Cody Christie

Turns out he was injured. Unless this was just a way to give him some rest

If I was the Twins my board would look like this: 1. Wright 2. Greene 3. Lewis 4. McKay Lucky enough for them, they won't have to go past the first option on their board

The calendar has flipped to June and many teams are trying to decide if they are contenders or pretenders. Minnesota is in the same situation. With the club off to a strong start to the season, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine will need to decide if the team will be buying or selling at the trade deadline. One Twins player's name is already being thrown around in trade rumors. Ervin Santana has gotten off to a tremendous start to the season. At the beginning of May, I wondered if his start to the season was real or if he was a pretender. He has continued to be impressive and this could make him a hot trade target.Fanrag Sports' Jon Heyman reports "Ervin Santana will be available even if he isn't quite available yet. He even quotes one rival as saying, "You can make an offer. They're hoping to cash in on his start." Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal said, "The ask for Santana figures to be quite high -- a stunning development for a pitcher who was suspended 80 games after testing positive for PEDs in 2015." Reasons To Trade The new regime has yet to have a signature move. There were plenty of steam regarding a Brian Dozier trade this off-season but nothing materialized. Trading Santana at the peak of his value could be a move that impacts this organization for years to come. A team trading for Santana would have to include quite the package of prospects and this could result in an overhaul of the Twins minor league system. Another reason to sell high on Santana is that he isn't a typical ace. Santana's career numbers back-up his non-ace status. It's not unprecedented for a pitcher to have a great season and then regress back to their previous performance level. Boston fans have seen this with last year's Cy Young winner Rick Porcello. He put together a Cy Young winning campaign in 2016 but his 2017 season has been rough. Santana's value will never be higher. If Minnesota wants to build for the future, trading Santana is the right move. Reasons Not To Trade The Twins always need pitching and it's been nice to have Santana as the anchor to the Twins rotation. Other players have filtered in and out this year but he has been the one constant. He also has a very team friendly contract. He is signed for next year at $13.5 million and there is also a $14 million team option for 2019 which would vest depending on innings pitched in 2017-18. These totals seems cheap in a baseball world where large money is tossed around Santana has also been one of the best pitchers in the American League this season. He has a chance to make his second All-Star team while being near the top of the AL in WHIP, ERA, hits/9, compete games and shutouts. Minnesota could sneak into the playoffs and Santana needs to be part of this roster for that dream to become a reality. As the Twins young core continues to develop, it would be nice to have a veteran pitcher at the front of the rotation. Santana can continue to provide veteran leadership while the team tries to stay in the playoff fight. To trade or not to trade, that is the question. Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

I feel like some one should make a Vote Wright and Vote Greene poster and bumper stickers

This is one of the things that makes the MLB Draft so much different from the NFL Draft. With the mix of college and high school players, there is a lot of projection

I keep wondering if Gordon is lining himself up for a September call-up

Even though we don't have the same data as the Twins, it's easy for fans to find out that he has struggled to keep his velocity up into the late innings. It would have been nice for him to concentrate on being a pitcher or a hitter and not doing both.

Seems "blah." I feel like even with his two-way ability, he won't be more than a back-end starter or long reliever. His bat has been good this year but previous years he wasn't anything exciting at the plate.

Will fans be upset if they take McKay?

It's interesting to consider how much someone's stock can change in one spring. Many fans would have be fine with him being the first pick earlier in the year. He will certainly be a high pick but I think he has shown enough flaws that it's the right (or Wright) move to pass on him.

I enjoyed this comment more than I should have

I tried to allude to that in the article. I feel like he could become a much better at being a hitter or a pitcher if he focused on one and not the other. It's too hard to be a two-way player as a professional.

It's a new front office with a different approach to drafting. Some of the scouts are the same but it's the dawn of a new era. Levine and Falvey know this pick could define their tenure as a front office duo. There needs to be a balance between risk and reward. You can't strikeout on the number one overall pick.

The Twins were off on Monday, but there was plenty of exciting minor league action. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Monday. Transactions: Jonathan Rodriguez active from the seven-day DL (Chattanooga), replacing Kevin Garcia who was assigned to EST in Fort Myers. Fort Myers activated Jonny Drozd from the seven-day DL.RED WINGS REPORT Scranton/WB 6 @ Rochester 3 Box Score The Red Wings took an early lead in the bottom of the first thanks to some extra hustle from Zach Granite who singled to lead off the game, stole second base, advanced to third on a ground out and scored via a Tommy Field sacrifice fly. The Wings added another run to lead 2-0 in the third, again thanks to Zach Granite who singled, moved to second on a J.B. Shuck single, tagged up and took third on a long fly ball from Tommy field, and scored on a wild pitch. An active night on the base paths for Granite. With the 2-0 lead, the Wings ran into trouble in the sixth as Yohan Pino gave up a three-run homer before being lifted for D.J. Baxendale, who escaped the sixth inning only thanks to a timely double-play after putting men on the corners. Pino’s final line was 5.1 innings, three runs (all earned), two walks, and he struck out seven. Baxendale could not escape trouble in the seventh inning as he gave up three unearned runs after a fielding error by Mitch Garver followed by a sacrifice fly and then a couple of singles and another error. Alan Busenitz cleaned up with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, including a strikeout. Of note: ByungHo Park was 0-2 with a pair of walks and a strikeout and is hitting just .114 over his last 10 games CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 2 @ Chattanooga 4 Box Score Before the game, it was announced that Nick Gordon was the Southern League Player of the Month for May. Gordon had 32 hits, 17 for extra bases, to go along with 22 runs scored and 15 RBIs. Gonsalves earned his first win of the season and shut out the Jackson Generals for 5.0 innings on Monday night. Gonsalves gave up just two hits, he walked three, and struck out eight. After a quality start last time out (6.0IP 2ER, 8K) in which he received just a single run of support, on Monday Gonsalvez got four runs from the Lookouts in the first two innings. Gonsalvez, lifted after 96 pitches, was replaced by Jake Reed who gave up just one hit in 2.0 innings of relief. Raul Fernandez ran into trouble in the eighth inning and gave up a pair of runs in 0.2 innings before John Curtiss came in for the four-out save, striking out three of the four batters he faced, including the final two hitters of the game. While the Lookouts scored those four early runs, they managed only four hits on the game, but took advantage of three walks and a fielding error in the first inning to push three runs across and chase starting pitcher Gabe Speier after just two-thirds of an inning. Southern League Player of the Month Nick Gordon was 1-4 with a double and a stolen base, swiping third base in the bottom of the second inning. Ryan Strausborger was also 1-4 with a double, but without the stolen base to accompany his extra-base hit. No Lookouts player had multiple hits, but LaMonte Wade and Travis Harrison both had a pair of walks and a run scored to go along with an 0-2 night. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0 @ Palm Beach 2 (SUSPENDED MID-FOURTH) Box Score Monday’s game will resume in the bottom of the fourth inning at 3:00 pm tomorrow afternoon. Before the rain forced the game into a delay and suspension, starter Lewis Thorpe gave up a pair of unearned runs in the second inning. KERNELS NUGGETS OFF TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Zach Granite, Rochester Red Wings TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/WB @ Rochester (6:05pm) - TBD Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15pm) – Matt Tracy (3-4, 3.98) Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30pm, 7-innings) – Brady Anderson (2-1, 4.01) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30pm) – Tyler Wells (2-0, 2.37) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Since 2010, the Twins have selected three college players in the first round, right-handed pitcher Alex Wimmers, shortstop Levi Michael and left-handed pitcher Tyler Jay. Wimmers and Michael have failed to transform into MLB regulars. Jay was drafted with the hopes of being a top tier starter. This spring the Twins announced he will be used as a relief pitcher moving forward. Today's profile looks at one of the players expect to come off the board with a top-three pick. His college experience and skills on both side of the ball make him an intriguing prospect. Will he be the Twins' choice at number one?WHO IS HE? McKay is a left-handed pitcher and first baseman from the University of Louisville. He was originally drafted in the 34th round of the 2014 draft by the San Diego Padres. His commitment to Louisville was strong and that decision seems to have paid off. McKay is 6-2, 220 pounds and was born on December 18, 1995. WHY THE TWINS WILL DRAFT HIM McKay has been a legitimate two-way threat during his collegiate career. As a freshman, he hit .308/.418/.431. He followed that up by hitting .333/.415/.513 as a sophomore. On the mound, he was even more impressive. Over 97 innings during his first year, he posted a 1.77 ERA with a 117 to 34 strikeout to walk ratio. He avoided a sophomore slump with a 2.30 ERA and a 128 to 42 strikeout to walk ratio over 110 innings. During his junior campaign, McKay has made huge strides at the plate. He's combined for a 1.159 OPS and 17 home runs which is more homers than his first two seasons combined. On the mound, he ranks in the NCAA's top-10 for strikeouts despite having pitched fewer innings than all but one the other pitchers in the top-10. MLB.com columnist Jim Callis told USA Today that he doesn't believe there has been a prospect who was equally highly regarded as both a pitcher and a hitter as McKay since Dave Winfield out of the University of Minnesota in 1973. Winfield, a Minnesota native, went on to a Hall of Fame career as a hitter and that comparison could make the Twins want to pull the trigger on McKay. WHY THE TWINS WON'T DRAFT HIM As the season has stretched on, McKay has seen some wear and tear from playing on both sides of the ball. His fastball has dropped to 88-91 mph but he has also been working on adding a cut fastball. He hasn't been able to refine pitching or hitting since he has been spending time doing both. His velocity isn't overwhelming and it's not hard for big league teams to find a first baseman/DH who can hit for power. McKay's stock has definitely dropped as the spring has progressed. He doesn't have the athletic ability of some other top college picks from recent years like Kris Bryant or Dansby Swanson. If McKay's future is on the mound, there are better pitchers the Twins will look at before taking McKay. Baseball America also thinks McKay would be better suited to be part of a National League organization. This would allow him to continue to pitch and hit on a regular basis. Even with a slow end to his spring, McKay is still one of the first names Commissioner Manfred will announce on June 12. Will he be trading in a Cardinals jersey for new Twins digs? Other draft-related articles: Twins Daily Draft Preview Royce Lewis Pavin Smith 10-Round Mock Draft Click here to view the article

He's played over 100 innings at second base for the first time in his career. Three of the errors are at second. He might still be learning some of the nuances of a different spot on the field. There are different angles to the ball and things like that. There have been questions about him sticking at short. The hope is he can stay there. Engelb Vielma is a stronger defender at short. A future infield with Vielma and Gordon up the middle could be fun to watch.

You are correct, fine sir. After a little more research, I see the Miracle were down 0-2 before they scored late in the game.

I agree. If the pitcher makes the mistake, it should count against the pitcher in some capacity. I guess it could lead to them getting the "loss" but wins and losses are dumb. For example, look at Thorpe's numbers.

Thorpe's game logs 05/19/2017 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO 05/25/2017 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO (Loss) 05/31/2017 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO (Loss) Not sure how he got the loss in the 5/25 game. He only allowed one earned run and then Williams Ramirez gave up an earned run in relief. Team lost 2-1. In the 5/31 game, the Miracle got shutout. The only run came after a throwing error by Thorpe on a pick-off attempt.

It's hard to believe the calendar has already turned to June. Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers need to make runs at first half playoff spots in the weeks to come. Rochester and Chattanooga need to continue to fight for their own playoff positions even though their leagues don't hand out first half playoff spots. Would any teams be able to gain some separation on Sunday? Which players would shine? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Norfolk 1 Box Score It took awhile for Rochester's offense to wake up in this contest. With the team trailing 1-0 late in the game, Tommy Field finally got things rolling. He started the seventh with a single and than moved to third on a JR Murphy single. Zack Granite came up with the go-ahead, a triple, to put Rochester on top by one. Adam Wilk started and allowed one earned run, a home run, on six hits over four innings. He struck out one and didn't walk a batter. Ryan Eades improved to 2-0 on the season as he tossed three shutout innings with four strikeouts and one walk. His season ERA dropped to 1.13. Ryan Pressly picked up his first save, a two-inning affair, as he only allowed two base runners. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Jackson 5 Box Score Chattanooga jumped out to any early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Three of the first four batters reached without recording a hit as Jackson committed an error, walked a batter and hit a batter. Dan Gamache took advantage with a one-out single to plate a pair of runs. Levi Michael capped the inning with a run-scoring single as things were looking good for the Lookouts. Top pitching prospect Fernando Romero pitched seven innings and saw five runs scored while he was on the mound. Lucky for him, only two of the runs were earned as he struck out eight and didn't allow a walk. Nick Gordon and Gamache each had an error in the fourth which allowed three unearned runs to score. Luke Bard and Mason Melotakis combined to allow one base runner over the final two frames. Bard struck out the side in the eighth. Trailing by one in the bottom of the ninth, LaMonte Wade and Travis Harrison started the inning with doubles. Gamache was intentionally walked before Levi Michael advanced the runners with a bunt. Ryan Walker played the hero as he doubled in the winning run. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Palm Beach 5 Box Score It's tough to win many games when a team is limited to three hits. Fort Myers was shut out on Sunday. Zander Wiel, Tanner English and Trey Vavra all went 1-for-3 as English and Vavra both collected doubles. The Miracle didn't collect a walk in the game and only one batter stepped into the plate with a runner in scoring position. Lachlan Wells lost two full count battles in the bottom of the first before giving up a three-run home run. He went five innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Tom Hackimer pitched two scoreless innings with a couple of strikeouts. Sam Clay finished the game with a scoreless eighth. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Burlington 6 Box Score The Kernels exploded for five runs in the second inning and they still needed a four-run eighth frame to separate themselves from the Bees. All of the Kernels second inning damage came with two outs. Caleb Hamilton and Christian Cavaness walked before a Brandon Lopez triple brought them home. Aaron Whitefield walked and stole second in front of a two-run single from Travis Blankenhorn. Jarmaine Palacios capped the inning with a run-scoring double. Hamilton played a key role later in the game as his two-run homer helped to separate Cedar Rapids. A couple of batters later, Travis Blankenhorm popped his sixth home run of the season to bust open the game. Blankenhorn finished with three hits and four RBI. On the defensive side of the ball, Cavaness threw out a runner at home in the seventh to keep the Kernels up one. Eduardo Del Rosario didn't have his best stuff but he was able to earn his fifth win. He struck out one and walked two while allowing four earned runs over five innings. Zack Tillery struggled a little as well. He walked three batters and saw a run scored without giving up a hit. Logan Lombana pitched 1.1 innings and gave up one earned run on three hits. Ryan Mason pitched two shutout innings to close out the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Chattanooga Lookouts (7 IP, 2 ER, 8 K, 0 BB) Hitter of the Day – Travis Blankenhorn, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Scanton/WB (6:05 CST) - TBD Chattanooga vs. Jackson (6:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-2, 3.18 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-2, 1.38 ERA) Cedar Rapids - Scheduled Off-Day Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

As the season began, I asked an important question, "How Much Can Minnesota's Defense Improve?" The Twins have answered that question loud and clear. While their offense and pitching staff are putting together similar numbers, the club's defense has been elite so far this year. One of the biggest reasons the team is near the top of the Central Division is because of this defensive shift. Three players have been key figures in the Twins's defensive turnaround. While each player has a different skill set, all three have made improvements and each ranks as one of the best defenders at his position.Byron Buxton, CF Buxton was known for his defensive wizardry while moving through the prospect rankings. While his bat still hasn't lived up to the hype, he might be the best defensive center fielder in baseball. Fans might feel like this is a stretch but baseball's new defensive metrics help to make the case in regards to Buxton. This spring MLB Advanced Media introduced a new Statcast metric called Catch Probability, which measures how likely a fielder is to catch a given ball in play based on its distance and hang time. Buxton leads MLB in "four-star outs" as he has gone 10-for-11 in those opportunities.Four-star opportunities have a 26-50% chance of being caught. No other player has more than eight four-star plays. There have been some scary moments with Buxton crashing into walls to make some tremendous plays. He was also injured multiple times in the minor leagues while making diving plays. One has to wonder if Buxton's all-out attitude will catch up with him after seeing the career of Ken Griffey Jr shortened because of injury. Joe Mauer, 1B Some fans might scoff at the idea of Mauer as an elite defensive player. I mean... How much can a first baseman really improve your defense? Isn't that where team's hide their overweight, power-hitting bats. In previous eras this might be the case but fans ought consider the entire picture when it comes to Mauer. Minnesota has inexperienced players on the left-side of the infield. Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco have some defensive flaws and Mauer's athleticism at first has helped to alleviate some of their growing pains. According to FanGraphs' Ultimate Zone Rating, Mauer is 2.4 runs better than the average first baseman. That mark is highest in the AL while Brandon Belt and Joey Votto are the lone NL starters with a higher total. Twins Manager Paul Molitor, a former infielder has taken notice. "You're supposed to be able to pick the ball out of the dirt, but I don't think he's missed one," he told the Star Tribune. "Even some ones that have been really tough --- they throw with side spin, they hit the cut of grass, they skim low, they skim high, and he just seems to be able to corral those throws. Max Kepler, RF While Buxton gets much of the praise for the outfield, Kepler has been quietly among baseball's best outfield defenders. Buxton ranks sixth among AL outfielders in defensive runs saved and Kepler is eighth. Only two AL teams (Seattle and Boston) have teammates who combine to rank higher than the Twins duo of Kepler and Buxton. Like Buxton, Kepler has made some strong defensive plays. When it comes to catch probability, Kepler has made five "3-star outs" which have a 51-75% chance of being caught. This ties Buxton for the team lead and only 12 MLB players have made more "3-star outs." Kepler and Buxton have helped the Twins pitching staff compared to last year's outfielders. During the 2016 campaign, Minnesota ranked 28th in defensive efficiency on fly balls and 29th in defensive efficiency on line drives. With their defensive upgrades, the Twins now rank in the top five in each of these categories. Minnesota's bats might go cold and their pitching staff is still a mystery. Even when these things obtain, the Twins can rely on their newly revamped defensive prowess. How much can Minnesota's defense improve? Right now, the sky is the limit. What other players would you add in with this trio? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article