, when Rosario is going into his first arbitration year and his one-year value is somewhat established by previous agreements around the league. Max Kepler would be a better player to approach as he's heading into a Super 2 year. But that means there're four more off-seasons before free agency and it might be too early. The player who would probably get my current vote is Kyle Gibson. One year left of arbitration before free agency, likely to be part of the "rebuild", getting Gibson signed to a two- to three-year deal would give the Twins some cost certainty and not at a huge cost. The risk to committing money to a pitcher should be partially reduced by the fact that even if Gibson regresses badly, he could still be serviceable in the bullpen. Of course, that's worse case scenario. Best case is you're saving a few hundred thousand on a solid piece of the rotation. Likely scenario is you're getting a mid-rotation guy and you know exactly what it's going to cost you. As much as I like thinking about potential extensions, I'm at a point where I'm just curious to see who makes it through the purge in July if things don't start to get a lot better. Seth Stohs At the beginning of this past offseason, I suggested long-term deals for a whole bunch of Twins players: Byron Buxton - 7 years, $76.5 Million Miguel Sano - 6 years, $66 Million (with option to make it 7 years, $86 million) Jose Berrios - 7 years, $46 Million (with option to make it 8 years, $60 million) Eddie Rosario - 5 years, $28.5 Million (with 2 options that could make it 7 years, $54 million) Max Kepler - 7 years, $48 Million (with option to make it 8 years, $61 million) Brian Dozier - 4 years, $65 Million (with an option to make it 5 years, $73 million) Eduardo Escobar - 2 years, $9.5 Million( with an option to make it 3 years, $13.5 million) Admittedly, six months later, the offer to Escobar looks a bit silly. He should get much more than that. Negotiating with Eddie Rosario right now would likely end up in a bad deal for the Twins because Rosario is so hot at the plate right now. It is possible that maybe a Buxton deal or a Dozier deal could be more realistic. As I look at that list, I have zero interest in working on a long-term deal with Sano at this point. But I'd have interest in each of the others. Priority should be Buxton, Berrios and Kepler, and then Rosario if he ever cools down. SD Buhr Royce Lewis OK, I’m kidding. But not completely. If they are as convinced he’s going to be as good as the rest of us think he is, it might not be the dumbest move they’ve ever made to get him locked up for a long time right now. And given that his agent is Scott Boras, they may HAVE to sign extend him right now if they want to have any hope of getting him signed long term, because you know that once he’s even at AA, Boras will want him to just play year-to-year until he’s a free agent. Otherwise, though, I’d probably have to suggest getting Jose Berrios locked up ahead of his peers. Before the season started, I would have suggested Byron Buxton, but I’m starting to get concerned about whether he’ll ever stay healthy long enough in one stretch to become the hitter we all felt he could eventually become. I have similar, if not greater, concerns about Miguel Sano’s long term viability. Given the challenges the Twins have had finding and keeping a legitimate top-of-the-rotation arm, they probably should try to extend Berrios right now. Sure, there’s no guarantee that he’ll become a true “ace” (however you choose to define that term), but that’s probably where I’d put my money first, at this point. Jamie Cameron With their young offensive core, there have been so many challenges between injuries and suspensions. For me, its Jose Berrios by a mile. The Twins haven't had a potential tandem like Berrios and Romero since Santana and Liriano. Berrios is taking steps forward in 2018. He's improved his K/9 from 8.6 to 8.9, reduced his BB/9 from just under 3.0 to 1.7 and is on track to have a fWAR of 4.2 in 2018, that's borderline all-star level. He's currently 24th among pitchers in MLB with an fWAR of 1.4 (Kyle Gibson is 22nd!). On top of all of this, Berrios has developed his curveball into one of the better versions of this pitch in baseball. He has an unrelenting thirst to maximize his talent, and just turned 24. The Twins should lock up Berrios ASAP; he can lead their rotation for the next 6-8 years. Andrew Thares I think that despite his lackluster performance this year, Byron Buxton is still the guy the Twins should be working the hardest to sign to an extension right now. His upside is going away the greatest of any player on the Twins, and when healthy he probably still has the highest floor of any Twins player on the roster given what he can do in the outfield and on the base paths. Buxton’s skill set is another factor that plays into it. Speed is unquestionably his greatest strength, and he should remain one of the fastest players in baseball until around his early 30s. As if right now Buxton is eligible to become a free agent right after his age 27 season. This means he will be a very attractive asset on the open market (assuming he doesn’t keep hitting below the Mendoza Line). If the Twins can eat up a couple of Buxton’s free agent years with an extension, I think it will pay huge dividends down the road. Ted Schwerzler This is a tricky question because I think there's more talented players ahead of the guy I believe the Twins should work to retain. Brian Dozier is going to hit the open market, and Minnesota's effort should begin and end with a qualifying offer. Joe Mauer makes sense to be brought back on a one or two year deal if he's healthy, but the brain injury coming back into play could jeopardize that and force him to walk away. Eduardo Escobar isn't going to set the world on fire, but I think we've seen what he brings to the club as a utility guy. Some team may be willing to overpay for that, but if there's a reasonable deal to be made there, that's where I'd look first if I was Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. Steve Lein Three household names will hit free agency heading into the 2019 season: Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier, and Eduardo Escobar. These are your options as I don’t think Jose Berrios or any of the Twins other young talent are saying yes to a deal at this point, so I wouldn’t be working hard on one. Many would like Mauer to play for the Twins his entire career, and for as long as they’ll have him I think that will be the case. So, I don’t try too hard here either. Brian Dozier has been a superstar at his position for three years now and is a veteran leader in the clubhouse. He also can only play second base and his heirs apparent are already at AAA (Nick Gordon) or on the suspended list (Jorge Polanco). But I’d work the hardest on Eduardo Escobar even without those notes considered. He’s among the best utility players in the game and has thrived when thrown into a starting role. This year he leads all 2B, SS, and 3B in doubles, continuing his blistering finish to the 2017 season. He’s also a veteran presence and extremely likeable, so he’s my pick. If you missed any of the previous roundtable discussions, here are the links: Romero’s Rotation Spot Top Prospect Timelines Minnesota’s All-Star Selection Click here to view the article

One year from now, you could be reading about Trevor Larnach impacting a minor league lineup. The Twins took Larnach with the 20th overall pick on Monday night. On this night, there were multiple former first round and supplemental first round picks impacting the organization. Kohl Stewart (2013 Draft) started in Chattanooga and was replaced by Tyler Jay (2015 Draft). On the offensive side, Brent Rooker (2017 Draft) batted second in the Lookouts lineup. Would any of these players impact the final scores on Monday? Read on to find out.NEWS AND NOTES -Alex Kirilloff, the team’s 2016 first-round pick, was named the Midwest League Player of the Week. He went 13-for-30 with three doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs. He had a .485 slugging percentage and an OPS of .833 while drawing three walks and scoring eight runs. -LHP Tyler Watson was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Fort Myers. -LHP Kevin Marnon was promoted from Elizabethton to Fort Myers. -RHP Moises Gomez was transferred from Fort Myers to Elizabethton -RHP Brady Anderson was placed on the 7-day disabled list CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mobile 6 Box Score As the 2018 MLB Draft was underway, it’s fitting that former first-round pick Kohl Stewart started the game and he was relieved by former first-round pick Tyler Jay. Stewart scattered nine hits but limited the BayBears to two runs (one earned). He struck out seven, his second highest total of the season, and he walked one. Jay pitched two shutout frames by allowing two hits and striking out a pair. The Lookouts offense took a while to get moving but things started heating up in the seventh frame. James Ramsey and Brian Navarreto both walked to start the inning. Alex Perez loaded the bases with a single. Chattanooga’s first run was scored on a ground out by Ryan Walker. Sean Miller, LaMonte Wade, and Brent Rooker strung together three straight singles to put the Lookouts up 4-2. Things got a little out of hand in the ninth inning for Williams Ramirez. He was charged with his second loss after allowing four runs on four hits with one strikeout and no walks. He’s blown three saves so far this year out of nine save opportunities. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 4 Box Score The Miracle used a big fifth inning to take a lead in the middle innings. With one out, Travis Blankenhorn and Brandon Lopez singled to put runners on the corners. Caleb Hamilton laced a double to center field to tie the game 1-1. Jimmy Kerrigan was intentionally walked to load the bases. After a Joe Cronin strikeout, Mitchel Kranson singled to put Fort Myers up 3-1. Tyler Watson was cruising through eight innings but the top of the ninth inning was when things started to fall apart. After allowing a double to start the frame, he committed a fielding error to allow another runner to reach base. Tom Hackimer replaced Watson but he couldn’t hold the lead. Three runs scored in the inning and the Miracle ended up on the wrong end of this one. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Jimmy Kerrigan, Fort Myers (2-for-4, BB, 2 K) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Tyler Watson, Fort Myers (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K #13 – Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 0-4, K #14 – LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 2-5, K #17 – Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-3, R, BB, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Indianapolis (6:05 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (4-1, 4.00 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Mobile (6:15 CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (0-1, 5.79 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Palm Beach (6:00 CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit (5:35 CST) – RHP Blayne Enlow (0-1, 3.81 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit (Game 2) – RHP Melvi Acosta (1-1, 1.86 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

The bad news continues to mount for Twins fans. Earlier this week, the news came out about Ervin Santana being sent back to doctors for his ailing finger and Byron Buxton is heading back to the DL for his broken toe. Joe Mauer was supposed to be close to returning to the field but now his concussion symptoms have returned. In a contract year, Mauer's continued concussion issues might have him thinking about what the future holds.On May 11 against the Angels, he made a dive for a foul ball and something wasn’t quite right. Even Mike Trout, who was on first base, noticed something might have been wrong as Mauer returned to his position. Mauer would play another week before leaving in the middle of a game on May 18. His drive home that night sounds like it was a scary situation. He felt the concussion symptoms “pour on” on his way home. Mauer stayed at home and away from the team for a couple of days to try and recover. Thursday was supposed to be another step towards Mauer returning this weekend. He worked out on the field before the team’s contest against Cleveland. Things went fine while he was hitting but jogging and fielding caused some of his concussion symptoms to resurface. Mauer hoped to be able to sit on the bench during the Cleveland series to see how his body responded to the lights and sounds of a big league game. Twins Territory saw a Mauer resurgence in 2017. In his age-34 season, he hit .305/.384/.417 with 44 extra-base hits in 141 games. He was also robbed of being a finalist for the AL Gold Glove at first base. He finished third in SABR’s SDI rankings and Eric Hosmer, the eventual winner, finished with the second worst ranking. So far this season, Mauer has hit .283/.404/.355 with eight extra-base hits in 38 games. Concussions are a dangerous part of sports. Mauer’s career has been altered because of his recurring symptoms. Former Twin Justin Morneau saw his career cut short because of concussion issues. There are long-term repercussions from continuing to play with mounting concussion concerns. Mauer has a family to think about and a post-baseball life that might be starting sooner, rather than later. Click here to view the article

“There are three things you can do in a baseball game. You can win, or you can lose, or it can rain” --- Casey Stengel, Hall of Fame Manager Rain might have been the best thing that could have happened to the Twins on Wednesday night. Twins fans saw Fernando Romero struggle for the first time in his young pitching career as the Royals pounced on him. Minnesota did their best to mount a comeback but it wasn’t in the cards. Earlier in the day, there was some other bad news. Bryon Buxton was placed on the disabled list and Ervin Santana was pulled off of his rehab stint. It was a rainy day in Twins Territory.Buxton’s Bothersome Toe When the Twins activated Buxton from the DL, I questioned the club’s decision for him to skip a rehab stint. He originally went on the disabled list because of migraines but then he ran into another problem on his rehab assignment. On April 23rd, Buxton fouled a ball of his left big toe and fractured it. He’s clearly been in pain at the plate and on the bases. Since returning, he has gone 6-for-47 with two doubles and a stolen base in 16 games. At the plate, his biggest issues was trying to use the lower half of his body. Eventually, the pain was just too much. "Defense wasn't really the problem, it was hitting pretty much the whole time -- trying to land, trying to find different ways to keep it from barking," Buxton said. "Each time I'd find myself having a different swing trying to hit a ball. It's tough trying to do that up here in the bigs. You've got to have that consistent swing, and that wasn't happening. I think the best thing for me was letting it settle down a little bit." Buxton clearly wanted to help the team, especially with the club’s slow start. Now he will be reevaluated by team doctors to see if he further damaged his toe while trying to play through the pain. Santana’s Situation Santana underwent surgery in February on the middle finger of his right hand. Originally, team officials thought he would miss 6-8 weeks. The calendar flips to June this week and he doesn’t seem to be getting any closer to joining the Twins rotation. On Tuesday, he suited up for High-A Fort Myers for his second rehab appearance. His fastball velocity topped out around 90 mph, which quite a bit below his average over the last couple seasons. His secondary pitches have also caused some issues as he tries to get a feel for them with his surgically repaired finger. He’s on his way to New York to see Dr. Charles Melone, the surgeon who operated on him earlier this year. After a reevaluation, the club will need to decide on the next course of action. The timeline is unclear at this point but it doesn’t look like Santana will be rescuing this team any time soon. A year after making the AL Wild Card Game, the Twins have lost two of their most valuable pieces for a large chunk of the beginning of the season. Other players are going to need to step-up in order to fill the void. Click here to view the article

Twins Daily Roundtable is a new weekly series. As part of this series, a question will be posed to the site’s writers and they will respond in 200 words or less. This will give readers an opportunity to see multiple points of view and then add their own point of view in the comments section. It’s hard to believe the calendar will flip to June at the end of the week. Baseball’s season is roughly a third of the way complete. Teams are starting to see some separation in the standings and MLB’s Mid-Summer Classic is quickly approaching. It won’t be long until your inbox gets flooded with promotional emails to start voting for baseball’s best players. Before that happens, let’s take a look at the All-Star candidates on Minnesota’s roster. This week’s roundtable discussion question is: “Who should represent the Twins at the 2018 All-Star Game?"John Bonnes There isn’t a lot of separation. Eduardo Escobar has arguably been the most valuable position player, given his offense and his defensive position. Jake Odorizzi has the lowest ERA of the full time starting pitchers. Fernando Romero has been unbelievable, albeit for only five starts. And if Joe Mauer was healthy, I’d love to have him represent the Twins one last time. However, to me, it comes down to Eddie Rosario versus Jose Berrios. They’re both very good - maybe a half stride better than any of the other candidates on the team - but I’m voting for both mostly because they’re going to be incredibly entertaining. Berrios might throw a curveball that makes John Smoltz' head explode and Rosario might do something so non-traditional/un-Twins-Way-like that it will make Jack Buck’s head explode. That settles it. I’d rather see Jack Buck’s head explode. Eddie Rosario is the Twins representative. Tom Froemming All-Star Eddie Rosario, it just rolls right off the tongue. If there’s any one player who most deserves to represent the Twins in the Midsummer Classic, it’s Rosie. Here’s the problem: Outfield is loaded in the American League. Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge and J.D. Martinez are having insane seasons, and I’d be willing to bet Giancarlo Stanton will get voted in as a starter given the name recognition and Yankee-ness. With that being the case, it may be tough for Rosario to crack the roster, let alone Max Kepler, who also warrants consideration. Eduardo Escobar may have a better case, given his defensive flexibility. That certainly helped Josh Harrison last year and Eduardo Nunez the year before that. The Twins also have a few pitchers who deserve consideration. As of Tuesday afternoon, Jose Berrios ranked 12th in the AL in WAR among qualified starters and Fernando Rodney’s 11 saves put him in a tie for sixth in the league. There’s also a legit argument to be made that Ryan Pressly has been the best middle reliever in the AL. But, with their record, I suspect the Twins may only have one representative. It should be Rosario. Cody Christie Every team gets a representative and few players on the Twins have separated themselves from the pack. According to FanGraphs, Jose Berrios leads the pitching staff in WAR with Kyle Gibson and Ryan Pressly currently sitting in second and third. Offensively, Eddie Rosario leads the team (1.3 fWAR) and he is followed by Eduardo Escobar (0.9 fWAR) and Max Kepler (0.9 fWAR). On my list, I cross off Rosario and Kepler because of the depth of outfielders in the American League. Escobar has some position flexibility and some managers like this option for the late-innings. Pressly has been the team’s best relief option and managers have recently been more willing to use non-closers in the All-Star Games. I could see Pressly getting the nod or even Fernando Rodney because he is the team’s “proven closer.” At the beginning of the season, I made some crazy predictions and not many of them are going to come true. However, I picked Jose Berrios to be an All-Star so it’s tough to go back on that early season prediction. He could be a dominant option out of the bullpen when he doesn’t have to hold anything back. Berrios played in multiple Futures Games including starting in front of the Target Field crowd back in 2014. For me, the future is now and I believe Berrios will be the club’s selection. Jeremy Nygaard If the teams were announced today, I'd have a hard time believing the Twins would be more than a one-bid team. I would think that Jose Berrios would get that bid. A case could be made for Eddie Rosario, and deservedly so. He's 10th among qualifying AL outfielders in OPS, 8th in batting average and tied for 11th in home runs with only Betts, Trout and J.D. Martinez ranked higher in all three categories. But there are other bigger names that push Rosario down and probably out. Fernando Romero has been lights-out for five starts and he'll have a chance to improve his case with another handful of starts as well. Only Justin Verlander has thrown more innings and has a lower ERA. But one subpar outing changes that stat in a hurry. Which brings me back to Berrios. He's one of only ten AL starting pitchers - along with BarolofreakingColon - with a sub-1.00 WHIP, averages just short of a strikeout an inning and would be electric in a one inning relief role. While he struggled through a rough patch, he's still got the resume to suggest he's an All-Star... and hopefully an All-Star for many years to come. Seth Stohs With the All Star Game like six weeks away, it's really hard to predict who might represent the Twins. In large part, it's difficult to know how many Twins might be participants. Right or wrong, that is sometimes based on how well the team is doing. If they were to get hot now, they might have two or three. If not, they may end up with just one. So, as of this date, I'll guess that the Twins will be represented in the All-Star Game by Jose Berrios. If they continue to play well as a team, then a case could (hopefully) be made for Eddie Rosario or Max Kepler at that time. Ted Schwerzler The Twins are facing a situation unlike 2017 when it comes to a representative at the All-Star Game. After Miguel Sano was nearly voted as the top player at 3B a year ago, Minnesota is looking at a likely skunking across the board in 2018. Needing a representative in the contest, I think the honor gets split one of three ways. Eddie Rosario has been the team's best player, and you could make a very strong case for him to go. There's a significant number of big names when it comes to American League outfielders however, and Rosario's exploits pale in comparison to most of them. From there, the choice for me falls in between one of two pitchers. Jose Berrios represents an up and coming star who's been much more good than bad. At times he's looked like a true ace, and an All-Star nod would hardly be a reach. If you'd like to go the relief route, it has to be Ryan Pressly. He's looked the part of a lock down type this season, and a continuation of this performance will quickly have him being named among the best in the game. Steve Lein Despite their overall record and performance as a team thus far, I think the Twins still have quite a few candidates to represent them at the All-Star Game. On the position player front, Eddie Rosario stands out as an overall performer and is on par with many top players in left field. Eduardo Escobar leads all MLB shortstops in doubles, Max Kepler continues to have some great at-bats, and Miguel Sano even leads the Twins hitters in Win Probability added (WPA). As far as pitchers go, I think cases could be made for Addison Reed and Ryan Pressly as set-up men. After a rough start, Fernando Rodney has been hardly an experience, now with eleven saves. Jake Odorizzi has had his moments as well. But if I’m picking only one, and I would be with how the year has gone, the nod would go to Jose Berrios. He leads the team in innings pitched, strikeouts, WPA, WAR, has struck out nearly 9 per 9IP, and walked fewer than 5% of hitters he’s faced. He’s been electric most of the time this season, blossoming into the team’s ace, and should get his first of hopefully many more opportunities in this July’s summer classic. Jamie Cameron I think there are a few in consideration here. Kepler and Rosario have played really well, but they play at incredibly competitive positions. I'd have to go with Ryan Pressly. Pressly ranks 14th in MLB in fWAR (0.7). He's 18th in K/9 (12.18), 24th in xFIP (2.90). All of this while carrying a pretty inflated BaBIP of .348. This is even more impressive when you consider where Pressly was in 2017. Using the same categories, he put together an fWAR of 0.1, K/9 of 8.95, xFIP of 3.81, in spite of a stingy .264 BaBIP. You don't win awards for most improved, but Pressly has to have taken the biggest step forward of almost any relief pitcher at the big league level. Pressly has always had the stuff, including one of the most devastating curveballs of all relief pitchers in the majors. He's put it all together and turned himself into a top 20 relief pitcher. He's a deserving All-Star. Andrew Thares At this point Jose Berrios is the clear cut favorite to represent the Twins in the All-Star Game. On merit alone Berrios might not be an All-Star as things stand today, but if he keeps up the way he has been pitching of late his All-Star selection will be well deserved. However, with the rule that each team must be represented Berrios should be the Twins representative. Really the only other player I see having a shot is Eddie Rosario if he can put together a big month in June. If you missed any of the previous roundtable discussions, here are the links: Romero’s Rotation Spot (Ervin Santana is on his way back) Top Prospect Timelines Click here to view the article

Welcome to summer! Nothing seems to go together quite like grilling out and watching a baseball game. Memorial Day weekend is typically the unofficial kick-off to summer. Most teams are starting to figure out if they are pretenders or contenders. There is a lot of baseball left to be played in the coming months but teams are starting to figure out their roles. Entering play on Sunday, almost every team in the system was within striking distance of a .500 record. Rochester had a scheduled doubleheader and sat four games above .500. Cedar Rapids also had a doubleheader and they started the day one game under .500. Chattanooga has the best winning percentage in the organization with a 30-19 record. So who was able to come out on top on Sunday?RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 11 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score Trevor May is getting closer to returning to the big league roster but he certainly didn’t look ready based on what he did in this contest. May started and didn’t make it out of the third inning. He pitched 2 2/3 innings while allowing seven runs on five hits. He struck out five but he also walked four. There were some control issues as he threw 77 pitches in under three innings and 42 pitches were for strikes. D.J. Baxendale was pressed into service after May’s early exit. He pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out four and didn’t allow a walk. Luke Bard finished the final 1 2/3 innings by surrendering one earned run. He compiled three strikeouts and no walks. Rochester didn’t have much offense to talk about. Zack Granite and Jake Cave each reached base twice. Willians Astudillo went 1-for-3 with the team’s lone extra-base hit, a double. Taylor Featherstone reached base twice, scored a run, and stole his seventh base. Recently promoted Nick Gordon went 0-for-3 with an RBI. Rochester 1, Buffalo 3 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score Rochester’s offense continued its struggle in this one as the team put together only seven hits. Zack Granite went 2-for-4. Jermaine Curtis collected the team’s lone extra-base hit, his fourth double. After going hitless in the opening game, Nick Gordon went 1-for-4 with a single. On the mound, the Red Wings got five decent innings from Adalberto Mejia. He allowed three earned runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking two. John Curtiss finished the game with two shutout innings. He struck out four and walked one. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Montgomery 7 Box Score Chattanooga almost matched Montgomery in hits (7 to 10) but the Biscuits managed to compile three extra-base hits including two home runs to get out with a comfortable win. Cody Stashak started and went three innings without allowing an earned run. He gave up only one hit and struck out three. Ryan Eades ran into some trouble. He allowed three runs on five hits in his three innings of work. Tyler Jay surrendered one run on two hits out of the bullpen. He last 1 2/3 innings and struck out one. Zack Jones tried to stop the bleeding but he allowed three runs, all unearned, on two hits with four strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. After the error, he allowed a home run. Offensively, there wasn’t much to write home about either. Ryan Walker went 2-for-3 and was the only batter to have multiple hits. Tanner English collected the team’s only extra-base hit, a double. Brian Olson reached base twice and scored a run. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers --, Charlotte -- The Miracle were scheduled to play a doubleheader on Sunday but their games against Charlotte were cancelled due to rain. Both games were supposed to be played on Friday evening so weather has gotten in the way of these games on multiple occasions. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Clinton 9 (Game 1) Box Score It was a long time between home runs for Royce Lewis. His first home run of the season came in the team’s fifth game. Sunday’s first game of the doubleheader was game 35. He finally collected his second home run and fans wouldn’t have to wait long for his third long ball. In the first inning, he smack a one-out solo home run to give the Kernels the early lead. In the third inning, he collected his second homer of the game, a two-run bomb. Jacob Pearson lead-off for the Kernels and went 2-for-5 with a triple, his first extra-base hit since being promoted. He has multiple hits in three of his first five games with the Kernels. Alex Kirilloff crack his 14th double and reached base twice. Ben Rortvedt continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-4 effort. Edwar Colina struggled to find the plate as he walked six batters in five frames. He allowed three runs on two hits with five strikeouts. Jared Finkel pitched three innings and didn’t allow an earned run but he did allow an inherited runner to score. He struck out two and walked a pair. Moises Gomez took the loss as he allowed six runs, four earned in the tenth inning. Cedar Rapids 0, Clinton 1 (Game 2- 8 Innings) Box Score After a marathon in Game 1, the second game of the double header must have felt like a breeze. However, things would get dicey from there. Clinton scored quickly on Randy Dobnak by pushing across a run in the first frame. He settled in nicely from there and pitched seven strong innings. He allowed one run, a solo home run, on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Cedar Rapids waited until the seventh inning until they mounted their comeback. Jose Miranda and Jean Carlos Arias singled with one out in the inning. Ben Rodriguez then drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly. This sent the game to extra-innings. Clinton scored in the top of the eighth inning off of Nick Brown, who replaced Dobnak. But this day was reserved for Royce Lewis. Andrew Bechtold started the eighth with a walk to put two runners on base. David Banuelos bunted to move runners into scoring position. Jacob Pearson drove in the first run with a single. Royce Lewis capped off his day with a walk-off sacrifice fly. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Royce Lewis, Cedar Rapids (3-8, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Randy Dobnak, Cedar Rapids (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Buffalo (12:05 CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (2-2, 3.94 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

It’s been a week full of surprises for the Minnesota Twins. Almost a week ago, he was designated for assignment. It looked like the team was going to have to eat over $20 million in salary. For a team and ownership group like the Twins, this was a lot of money left on the table. However, the San Diego Padres came calling this weekend and the Twins were able to strike a deal.Phil Hughes was traded to San Diego along with cash considerations and the 74th overall pick in June’s Draft. In return, the Twins will receive Janigson Villalobos, a minor league catcher. Villalobos will be entering his age-21 season and he has yet to play above rookie ball. Last season in 27 games, he hit .275/.367/.388 with eight extra-base hits. He also posted a 23 to 14 strikeout to walk ratio. Defensively, he’s caught over 415 innings across two seasons. He averages five errors a season and he has a career .977 fielding percentage. Last season, he threw out 11 out of 36 potential base stealers (31% CS). After allowing 12 passed balls during his professional debut, he improved that total to four passed balls in 2017. Minnesota was on the hook for the $22 million still owed to Hughes and no team was going to take on his contract for free. Reports have the Twins getting $6 million off that total from the Padres so they had to give up the 74th pick in order to get someone to take on some of his pay. It can be debated if the Twins should surrender a top-100 pick for some salary relief. Some believe this isn't a deep draft and the Twins might like Villalobos better than a player that would be available at 72. Hughes wasn’t coming back to Minnesota and San Diego might be a good landing spot for him. What are your thoughts on the trade? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article