Cody Christie

Quite the unbelievable run for Hildenberger to end this season. Two great seasons in a row for him. With how much the bullpen has been taxed the last two seasons, it wouldn't surprise me to see him in Minnesota early next season.

In recent years, baseball fans have seen how important a bullpen can be for a team to reach their ultimate goal. The Kansas City Royals rode a dominant back end of the bullpen to a World Series title last season. The Yankees traded away the likes of Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller for a king's ransom before the trade deadline. Relief pitching can make the difference between a team contending in October or being sent home early.The five Twins Daily Minor League Report authors were asked to vote for the various post-season awards. For the relief pitcher of the year, we each voted for five players. The player who was voted as #1 received five points, #2 received four points and so on with the #5 vote receiving one point. Results were tabulated and can be found below. Below you will see profiles of our Top 5, but first, here are some honorable mentions. Honorable Mention: Williams Ramirez, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 29 G, 3-1, 4 SV, 2.62 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 55.0 IP, 24 H, 34 BB, 66 K.Anthony McIver, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 31 G, 0-2, 10 SV, 2.58 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 52.1 IP, 12 BB, 55 K.Patrick McGuff, Elizabethton Twins/GCL Twins: 22 G, 2-0, 11 SV, 2.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 10 BB, 42 K.Relief Pitcher of the Year Here are the top five vote-getters for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. #5 –Nick Anderson, Fort Myers Miracle/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 42 G, 4-3, 13 SV, 2.65 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 57.2 IP, 39 H, 16 BB, 75 K. After pitching three seasons in the independent leagues, the 2016 season was Anderson's first full season in affiliated baseball. Anderson tore up the Midwest League in his first 12 appearance. Across 20 innings, he allowed two earned runs and struck out 28 while holding opponents to a .090 BA and .127 OBP. After being promoted to Fort Myers, he ran into a rough patch as he allowed 10 earned runs through his first 9.2 innings. From there, he went on quite the stretch. Over his last 28 innings, he posted a 1.61 ERA and a 36 to 9 strikeout to walk ratio with nine saves. #4 –John Curtiss, Fort Myers Miracle/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 44 G, 0-2, 2.66 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 61.0 IP, 44 H, 25 BB, 85 K. Curtiss started the season with a short stop in Cedar Rapids. Over six game (8.0 IP), he didn't allow a run and posted a 17 to 2 strikeout to walk ratio. The jump up to Fort Myers came with a few bumps in the road. He allowed 10 earned runs (6.28 ERA) in his first nine games as opponents got on base over 32% of the time. Curtiss settled into his role with High-A for the rest of the season. Over the final 29 games (38.2 IP), he posted a 1.86 ERA with a 55 to 14 strikeout to walk ratio. For the season, Curtiss held opponents to a .543 OPS and left-handed batters struck out in 45% of their at-bats. #3 –Michael Theofanopoulos, Fort Myers Miracle/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 44 G, 5-3, 2.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 65.1 IP, 42 H, 34 BB, 84 K. Theofanopoulos split the year between both High-A and Low-A. He allowed five runs in his first three appearances before settling in for the year. During his next 18 appearances (28.2 IP), he allowed two earned runs and a 40 to 13 strikeout to walk ratio. Opponents were held to three extra-base hits and a .180 SLG during that stretch. After being promoted to Fort Myers, Theofanopoulos continued to pitch well. During his first 16.2 innings, he allowed three earned runs and struck out 18. His roughest patch of the season was over his next six appearances as he allowed seven earned runs and was charged with two losses. He didn't allow a run over his last four games (5.2 IP) and he struck out 10. #2 –JT Chargois, Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings: 39 G, 2-1, 16 SV, 1.35 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 46.2 IP, 35 H, 13 BB, 55 K. While his time in the big leagues hasn't been perfect, Chargois was dominant for multiple stretches in the minor leagues. He started the year in Chattanooga where he ended the 2015 campaign. In 11 Double-A appearances (11.2 IP), he held opponents to a slash line of .190/.277/.357 with 14 strikeouts and a 1.54 ERA. He was even more dominant after being promoted to Triple-A. Through his first 11 appearances, he allowed one earned run and posted a 20 to 4 strikeout to walk ratio. Following his disastrous MLB debut (0.2 IP, 5 ER), Chargois didn't miss a beat at Rochester. He struck out 21 and compiled a 1.59 ERA over his next 17 games. Left-handed batters have been able to get on base 35% of the time but Chargois was able to strike lefties out in 29% of their at-bats. On August 11, he returned to the big leagues and only allowed one earned run through his next eight games. His next three appearances were rough as he only made it through 2.1 innings and allowed five earned runs (19.29 ERA). Even with his up and down time in the big leagues, Chargois was one of the best relief pitchers in the Twins system this year. Relief Pitcher of the Year –Trevor Hildenberger, Chattanooga Lookouts/Fort Myers Miracle: 38 G, 3-4, 19 SV, 0.75 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 48.0 IP, 32 H, 6 BB, 53 K. A year after being a unanimous selection as the 2015 Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year, Hildenberger fell one vote short of being unanimously selected for the second straight season. The Twins sent Hildenberger back to Fort Myers to start the season and he made quick work of his return trip through the FSL. In six appearances (9.1 IP), he allowed one earned run and struck out eight without walking a batter. Hildenberger didn't allow a home run in all of 2015 but that streak ended after being promoted to Chattanooga. He surrendered two home runs in his first five games but those were the only runs allowed. The second homer must have woken up Hildenberger because he has been on an unbelievable stretch since that game in early May. He's allowed one earned run in his last 32.2 innings (0.28 ERA) with a 39 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio. Opponents have hit .150/.193/.159 against him and he's throwing strikes 71% of the time. Overall, it was hard to imagine Hildenberger putting up better numbers this year. He cut his ERA from 1.55 in 2015 to 0.75 this season. His SO/9 dropped from 11.2 last year to 9.9 this season but he has posted a 10.5 mark during his Double-A time. Lefties struck out in 31.9% of their at-bats against Hildenberger while righties compiled a measly .430 OPS. Hildenberger has been outstanding for two straight seasons and one has to wonder if he will be part of the Twins bullpen as soon as 2017. There you have it, the top relief pitchers in the Twins minor league system for 2016. The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) JT Chargois, 3.) Nick Anderson, 4.) Michael Theofanopoulos, 5.) Anthony McIverJeremy Nygaard – 1) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) John Curtiss, 3.) JT Chargois , 4.) Williams Ramirez, 5.) Nick AndersonCody Christie – 1) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) JT Chargois, 3.) Michael Theofanopoulos, 4.) John Curtiss, 5.) Williams RamirezSteve Lein – 1) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) JT Chargois, 3.) Michael Theofanopoulos, 4.) Nick Anderson, 5.) John CurtissEric Pleiss – 1) JT Chargois, 2.) Trevor Hildenberger, 3.) Mason Melotakis, 4.) Michael Theofanopoulos, 5.) Jake ReedFeel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look? Click here to view the article

Short season pitchers can be tough to evaluate. One bad outing when players have limited innings can really skew a player's overall numbers. Should fans only be looking at the players who are starters? Can a relief pitcher be the best player on a short season team and the best short season pitcher? As evidenced by the ballots below, the Twins Daily minor league writing team had a tough time voting for this award. The overall winner was left off one person's ballot, was fifth on another ballot, but he was the only player to make it onto four ballots. The third place winner only made it on to two ballots, but he finished first on both of those ballots. And a relief pitcher came in second place! Image courtesy of Jon Tarr The five Twins Daily Minor League Report authors were asked to vote for the various awards. For the short-season pitcher of the year, we each voted for five players. The player who was voted as #1 received five points, #2 received four points and so on with the #5 vote receiving one point. Results were tabulated and can be found below. First, a reminder of our previous awards: Short-Season Hitter of the Year – Lewin Diaz Short profiles of our top five are to follow, but first, some players worthy of honorable mention. Honorable Mention: Brady Anderson, GCL Twins: 13 G, 9 GS, 5-0, 1.43 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 56.2 IP, 43 H, 0 BB, 42 K. Moises Gomez, GCL Twins: 13 G, 0 GS, 3-0, 1.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 32.2 IP, 29 H, 11 BB, 21 K. Miguel De Jesus, GCL Twins/ Elizabethton Twins : 11 G, 11 GS, 3-3, 2.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 53.0 IP, 37 H, 19 BB, 47 K. Pitcher of the Year Here are the top five vote-getters for Twins Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. #4 (Tie) –Tyler Wells, Elizabethton Twins: 10 GS, 5-2, 3.23 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 47.1 IP, 40 H, 17 BB, 59 K. Wells ended on quite the stretch for the E-Twins. He earned victories in his last four starts (24.1 IP) and he posted a 0.74 ERA and a 27 to 7 strikeout-to-walk ratio during that stretch. He lowered his ERA by 3.24 between July and August while decreasing his walk rate and his WHIP. Wells was particularly effective against right-handed batters as he collected 34 strikeouts compared to six walks over 112 at-bats. #4 (Tie) – Taylor Clemensia, GCL Twins: 11 G, 10 GS, 1-4, 2.47 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 43.2 IP, 27 H, 26 BB, 47 K. Clemensia joined the Twins organization this season after pitching last year in the Dutch Major League. He got off to a strong start as he allowed two earned runs and held opponents to a .083 batting average through his first four appearances. Walks have been the biggest struggle for Clemensia as he has allowed batters to get on base over 31% of the time. #3 – Bo Hellquist, GCL Twins: 11 GS, 3-2, 1.34 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 60.2 IP, 46 H, 15 BB, 49 K. Hellquist, an Edina native and a University of Minnesota-Duluth product, has been very consistent this season as he didn't allow more than one earned run in his first 10 appearances. In his last outing, he allowed three earned runs but he struck out six on the way to his fifth victory. His ERA was 2.50 or lower in each month of the season. Even though he is a lefty, Hellquist fared better against right-handed foes. Lefties posted a .705 OPS and a 9 to 2 strikeout to walk ratio (56 AB) while righties had a .571 OPS and a 37 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio (156 ABs). He struck out five or more batters in four of his eleven appearances and he never walked more than two batters in a game. #2 – Patrick McGuff, Elizabethton Twins/GCL Twins 22 G, 17 GF, 2-0, 2.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 26 H, 10 BB, 42 K. During his professional debut, McGuff has shown plenty of positive signs. He started the year with four appearances out of the GCL Twins bullpen. He picked up two saves and only allowed three base runners during that stretch. He struck out nine and didn't issue a walk before being promoted to the E-Twins. He continued his hot pitching after being promoted. Through his first six appearances with Elizabethton, he didn't allow an earned run and he posted a 17 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio. Over his next four games, he allowed a pair of earned runs but he was still able to pick up saves in two of those outings. Across his last eight games (11.0 IP), he has earned a save or victory as the E-Twins were in the midst of the playoff hunt. Opponents were limited to a .275 SLG during this stretch and he had a 12 to 2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Pitcher of the Year – Huascar Ynoa, GCL Twins : 11 G, 11 GS, 3-5, 3.88 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 51.0 IP, 44 H, 12 BB, 51 K. In his first year of baseball in the United States, Ynoa took a while to get the ball rolling. Through his first five appearances (27.1 IP), he had an 0-4 record but combined for a respectable 2.96 ERA with a 31 to 7 strikeout to walk ratio. Opponents were hitting .241/.299/.287 against him during this stretch but he wasn't able to earn a win. As the calendar flipped to August, Ynoa began to find his groove. He reeled off three straight wins to start the month when he pitched five innings in every outing and allowed only one earned run. He collected 13 strikeouts and only two walks through those three games as opponents were limited to a .426 OPS and a .243 BABIP. His last two starts were not as clean as he allowed nine runs (eight earned runs) in 8.2 innings of work. Batters were getting on over 32% of the time and he allowed more than a hit per inning. Even with this rough end to the season, Ynoa did well enough to be the Twins best short season pitcher. There you have it, the top pitchers in the short season leagues. The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Patrick McGuff, 2.) Moises Gomez, 3.) Huascar Ynoa, 4.) Jordan Balazovic, 5.) Taylor Clemensia Jeremy Nygaard – 1) Huascar Ynoa, 2.) Taylor Clemensia, 3.) Brady Anderson , 4.) Miguel De Jesus, 5.) Patrick McGuff Cody Christie – 1) Bo Hellquist, 2.) Tyler Wells, 3.) Huascar Ynoa, 4.) Tyler Beardsley, 5.) Miguel De Jesus Steve Lein – 1) Brady Anderson, 2.) Patrick McGuff, 3.) Tyler Wells, 4.) Miguel De Jesus, 5.) Huascar Ynoa Eric Pleiss – 1) Bo Hellquist, 2.) Taylor Clemensia, 3.) Colton Davis, 4.) Tyler Wells, 5.) Moises Gomez Feel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look? View full article

You get an award, you get an award, everybody gets an AWARD! While this might not be completely true, two full-season leagues announced their post-season All-Star teams on Tuesday. Daniel Palka and Zack Granite were both named to the Southern Leage Post-Season All-Star team. It was the second career Post-Season All-Star selection for both players. The Rochester Red Wings had one representative make the International League Post-Season All-Star team. Relief pitcher Edward Mujica only signed with the club in August and has pitched in three games for the squad. During that time he has not given up a run and he's struck out four. Before joining the Twins organization, he had been pitching in the IL for the Phillies organization and he leads the IL in saves.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Syracuse 1 Box Score After a third inning injury to starter David Hurlbut, Rochester used an interesting conglomeration of pitchers to make it through this victory. Hurlbut cruised through the first two frames as he only allowed two base runners and struck out one. He didn't make a pitch in the third. Omar Bencomo replaced Hurlbut and pitched well as he struck out seven and limited the Chiefs to one run across 4.2 innings. Bencomo ran into a little trouble in the top of the seventh inning as he surrendered the first Syracuse run. Neil Ramirez came on in relief and left a runner in scoring position. Ramirez pitched the next inning as well and racked up three strikeouts along the way. Daniel Palka and Adam Brett Walker continued to match each other in the home run department. Palka hit a solo shot in the seventh inning, his 33rd of the year and his 13th with Rochester. Walker is keeping the home run race close as he smacked his 27th long ball an inning later. Rochester is 3.5 games behind Lehigh Valley for the IL Wild Card spot with six games to play. Luckily five of their remaining games are against Lehigh Valley so their fate is in their own hands. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Mississippi 6 Box Score Chattanooga held a slim 3-2 lead entering the final frame but Raul Fernandez struggled to get out of his second inning on the mound. After getting the last out of the eighth, Fernandez came back for the ninth and was charged with four runs on five hits with a strikeout and a walk. Ryan Eades started and went six strong innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out seven. Luke Bard pitched two shutout frames with three strikeouts. Tanner Witt went 3-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. Zack Granite and Edgar Corcino were both 2-for-4 while Granite stole his 53rd base on the season. D.J Hicks reached base three times and scored a run. Overall, the team went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base. The loss drops the Lookouts to 71-63 on the season and they currently sit at 35-28 in the second-half standings. With six games to play, the Lookouts are 2.5 games behind Montgomery for a playoff spot. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers --, Palm Beach -- (Postponed) The Miracle and the Cardinals were postponed on Tuesday night due to rain. The game will be made up as part of doubleheader (two seven-inning contests) on Wednesday with the first game beginning at 5 p.m. Fort Myers sits three games back of the St. Lucie Mets for first place in the FSL South second-half standings. Their elimination number currently stands at four with the Jupiter Hammerheads also ahead of them in the standings. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Greeneville 10 Box Score The E-Twins never held a lead in this game until the bottom of the eighth inning. With the club trailing 3-1, Luis Martinez and Ariel Montesino walked to start the frame. After a fly out, Mitchel Kranson brought home a run to make the score 3-2. A two-out wild pitch scored the tying run before Shane Carrier drove in the go-ahead run to cap a three-run inning. Elizabethton was limited to three hits but the team coaxed seven walks. Montesino, Martinez, and Amaurys Minier drew two walks each. Kranson, Carrier, and Caleb Hamilton were the lone batters with a hit to their name. After allowing five runs in five innings the last time out, Alex Schick put the E-Twins in position to win. He was charged with two earned runs and struck out five. It was his first appearance without giving up a walk since July 16. Austin Tribby took over for Schick and went 2.1 innings while giving up a run. Things blew up in the ninth. Colton Davis struck out the first batter before a walk, a single, and a hit by pitch left the bases loaded. Patrick McGuff came into the mess and allowed four runs to score. That isn't counting the three inherited runs that were charged to Davis. Overall, seven runs crossed the plate and the game was out of hand. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Rays 4 Box Score Earning a win is a weird statistic for pitchers. Bo Hellquist had given up a total of three earned runs in his last two starts (9.2 innings) and he took the loss in both of those appearances. In this game, he gave up three earned runs and came away with a win. Those three earned runs pushed his season ERA over 2.00 for the first time since the beginning of August. He struck out six and walked none. Zach Strecker earned his sixth save after pitching 3.2 innings while striking out three. Justin Hazard and Gorge Munoz led the way on the offensive side. Both players went 2-for-5 with a home run and Munoz drove in three RBIs. The top three batters in the order (Aaron Whitefield, Lean Marrero, and Kidany Salva) combined to go 7-for-14 with each batter collecting multiple hits. Marrero reached base three times and picked up his fifth double along with two RBIs. With the win the GCL Twins are tied with the GCL Red Sox for the top spot in the GCL South standings. This is the only division in the league that has yet to be determined. The GCL Twins have two games remaining on their schedule and both are against the GCL Rays. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Omar Bencomo, Rochester Red Wings Hitter of the Day – Gorge Munoz, GCL Twins WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Syracuse (6:05 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios (10-5, 2.44 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Mississippi (1:15 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (2-4, 4.17 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (4:00 CST) - RHP Miles Nordgren (1-4, 5.08 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (Game 2) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (0-0, 1.00 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Greenville (6:00 CST)- LHP Domenick Carlini (0-0, 0.00 ERA) GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. Click here to view the article

It can be one of the most exciting plays in baseball. A pitcher finds himself with runners on base before a perfectly placed pitch coaxes a ground ball to a middle infielder. After a flip to second and a laser throw to first, the defense is walking off the field. Fans in the stands get on their feet for the perfectly timed double play. But what's been the Twins' double play trouble this season?Minnesota is actually near the top of the American League when it comes to turning double plays. Only the Texas Rangers have turned more double plays than the Minnesota Twins. On the surface, this seems like it could be a positive place for the Twins to be. But when one digs a little further, there are some hidden problems. Twins pitchers have been able to collect more double plays because they are allowing more base runners than other teams. Minnesota has allowed the highest batting average in the AL by 13 points. They also rank last in WHIP, BABIP, and left on-base %. According to FanGraphs WAR, Twins pitchers rank ahead of only the Angles and they trail the Yankees, the highest ranking team, by over 10 WAR. Another hidden problem has been Minnesota's defensive problems. The Twins defense has a negative 33.5 defensive runs saved (DRS), the second worst mark in the American League. Following this weekend's tough series in Toronto, the Twins have now committed 100 defensive errors (55 fielding errors and 43 throwing errors). The next closest team in the AL is 17 errors behind the Twins. Earlier this season, I discussed Minnesota's defensive dilemma and things haven't gotten better according to the latest update (through August 7, 2016) of SABR's Defensive Index (SDI). Joe Mauer dropped from second to fourth among AL first basemen. Brian Dozier continues to rank near the bottom among second baseman with a -3.2 SDI. Like Dozier, Kurt Suzuki ranks as the third worst player at his position. Other players haven't accumulated enough time to be featured in the rankings but there are not many positives to be found among that cohort either. Max Kepler has the most errors among all right fielders in the American League. Not to be outdone, Robbie Grossman has the most errors among all left fielders in the American League. Then there was this play from over the weekend. If Minnesota wants to dig out of their current hole, there are plenty of changes that need to occur. One of the easiest ways to improve the pitching staff is to have better defense behind them. Twins' pitchers are giving up hits and the defense isn't helping the situation. Even with double plays piling up, there are other glaring holes. Big innings can be avoided with better defense. Starters can make it deeper into games with better defense. The bullpen can be relied on less often with better defense. When fans walk through Gate 34, they pass a giant glove with all the names of former Gold Glove winners. Fielding was part of the heart of the organizational philosophy. Now that heart seems to be broken. Click here to view the article

As August comes to a close, the minor league season is dwindling. For many of the Twins affiliates, playoff races are starting to heat up as teams try to stay in the hunt while holding off opponents. Minnesota might not be playing the best baseball so let's turn our attention to the future of the Twins. Would contending teams be able to pick up wins on Thursday night? Or would other teams push Minnesota's affiliates closer to being eliminated?RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Norfolk 2 Box Score The home run party got started early for Rochester as Byron Buxton homered on the first pitch of the game. It was the second straight game Buxton has hit a home run. In the third, Buxton beat out an infield hit in front of a Tommy Field home run, his tenth of the season. One inning later, Daniel Palka blasted his 33rd home run of the season to push the lead to 4-1. Any Rochester home run party would not be complete without a bomb from Adam Brett Walker. He hit his league-leading 26th homer of the season. Walker has now hit safely in 11 straight games, the longest streak by a Red Wings player this season. Home runs were not the only story in this one. Omar Bencomo pitched into the seventh inning on the way to his second victory with the club. His final line read 6.2 innings pitched while allowing one earned run on six hits with four strikeouts. D.J. Baxendale and Alex Wimmers combined for 2.1 shutout frames to close out the game. Baxendale struck out three. Even with the win, Rochester is four games away from being eliminated from earning first place in the International League North. However, the club also trails the Lehigh Valley IronPigs by four games for a wild card spot. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Jacksonville 6 Box Score After jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the middle innings, the Lookouts did their best to give this one back to the Suns. Chattanooga used an error and four singles to push across three runs in the top of the third. Zach Granite doubled to lead off the fifth frame and later came around on an Edgar Corcino two-run double. Things got a little dicey from there as Jacksonville mounted their comeback. Ryan Eades had put up zeros through the first four frames but ran into a little trouble in the fifth and seventh innings. He ended the night after 6.2 innings and allowed four earned runs. Todd Van Steensel picked up his second hold since being promoted but he was charged with a run in 0.2 innings. Raul Fernandez blew the save in the eighth but earned the win after an interesting ninth. Chattanooga capitalized on the opportunities they were given in the ninth. Niko Goodrum singled to start the frame. Tanner Witt sacrificed Goodrum to second before a wild pitch moved him to third. Levi Michael walked to put runners on the corners. Zach Granite singled to score Goodrum and move Michael into scoring position. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base and Engelb Vielma drove in Michael on a fielder's choice. The Lookouts are 3.5 games out of first place in the Southern League North but there are currently two teams in front of them in the second-half standings (Jackson, the first half champs, and Montgomery). MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Palm Beach 0 Box Score Fernando Romero was masterful on the mound in this contest. In seven scoreless innings, Romero faced just two batters over the minimum while striking out nine and walking none. Both hits he allowed were infield singles and 60 of his 87 pitches were for strikes. While Romero was pitching well, Fort Myers wasn't able to strike until the seventh inning. Joe Maloney knocked a one-out double to put a runner in scoring position. After a strikeout, Christian Ibarra hit one up the middle and Maloney cruised around to score the lone run of the game. Luke Westphal allowed one batter to reach on a walk with one out in the eighth. Luckily, he got a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play to end the frame and keep the Miracle on top. Confesor Lara earned his third save with a scoreless final frame. Fort Myers is one game out of first place with 10 games remaining on the regular season schedule. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Quad Cities 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids supported their pitchers very well in this one. The team pounded out 12 runs on 12 hits on the way to their 72nd victory of the season. Travis Blankenhorn drove in three runs and hit his first triple with Cedar Rapids. Luis Arraez went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Jaylin Davis and Rainis Silva both had doubles to add to the scoring barrage. Lachlan Wells had some control problems as he issued four walks in six innings. However, he limited the River Bandits to one hit and no earned runs on the way to his career-high sixth victory. Max Cordy collected strikeouts for five of the six outs he was called on to get. He walked one and allowed a run on two hits. Logan Lombana struck out the first two batters he faced in the ninth before back to back doubles pushed across a run. With a second-half record of 35-24, the Kernels are currently in second place in the Midwest League Western Division. If the playoffs started today, Cedar Rapids would be in based on finishing second. They are currently 3.5 games ahead of third place Burlington. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 0, Johnson City 11 Box Score Things got ugly in a hurry in this one and never improved from that. Elizabethton allowed runs in all but two innings and the team committed four errors. All but one batter in the E-Twins line-up reached base at least once but no one had multiple hits and there weren't any extra-base hits. Alex Kirilloff reached base twice with two walks. Amaurys Minier went 1-for-3 with a walk. Jose Martinez took the bulk of the damage on the mound. Eight runs were scored while he pitched with six of them being earned. He allowed two home runs and struck out one. Austin Tribby was charged with two earned runs on five hits with three walks and a couple strikeouts. Johan Quezada pitched the last 2.2 frames and limited Johnson City to three hits and one earned run. Even with the loss, the E-Twins would be in the playoffs if they started today. They currently sit in second place in the Appalachian League West and the top two teams in the division make the playoffs. Elizabethton is 5.5 games up on the third place Greeneville Astros. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 9 Box Score The GCL Twins found themselves down 6-1 after three innings in this one and they didn't have enough in the tank to make a comeback. Huascar Ynoa took his fifth loss of the season after not being charged with a loss since July 27. He allowed five earned runs in 2.2 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Zach Strecker surrendered three earned runs on five hits in 4.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts. Juan Gamez ended the game with two scoreless frames. No Twins batter had more than one hit and the team went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Aaron Whitefield reached base three times out of the lead-off spot and he is still batting over .300 for the season. Gorge Munoz had the team's only extra-base hit, a double. Akil Baddoo walked twice and scored a run. Even with the loss, the GCL Twins only trail the GCL Red Sox by one game for first place in the GCL South Division. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Fort Myers Miracle Hitter of the Day – Byron Buxton, Rochester Red Wings FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/WB (6:05 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia (1-2, 4.66 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (1-4, 4.38 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (1-1, 1.83 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley (0-2, 3.60 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Burlington (6:00 CST)- RHP Miguel De Jesus (0-2, 3.21 ERA) GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday’s games. Click here to view the article

Baseball has a long season. Players show up in early spring and play well into the fall with few days off in-between. How many players can continue to be successful over the course of 162 games? This grueling nature of the game is one of the things that attracts fans of all ages. Slumps are something players in baseball try to avoid. The best players can avoid prolonged slumps. Brian Dozier has been no stranger to slumps throughout his career. So what adjustments has Dozier made during this season's second half? Let's look back before we look forward.In recent years, the season's second half has not been kind to Brian Dozier. In 2014, Dozier hit 18 home runs in the first half and stole 16 bases. It looked like he could be on his way to a 30-30 season. Things slowed down in the second half as he was limited to five home runs and five steals. His OBP jumped up 12 points but his power numbers declined. Dozier's 2015 second-half slump was even worse. He was selected to his first All-Star Game based on hitting 19 home runs with a .841 OPS in the first half. His batting average dropped almost 50 points in the second half and his OPS dipped to .639. His nine home runs were good but not nearly as good as his 19 first half long balls. This season has taken on a very different trend for Mr. Dozier. He struggled out of the gate as he was hitting under .195 after the first month of the season with only three home runs. In fact, the second month of the season didn't go much better. On June 5, he was hitting .206/.299/.351 with six home runs and 10 doubles. A walk near the end of May might have been the key to Dozier's turnaround. It also signals the first time in his career where his second half numbers are going to be much better than his first half totals. Dozier told the Pioneer Press, "The whole thing is staying behind the ball. Knock on wood, I don't feel like I'll fall into the habit of jerking it again. It just comes natural now." Dozier has been on quite the tear. Since the June 5 date mentioned above, he has hit .310/.370/.660 with 22 home runs, five triples, and 18 doubles across 68 games. His 97 long balls also leads all MLB second baseman since 2013. While last season Dozier saw his second half OPS drop to .639, this year he has an eye-popping 1.048 second-half OPS. That total ranks him sixth in all of baseball and fourth in the American League. Take a look at Dozier's hit chart from last year to this year. In 2015, it looks like he was definitely falling into his habit of jerking the ball. Almost all of his power and almost all of his hits were left of second base. While this season hasn't been a complete shift away from pulling the ball, Dozier has started to use more of the field. He's finding more hits right of second base and he is even finding some power to the opposite field. At 29 years old, Dozier might be finally be settling into a more veteran approach at the plate. Dozier's defense continues to be sub-par at second base but his offensive totals are more than making up for his defensive ineptitude. He's one of the team leaders on and off the field but is this new and improved version of Dozier going to last? Or will he fall back into his old habit of jerking the ball? Only time will tell... Click here to view the article

How many doubleheaders can be played in one day? The Twins farm system tried their best to maximize the answer to this question on Tuesday. There were a trio of doubleheaders up and down the Twins system on Tuesday. The Miracle, Kernels, and DSL Twins all had to make up from some weather issues in the last month. This led to a jam-packed Monday schedule with plenty of chances for players to shine. Chattanooga had a scheduled day off and the GCL Twins were postponed but all the other teams were in action. Which players would stand out above the crowd? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Buffalo 3 Box Score For his third straight start, Nick Greenwood pitched at least seven innings and allowed three runs or fewer. On Monday night he tossed seven innings while scattering seven hits. He struck out three and walked three but left the mound trailing 2-0. Neil Ramirez came on in relief and allowed a solo home run during his inning of work. Unfortunately, the Rochester offense couldn't get going in this one. The team combined for five hits, went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left six men on base. Adam Brett Walker collected two of the team's six hits but he also struck out twice. Daniel Palka added his 12th double, the team's lone extra-base knock. Mitch Garver reached base twice and is hitting .375 since being promoted. Byron Buxton was 0-for-4 out of the leadoff spot. The loss drops the Red Wings to 68-56 on the season as they sit nine games out of first place in the International League North. Luckily, Rochester finds themselves 4.5 games behind Lehigh Valley for the wild card spot with 19 games to play. This includes what could be a pivotal four-game home-and-home series to end the regular season against Lehigh Valley. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie 0 (Game 1- 8 Innings) Box Score In what was scheduled to be a seven-inning contest, the pitching staffs for both teams combined to put up zeros until the eighth frame. Christian Ibarra singled to lead-off the inning and was immediately replaced with pinch runner Sean Miller. With Nick Gordon batting, Miller advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gordon was able advance Miller to third on a deep fly to left. Joe Maloney brought home Miller on a ground ball single. Maloney finished the game 2-for-4 with the only RBI for either team. Alex Perez picked up a pair of hits in three trips to the plate. Nick Gordon and Christian Ibarra both finished 1-for-4. Overall, the team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Sam Clay had orginally started this resumed game and made it through one inning. He walked two and didn't allow an earned run. Luke Westphal and Michael Theofanopoulos each pitched 3.1 scoreless innings while combining to strike out seven. Todd Van Steensel picked up his third win after recording the final out of the eighth inning. Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 8 (Game 2) Box Score Game two started off worse for Fort Myers as they saw St. Lucie jump out to an 8-1 lead by the end of the third. Joe Maloney had spotted the Miracle an early 1-0 lead on his third home run. In the fifth inning, Fort Myers tried to crawl back into the contest. Alex Perez walked in front of a Trey Vavra single. Following a double play, Tanner English slashed a triple to score Perez. Sean Miller drove in English with a double. Things got even more interesting in the final frame. After back-to-back singles from Brad Hartong and Daniel Kihle, Christian Ibarra hit a three-run blast to cut the lead to 8-6. The comeback attempt ended there as the next two batters failed to reach base. Randy LeBlanc started and was charged with eight earned runs on 10 hits. He struck out one and walked two. Cam Booser tossed three shutout frames while striking out six. It was the first time all season Booser pitched more than two innings and the six strikeouts tied a career high. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Peoria 10 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score Sam Gibbons was roughed up in this one for seven earned runs in less than five innings of work. The Chiefs pounded out four first inning runs on the way to the blowout win. Gibbons walked two and struck out two as he was charged with his first loss since May 5. Max Cordy allowed two runs on four hits with three strikeouts in relief. Luis Arraez was the lone batter to record multiple hits as he finished 2-for-3. Travis Blakenhorn picked up his third double since being promoted and he scored the team's only run. J.J. Fernandez finished 1-for-3 with an RBI. On the defensive side of the ball, Zander Wiel was charged with his 15th error at first base. Cedar Rapids 7, Peoria 2 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score Cedar Rapids didn't want a nail-biter in game two as they pounded out seven runs on ten hits. Travis Blankenhorn hit his first Low-A home run, a two-run shot to give the Kernels a 2-1 lead. In the fifth inning, Cedar Rapids pushed across four runs with the biggest hit being a two-run triple by Zander Wiel. He finished the game 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and two runs scored. Blankenhorn and Jaylin Davis both picked up two hits and combined for four RBI. Brady Anderson pitched six strong innings by allowing one run on four hits. He struck out four and walked one. In four of his last five starts, he has pitched six innings and allowed one run or fewer. Williams Ramirez ran into a little trouble in the final frame as he walked a couple of batters with two outs but it wasn't nearly enough E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Johnson City 17 Box Score The E-Twins found themselves in the middle of quite the slugfest but they didn't have nearly enough firepower on this night. Johnson City pounded out 17 runs on 21 hits with all but one batter in their line-up reaching base multiple times. Ryan Mason started and was charged with seven earned runs on nine hits. He struck out two and walked one. Quin Grogan allowed five runs in his three innings with a pair of strikeouts. Austin Tribby closed things out as he allowed five runs in the final two frames. Lewin Diaz collected his eighth home run, a three-run shot in the third inning. This kept the game closer at the time. Ariel Montesino scored a pair of runs out of the lead-off spot and hit his third double. Caleb Hamilton drove in two runs as part of a multi-hit night. Alex Kirilloff went 0-for-5 but managed to score a run. The E-Twins might have been looking forward to Wednesday's day off a little early as the club will have to recover from this lopsided affair. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Brady Anderson, Cedar Rapids Kernels Hitter of the Day – Joe Maloney, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Buffalo (12:05 CST) - LHP Andrew Albers (9-5, 3.51 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (6:05 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (5-1, 2.01 ERA) Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) - RHP Miles Nordgren (0-3, 6.14 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (4-2, 4.38 ERA) Elizabethton- Scheduled Off Day GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. Click here to view the article

In the prospect ranking department there are always players that fall slip through the cracks. For instance, take a look at Brian Dozier. As Nick wrote about on Monday, Dozier hit a combined total of 16 home runs over 1,600 plate appearances in the minors. Needless to say, Dozier was never featured on any national top 100 prospect lists before evolving into possibly the best power hitting second baseman in the game. Sometimes prospects slip through the cracks before putting it all together and other times great prospects fail.The Twins currently have an interesting situation unfolding with two young players. Byron Buxton was touted as one of the best prospects in the game after the Twins made him the second overall selection. In fact, he has been ranked as the first or second best prospect each of the last three seasons by Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus. Like Dozier before him, Max Kepler has been a very different story in the prospect world. The 23-year old has moved slowly through the Twins system in the seven years since he signed. It wasn't until last season when he made his presence known. He hit .322/.416/.531 with 54 extra-base hits on the way to being named the Southern League MVP. National prospect lists took note of Kepler's breakout campaign and he found himself sprinkled on multiple lists entering this season. Baseball American had him 30th, MLB.com had him 44th, and Baseball Prospectus had him all the way back at 66th. Not nearly as high as Buxton but that's not how these rankings are put together. Kepler already has more home runs this season than his last two minor league seasons combined. He's getting on base over 33% of the time and his .508 slugging percentage ranks second among rookies in the American League. He is establishing himself as one of the best hitters in the Twins line-up while continually being penciled into the middle of the order. Meanwhile, Buxton's struggles have been well documented during his big league tenure. Pitchers are constantly getting ahead of him and Buxton has a 36.7 K%. He's now toiling at Rochester where he has slugged .982 this season while Kepler continues to thrive in Minnesota. Kepler's performance has been clearly superior to Buxton and that can show why prospect lists are fickle. Buxton could eventually put it all together and be the five-tool player most thought he would become. Kepler versus Buxton might be no contest for now but Twins fans should be patient. No matter what the results are now, both players are going to need to perform well for the Twins to return to their former glory. Click here to view the article

I would leave Park at AAA until he shows he can hit on a consistent basis. Move Plouffe this winter if he has any value. Use Polanco and Sano at third base with Vargas and Mauer at first base. All of these players could get DH time in that scenario. I could see Dozier being traded as well. He could bring back more value than Plouffe and it would free up second base for Polanco.

Wouldn't mind seeing him at the MLB level a little in September

With less than a month left in the minor league season, teams need to make their moves for any potential playoff run. For Minnesota's affiliates, Tuesday's action came with a ton of roster moves throughout the system. Infielders Travis Blankenhorn and Brandon Lopez moved up from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids. In a corresponding move, Christian Ibarra was promoted to Fort Myers and Manuel Guzman was moved down to Elizabethton. Rochester sent out quite the updated list of roster moves. Three players were added to the roster. Byron Buxton was optioned from Minnesota and Mitch Garver and Leonardo Reginatto were transferred from Double-A Chattanooga. Infielder Heiker Meneses came off the disabled list and was sent to Double-A while RHP Marcus Walden was added to the DL with a right shoulder strain. TJ White was also moved from Fort Myers up to Chattanooga.Baseball can be a cruel game too for players trying to find a spot on a roster. After all the other moves of the day, outfielder Darin Mastroianni and infielder Buck Britton were released from their contracts. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Syracuse 6 Box Score Pat Dean ran into a little bit of a buzzsaw in the third inning of this contest. After making it through the first two innings, Dean was knocked around for six runs in the third while collecting only one out. He did not make it out of the frame after allowing 10 hits. The Rochester bullpen trio of DJ Baxendale, Ryan O'Rourke and Pat Light didn't allow a run the rest of the way as the Red Wings attempted their comeback. Daniel Palka had gotten Rochester out to an early lead with a solo home run to lead off the top of the second. Tommy Field doubled to start the sixth but was left at second with two outs. Adam Brett Walker didn't leave him hanging as he cracked his third triple of the season. James Beresford joined Walker with a triple of his own in the seventh inning before a Wilfredo Tovar single brought him home. Rochester got the tying run on base in the ninth inning but the comeback stopped there. Walker and Field both collected three hits while Beresford crossed the plate twice. Byron Buxton wasn't in the starting line-up but made an appearance as a pinch runner in the final inning. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Before tonight's action, the Lookouts reset their rotation for the rest of the season. LHP Stephen Gonsalves was given an extra day of rest before re-entering the rotation. RHP Felix Jorge starts tonight's contest followed by Gonsalves, RHP Aaron Slegers, RHP Kohl Stewart, and LHP David Hurlbut. Jorge and the Lookouts were locked up in a pitchers' duel in this one. Jorge put up zeros through five innings before allowing a solo home run in the sixth. He came out for the seventh and collected the first two outs quickly before three straight hits pushed across two runs and he exited the game. Jorge struck out two and walked one. Zack Jones finished off the seventh inning and worked a perfect eighth frame while collecting three strikeouts. Jake Reed pitched a shutout ninth inning with a strikeout. The Lookouts were limited to five hits in the game with no batters collecting multiple hits. The team only had one opportunity to bat with runners in scoring position and it came with two outs in the inning. Every batter besides Shannon Wilkerson reached base at least once. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, St. Lucie 1 (7 Innings- Game 1) Box Score After being rained out on Monday night, the Miracle found themselves in a pitchers' duel in the first game of their double header. Keaton Steele pitched all seven innings for Fort Myers but ended up taking the tough luck loss. After allowing a lead-off double in the fourth frame, he almost wriggled out of the inning unscathed. Unfortunately, a two-out double pushed across the only run of the game. Steele dropped to 5-10 with the loss but it was his third straight start where he pitched at least six innings and gave up two earned runs or fewer. He struck out three and walked one. Only three Miracle batters were able to record hits. AJ Murray reached base twice in his three plate appearances before being lifted for a pinch runner. Joe Maloney and Chris Paul both went 1-for-3. Fort Myers never had a runner reach second base. Fort Myers --, St. Lucie -- (PPD- Game 2) Tuesday's second game was washed out and has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday night. The Miracle will try to play two seven-inning games on Wednesday if the weather cooperates. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 8 Box Score Cedar Rapids looked to be sailing to their 62nd victory as they took a 5-2 lead into the final inning. Brady Anderson pitched six solid innings as the only run scored against him was unearned. He found his way out of four walks and five hits but the Kernels were in position to win when he left the mound. Zander Wiel got the scoring started with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. It was his 14th home run of the season. Cedar Rapids pushed another run across in the fourth. Casey Scoggins walked in front of a Sean Miller single to put two runners on base. Luis Arraes doubled to score Scoggins from second but the Kernels left two runners on base in the frame. JJ Fernandez started the seventh with a triple before being knocked in by a Rainis Silva single. Silva later scored on a fielding error to make the lead 5-2. The ninth inning got ugly in a hurry for the bullpen. Andrew Vasquez pitched the seventh and eighth without any issues but he allowed the first two batters to reach in the ninth. Max Cordy didn't fare much better as the first two batters he faced collected singles before a Jaylin Davis fielding error allowed another run to score. After coaxing two outs, Cordy hurled a wild pitch that was followed by a single and a double as the game slipped out of reach. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Danville 3 Box Score The E-Twins took advantage of six (yeah, count'em... six) fielding errors by Danville on their way to their 23rd victory of the season. Elizabethton didn't record an extra-base hit but the team went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Ben Rortvedt was the lone batter with multiple hits, including an RBI. Shane Carrier scored two runs and first-round pick Alex Kirilloff was 1-for-4. Tyler Wells put together his best start of the season for his second win. He went six strong innings while scattering five hit and two earned runs. Wells struck out four and walked two. Domenick Carlini earned his first save in unconventional fashion by tossing three frames. He allowed one unearned run and struck out four. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Keaton Steele, Fort Myers Miracle Hitter of the Day – Adam Brett Walker, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Syracuse (5:35 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 2.57 ERA) Chattanooga- Scheduled Off Day Fort Myers vs St. Lucie (4:00 CST) -RHP Randy LeBlanc (4-5, 4.25 ERA) Fort Myers vs St. Lucie (Game 2- Makeup of 8/9 PPD)- LHP Sam Clay (1-1, 4.15 ERA) Elizabethton at Kingsport (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles (Game 2- Makeup of 8/9 PPD)- TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. Click here to view the article

Something had to change. MLB rosters are limited to 25 active players each day and someone wasn't going to be around when Trevor Plouffe returned from injury. Paul Molitor discussed the possibility of demoting Miguel Sano before his big weekend in Tampa Bay. Sano stayed and Byron Buxton was expendable as he continues to struggle at baseball's highest level. This recent roster shake-up brought to the forefront a glaring roster issue. Minnesota currently has a plethora of options when it comes to corner infielders and designated hitters. There are also more alternatives playing well in the minor leagues. It's important to have plenty of hitting options but the Twins 40-man roster is overloaded and something is going to have to change moving in 2017.Each player offers a different skill set so the new general manager will likely have some tough decisions to make in regard to each of these players. Joe Mauer, 1B Contract Status: Signed thru 2018 Mauer is in year six of his eight-year deal and this season is his third since being forced to move out from behind the plate. He has been one of the best defensive first baseman in the American League. His offensive numbers have lagged as he transitioned to first base but there have been flashes of the old Mauer this season as he has posted a .382 OBP and a .795 OPS. Mauer isn't going anywhere so he will be part of the big picture next season. Trevor Plouffe, 3B Contract Status: Arbitration Eligible 2017, Free Agent 2018 Plouffe's days in Minnesota seemed to be numbered and he might have already been traded if he were healthy leading into this year's trade deadline. Plouffe became serviceable at third base after working hard on his defense but those skills seem to be declining now that he is in his 30s. He's hit 14 or more home runs in each of the last four seasons and has a career OPS over .720. With younger and cheaper options already on the roster, this might be Plouffe's last season in Minnesota. Miguel Sano, 3B/DH Contract Status: Arbitration Eligible 2019, Free Agent 2022 There was probably little chance of Sano putting up the number he did during his 80 game rookie campaign. Things were going to come back down to earth. Minnesota's attempt to turn him into an outfielder was a massive failure and now he has struggled as he transitions back to third base. He currently ranks fifth on the team in fWAR and his 18 home runs are four behind Brian Dozier for the team lead. Even with the rumblings out the Twin Cities that Sano might not be working hard enough, he's still on track to be one of baseball's best power hitters. Kennys Vargas, 1B/DH Contract Status: Arbitration Eligible 2018, Free Agent 2022 Vargas has been up and down during his big league tenure. He showed some promising signs as a rookie back in 2014 with nine home runs and a .772 OPS across 53 games. Last year wasn't nearly as good as he struggled to hit over .240 and his slugging percentage dipped to .349. Since being recalled this season, Vargas has been one of the team's best hitters. Vargas is hitting .278/.404/.569 with 13 extra-base hits in 21 games. If he continues on this pace, Minnesota might have to consider him for the full-time DH role in 2017. Byung-Ho Park, 1B/DH Contract Status: Signed thru 2019, Team Option for 2020 Park held his own during the first month of the season with a .848 OPS and six home runs. Things took a nosedive from there as he hit .136/.224/.303 for the month of June. In 26 games since being demoted to Triple-A, he has hit nine home runs and compiled a .862 OPS. However, his batting average is .234 and he's only getting on base 31% of the time. With other players doing well in front of him, there doesn't look to be a spot for Mr. Park. His story line will be an interesting one to follow in the coming months. Even with this list of players, there are others making their way to Target Field that could be better suited for a designated hitter role. Adam Brett Walker continues to mash home runs at every level. Daniel Palka has been powerful during his first season in the organization and could be added to the 40-man roster in the off-season. Where do both of these players fit into the team's long-term plans? Minnesota's offense seems to be clicking so maybe having lots of power hitting options is a positive. This still leaves the new general manager with an interesting corner to paint himself out of during the offseason. Time will tell which players will make their marks for 2017 and beyond. If you are the GM, what corner infield options will be on your roster? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

He is in an interesting place since the Twins have other DH type players ahead of him on the roster. My guess is he spends most of next year at Triple-A and will fill-in when others are injured at the big league level.

I hope the Twins continue to have options that include ticket stubs. My guess is that ticket stubs will disappear at some point in the next decade. I plan on hunting them down as long as they are available.