Cody Christie

Miguel Sano’s time in Fort Myers is over and he is being promoted directly to Triple-A Rochester. Sano had left the Miracle to tend to some family matters in the Dominican Republic. After returning to the United States, Sano was informed of his promotion. It’s looking like his chances of returning to the big league level this season are on the rise.Sano’s time in a Miracle jersey is over. In 19 games with the Miracle, Sano hit .328/.442/.453 with two home runs and two doubles. He posted a 21 to 13 strike out to walk ratio. Sano played 10 games at third base and nine games as the designated hitter. He committed one error in 23 chances at third. His time at the big league level this year had been a mess. He was struggling at the plate by hitting .203/.270/.405 with a 66 to 14 strikeout to walk ratio. He had more than twice as many strikeouts as hits. At the time of his demotion, Derek Falvey said the team wasn’t “going to follow the traditional view.” He went on to say, “We wanted to take a step back and blank canvas this a bit and say, ‘What do we think the best next steps are for him?’… We can do a lot of things with the facility we have here, around strength and conditioning and the work you can do from that side.” Step 1 in the process was to head to Fort Myers and restart his once promising career. From there, Step 2 is to head to Rochester and show he is ready to start transitioning to the big league level. What are your thoughts on Sano’s promotion? Will he make it back to the big league level this year? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

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. One year ago the Twins sailed into the All-Star break with two players, Miguel Sano and Ervin Santana, representing the club at the Mid-Summer Classic. Neither of those players and a long list of others haven’t lived up to expectations in the first half. It’s been a roster full of flounders. This week’s roundtable discussion question is: “Which Twins player has most underperformed in the first half?”Nick Nelson Sadly it is a pretty long list, but to me the clear answer is Byron Buxton. It doesn't all fall on his shoulders – injuries, bad luck and questionable decision-making from the front office have played their parts – but however you want to apportion the blame, Buxton's season has been a massive letdown. At age 24, and coming off a breakthrough second half that earned him down-ballot MVP votes, Buxton had the looks of a centerpiece. His ceiling was sky-high and the floor seemed to have risen as the rawness dissipated. I think we'd have all been happy with him reproducing the 3.5 WAR he produced in a 2017 campaign marred by prolonged early slumping. Instead, Buxton has delivered -0.4 WAR through the Twins' first 94 games this year. When not on the disabled list or in the minors, he has been a sub-replacement level player, and that's just not something I would've ever imagined. Most alarming: As he continues to whiff at a 30% rate in Triple-A, and now faces another injury-related absence, it's getting harder and harder to see him making any real impact for the Twins in 2018. Tom Froemming I feel like this is a bit of a trick question. Since the specific wording is "underperformed" I'm going to leave out the guys like Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco who just haven't been on the field much. Oh, and toss Ervin Santana and Jason Castro in there ... dang there are a lot of guys who haven't been able to contribute. The free agent addition trio of Logan Morrison, Lance Lynn and Addison Reed immediately stand out as underperformers. Man, even two of those guys are on the shelf right now. Lynn has been pretty frustrating, but he's been pitching better as a whole after a dreadful start. I think there's hope of Lynn at least being a league-average starter from here forward (make sure to blast this out to the other 29 teams in baseball. Wink, wink.) With both Morrison and Reed I have some real concerns they're never going to be assets again. Morrison has been hitting the ball hard and his strikeout rate is down, but the shift is killing him. It feels like the league has figured out how to pitch to him/position against him. Maybe he makes a counter adjustment, but I'm not super optimistic. He also adds no value in the field or on the bases and plays the position that's easiest to replace. No pitcher is going to deal well declining velocity, but a two-pitch guy who loves to pound the zone like Reed is really going to slip. Hopefully he'll rest up, come back refreshed and find those extra couple mph he's been missing, but the fear is that arm has just seen too much wear and tear. He’s been remarkably durable for today's standards, but nobody's immune to aging. Well, except for Fernando Rodney, of course. Final answer: Morrison. Cody Christie There were a trio of players that came to mind when I came-up with this questions. Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, and Logan Morrison have all underperformed but I went into the season with higher expectations for the first two players on the list. Sano and Buxton were supposed to be the heart and soul of the Minnesota Twins for the next decade. Right now, it’s hard to imagine either of them playing in meaningful games at the big league level in 2018. Sano looked utterly lost at the plate this season and he is down in Fort Myers trying to reset his professional career. Buxton has fought through injuries but he has struggled when he has been on the field at the big league level and at Triple-A. Entering the season, I expected Buxton to take the next step especially after the way he played in the second-half of 2017. He has taken multiple steps in the wrong direction and that’s why he is the player who has most underperformed. Andrew Thares There have been many Twins players who have underperformed during the first half, and one would assume that at least one or two of these guys would bounce back and have a big second half. For me I’m looking at Logan Morrison. While we knew going in that it was unlikely Morrison would repeat his success from 2017, it wasn’t exactly like Morrison was a slouch before then either. While his first half numbers haven’t looked all that appealing at .192/.289/.357 with 10 home runs, Morrison has the potential to find his home run stroke and breakout at any second. Logan Morrison’s peripheral numbers also support the case that he will have an improved second half. The first glaring number that sticks out to me is his .212 BABIP. While Morrison is the ideal candidate to have a lower BABIP than most given how often he is shifted against and his lack of speed, but at .212, he is still well below his .268 career average. The Statcast metrics also support the case that Morrison has been hitting the ball better than his results show. Here are what a few of Logan Morrison’s actual stats look like compared to his expected stats via Statcast. AVG: .192 Expected: .249 SLG: .357 Expected: .483 wOBA: .287 Expected: .356 Those are all really big gaps that suggest that Logan Morrison has been hitting the ball much better than his results show. SD Buhr Talk about a question that has an endless list of possible responses! Byron Buxton? Miguel Sano? Ervin Santana? I mean… one of those guys hasn’t played a game so far and the other two arguable hurt the team by playing in the games they DID show up for. If I have to choose just one, I’ll go with Sano. Santana was supposed to be ready to go by May or June, at the latest. It’s almost August and we haven’t seen him anywhere near Target Field. Buxton couldn’t hit his weight in 28 games with the Twins and hasn’t hit a whole lot better in Rochester since supposedly becoming healthy after injuring a toe. Sano didn’t hit his weight either… though, to be fair, his weight has ballooned to the point where not a lot of MLB players CAN hit at that level. He’s hitting .328 at High-A Ft. Myers so I guess at least he’s hitting his weight at that level… probably. But Sano has hit just 2 home runs in 64 at-bats at Ft. Myers and let’s face it, hitting for power is really the ONLY thing this guy brings to the table at this point. If he can’t do that three levels below the big leagues, that’s more than just a little discouraging. I have some hope that Santana will return and contribute in the second half of the season and it looks to me like Buxton could, as well (though with Cave’s work, there may not really be any rush to get Buck back at this point). But Sano? Maybe if I had read something… anything… about his conditioning being significantly improving, I’d have some optimism. Right now I have none. Steve Lein I am resoundingly in the camp of two players for this question, and they are the two whom were expected to propel the Twins into their next level of competitiveness after they reached the playoffs in 2017. They're also both currently playing in the minor leagues because of their struggles. I'm obviously speaking of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Buxton followed up his blistering second half of 2017, where hit hit .300/.347/.546 (.893 OPS) with 24 extra-base-hits (11 home runs) and 35 RBI in 56 games, with a 2018 line of just .156/.183/.200 (.383 OPS) in only 28 games. This was before and during, but thankfully not after his foot injury, when he was sent to in Rochester to regroup and has just a .679 OPS in eighteen games. Sano followed up a 2017 season that saw him be selected to his first All-Star Game, where he also finished runner-up in the home run derby, with a miserable 37 games with the Twins before they made the what some might call drastic move, in sending him all the way down to Fort Myers. He hit just .203/.270/.405 (.675 OPS) before that move and his road back may be a long one. If they can get even one of those guys back to playing like they had in 2017, things could look better for the Twins in the second half. If you missed any of the most recent roundtable discussions, here are the links: Second Half Star Sell, Sell, Sell? Fixing the Offense Romero’s Rotation Spot Top Prospect Timelines Click here to view the article

Prospects took center stage on Sunday with the MLB’s Future Game being played to kick off this week’s All-Star festivities. The U.S. Future’s Team outlasted the World Future’s Team by a final score of 10-6. Two of Minnesota’s top-20 prospects participated in the game. Alex Kirilloff started the game and batted sixth for the US squad. He went 2-for-2 and scored a run. Lewis Thorpe didn’t fare so well on the mound for the World squad. He allowed four earned runs on three hits (two home runs), while only collecting two outs. He struck out one and walked one. Let’s see how the other members of the organization did on Sunday.ROSTER MOVES RHP Fernando Romero recalled by Minnesota from Rochester.LHP Lewis Thorpe and OF Alex Kirilloff continue to be on temporary leave to take part in the Futures Game.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 1, Scranton/WB 3 Box Score Ervin Santana made the start for Rochester as he continues to get closer to making his season debut. He allowed three runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. Two runs scored against him were on solo home runs, including one from Gary Sanchez (also on rehab assignment). Santana struck out seven and walked one. D.J. Baxendale finished off the game after Santana’s exit. He went 2 1/3 shutout innings and only allowed one hit. He walked four and struck out two. Rochester’s only run came without the team recording a hit. Jon Kemmer coaxed a one-out walk and moved to third on a wild pitch. From there, Edgar Corcino was able to drive him in with a sacrifice fly. The Red Wings were limited to four hits and no batter collected multiple hits. Kemmer reached base twice in three plate appearances. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Montgomery 0 (Suspended- 2nd Inning) The Lookouts jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in this one before the rains began to fall. Andy Wilkins and Mitchell Kranson both walked and Zander Wiel reached on a throwing error to load the bases. This allowed Jaylin Davis to drive in a pair of runs on a single. These two teams will finish the suspended game on Monday and also play their regularly scheduled contest. Check back at Twins Daily tomorrow for the rest of the action in this game. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 5 Box Score Royce Lewis is quickly making his mark in the Florida State League after recently being promoted to Fort Myers. On Sunday, he went 4-for-5 with a run scored. Miguel Sano also impacted the game as he delivered a game-tying double in the top of the ninth inning before Lakeland walked it off in the bottom half of the frame. Andro Cutura started for the Miracle and pitched into the fifth inning. He struck out seven and walked two on the way to a no-decision. Overall, he allowed two earned runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings. Jovani Moran took over for Cutura and tossed 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He only allowed two hits and struck out four. Alex Robinson took the loss as he allowed a lead-off walk and a two-out single for the winning run to score. Taylor Grzelakowski reached base four times and scored a run. In the series versus Lakeland, he went 7-for-12. Sano finished 2-for-4 and his batting average is up to .328 with the Miracle. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Lake County 4 Box Score Cedar Rapids could only compile four hits as the team was shut out on Sunday afternoon. Trey Cabbage had the team’s lone extra-base hit, a double, and he was the only member of the team to reach base multiple times. Jose Miranda and Jean Carlos Arias each went 1-for-4. Bryan Sammons put together a strong start for Cedar Rapids. He pitched 6 2/3 innings and saw two runs scored (one earned). He limited the Captains to four hits and he posted a 5 to 3 strikeout to walk ratio. Rickey Ramirez ran into some control problems as he had more base runners (three H, four BB) than outs he collected (1 2/3 innings). Jose Martinez got the final two outs without allowing a base runner. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 11, Kingsport 10 Box Score This game turned into quite the slugfest with both teams scoring double-digits and the E-Twins plated nine runs over the last three innings. Six Elizabethton hitters collected multiple hits. Ricky De La Torre reached base four times and scored two runs. Alex Robles cranked a three-run home run, his first of the season, in the seventh that was critical to the win. Chris Williams added his seventh home run in his 23rd game this season. Kody Funderburk started and allowed four earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Blair Lakso pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings by scattering two hits. He struck out four and walked two. Johan Quezada ran into some trouble in the late innings as he allowed three runs without giving up a hit. Zach Neff took a blown save but ended up with a win after his team came back in the final frame. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Royce Lewis, Fort Myers (4-for-5, R) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Bryan Sammons, Cedar Rapids (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 5 K, 3 BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. Please note that this Prospect Summary has been updated. 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 4-for-5, R 2. Alex Kirilloff (USA-Futures Game): 2-for-2 3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not play. 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-for-0, entered as a defensive substitution 5. Stephen Gonsalves (ROC): Did not play. 6. Trevor Larnach (ET): Did not play. 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 0-for-1 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 2-for-4, BB, 2 R 9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season 10. Zack Littell (ROC): Did not play. 11. Blayne Enlow (CR): Did not play. 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 1-for-3, 2B 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 1-for-4, R, BB, K 14. Lewis Thorpe (World-Futures Game): 0.2 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, K, BB 15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): 0-for-3, 2 BB, K 16. Yunior Severino (ET): Did not play. 17. Lewin Diaz (FM): 1-for-4, BB, K 18. Ryan Jeffers (ET): Did not play. 19. Jacob Pearson (CR): 0-for-3, BB, K 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 0-for-2 MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Louisville (6:05 CST) – RHP Zack Littell (1-3, 2.84 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (4:15 CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (2-5, 4.63 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (Game 2) – LHP Dietrich Enns (0-3, 3.24 ERA) Fort Myers vs. St. Lucie (6:00 CST) – RHP Clark Beeker (3-6, 3.91 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Lake County (12:05 CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (6-2, 3.65 ERA) Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30 CST) – RHP Pedro Garcia (1-1, 7.36 ERA) GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Click here to view the article

Well, we finally made it to the Top-10 and it is a Top-10 that looks vastly different than a couple years ago. Of the players written about below, only one was in the Top-10 at the start of the 2017 campaign. Former high ranking players like Tyler Jay and Kohl Stewart have dropped in the rankings, while other top players have graduated from this list. Many of the players listed below have been acquired during the new front office regime. These are the players who will be most associated with the success or failure of Falvey and Levine. However, only a couple of them project to play at the big league level in 2018 or 2019. It’s going to be a slow process but there are definitely some names to be excited about.10. Zack Littell – RHP Age: 22 ETA: 2018 2018 Stats (AA, AAA): 1-6, 3.71 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 80.0 IP, 78 H, 26 BB, 84 K 2018 Stats (MLB): 0-2, 18.90 ERA, 3.90 WHIP, 3.1 IP, 7 H, 6 BB, 1 K 2018 Ranking: 11 | 2017 Ranking: NR Seth: 14 | Tom: 11 | Cody: 8 Littell joined the Twins as part of the Jamie Garcia trade last July. He made seven starts (41 2/3 IP) in the Twins organization last year and posted a 2.81 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with a 33 to 18 strikeout to walk ratio. He did this while being over three years younger than the competition in the Southern League. Littell headed back to Chattanooga to start 2018 and didn’t fare as well. He allowed 15 earned runs in five starts (23 IP) as batters hit .308/.364/.495 against him. Things have gone better in Rochester as he has a 2.84 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 57 IP. Besides Nick Gordon, he is the youngest member of the Red Wings roster. His big league time has been very limited so there is still plenty that remains to be seen for the 22-year old. 9. Wander Javier – SS Age: 19 ETA: 2021 2018 Stats (N/A): Out for the Season- Shoulder Surgery 2018 Ranking: 6 | 2017 Ranking: 6 Seth: 11 | Tom: 7 | Cody: 10 Javier injured his shoulder near the end of the 2017 campaign but a regime of rest and rehab was assigned for the off-season. He suffered a setback during spring training and underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. He won’t step on the field during his age-19 season as he is expected to miss 6-9 months. Last season with the E-Twins, he hit .299/.383/.471 with 18 extra-base hits in 41 games. 8. Akil Baddoo – OF Age: 19 ETA: 2021 2018 Stats (A): .247/.370/.438 (.808), 15-2B, 6-3B, 8-HR, 16-SB 2018 Ranking: 10 | 2017 Ranking: NR Seth: 7 | Tom: 12 | Cody: 9 Baddoo was Minnesota’s second-round pick back in 2016 and he spent his first two professional seasons in the rookie leagues. He’s been an on-base machine as he hit .323/.436/.527 last season between the GCL and the Appy League. Baddoo is getting his first taste of full-season ball this year and his batting average took some hits as he failed to hit over .250 in any of the season’s first three months. However, he has drawn double digit walks in those three months to help him get on base 37% of the time. He can play all three outfield positions but he has played exclusively in center field for most of his professional career. His combination of on-base percentage, power, and speed make him an intriguing prospect to follow. 7. Brent Rooker – OF/1B Age: 23 ETA: 2019 2018 Stats (Rookie): .266/.319/.492 (.812), 24-2B, 4-3B, 14-HR 2018 Ranking: 7 | 2017 Ranking: NR Seth: 8 | Tom: 4 | Cody: 7 The Twins anticipated Rooker could be a fast mover when they drafted him in the supplemental round of the 2017 MLB Draft. It was the second straight year the team had drafted him (38th round of 2016). He has lived up to that anticipation as he is already playing at Double-A. As a right-handed slugger, Rooker has showed a balanced approach against lefties and righties while posting nearly identical batting averages (one point difference) and on-base percentages (seven point difference). Since the calendar turned to June, he has been killing the baseball. He posted 1.038 OPS with 16 extra-base hits in June. If the Twins continue to be out of contention, Rooker could make his debut as early as this September but a second-half promotion to Rochester seems like a likely first step. 6. Trevor Larnach – OF Age: 21 ETA: 2021 2018 Stats (College): .348/.463/.457 (.920), 19-2B, 1-3B, 19-HR 2018 Ranking: NR | 2017 Ranking: NR Seth: 5 | Tom: 8 | Cody: 6 Larnach, Minnesota’s 2018 first-round pick, was a hero for the Oregon State Beavers on their way to the College World Series Championship. Larnach and the Beavers survived six elimination games on the way to the CWS title. He also helped the club sign multiple other players since he agreed to a $2.55 million deal which was $570,000 less than MLB’s recommended bonus for the 20th overall pick. Larnach improved in each of his three college seasons and that helped to turn him into a first round selection. His best tool is his bat as he has consistently been able to hit for average. However, this season he has shown the ability to add some pop. He had combined for just three home runs in his first two college seasons before knocking 19 home runs during his junior campaign. His college experience could help move him quickly but his professional debut will start with the E-Twins. What are your thoughts on the latest set of rankings? Who’s ranked too high? Who’s ranked too low? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

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. There are just days left in the season’s first half and Minnesota’s first half has been filled with more downs than ups. That being said, the All-Star break can be a time to recuperate and prepare for the second half. Plenty of players struggled for the Twins in the first half. It’s time to turn the page and look for a second-half star. This week’s roundtable discussion question is: ““Who’s the one player you expect to have a big second half?”Nick Nelson I would hope to see a few big second halves after so many members of the Twins came up well short of expectations in the first three months. If there's one name that really stands out though, it's Max Kepler. In a sense, the outfielder's season has more or less met expectations — his .721 OPS and 98 OPS+ are directly in line with his MLB marks of .732 and 95 coming in, and he's on track to finish right around career norms in most counting stats. But most of us hoped for much more than the status quo from Kepler. His inability to take a step forward has been disconcerting, and a little surprising given the underlying components of his performance. Compared to his previous standards, strikeouts are down for Kepler (15.2% this year, 20.5% prior) while walks are up (11.0% this year, 8.7% prior). His batted ball profiles are also improved, as Kepler is sporting career lows in soft-hit and medium-hit percentage, while his career-high hard-hit percentage of 38.1% ties him with Eddie Rosario for third on the team (behind Eduardo Escobar and Joe Mauer). But despite all these positive indicators, Kepler is batting .229 with just six extra-base hits since the start of June. I can't see that continuing. Eventually Kepler's results will have to start trending up to match the process. I believe we'll see a breakout in the final months with several big games, which would be a hugely reassuring sign going forward. Tom Froemming I'd love to say Byron Buxton, but it's not clear to me how much longer he's going to be down in Rochester ... or what the situation there is, exactly. Instead, I'm going to go with Mitch Garver. Garver has already started to catch fire, as he's actually the team leader in both batting average and on-base percentage since late May. He hit just .220/.281/.341 (.622 OPS) over his first 89 plate appearances of the year, but then turned things around to post a .320/.400/.453 (.853 OPS) over his next 85 plate appearances. I think what we're seeing is a guy becoming more comfortable. Now that he's caught fire, here's hoping he starts to also catch more baseballs, HA! I wasn't a big fan of how Garver was handled in the minor leagues, and I think we're witnessing some of the problems his relative lack of reps behind the plate has caused. Still, I do think he's looked better of late, and here's hoping a familiarity with the pitching staff fosters more comfort. He'll probably never be best suited as a primary catcher, but I believe Garver's bat is good enough for him to get reps at first base or DH. He's exactly the type of player the Twins should go out of their way to give opportunities to in the second half. Cody Christie Something needs to click with the starting pitching and I think Jake Odorizzi is going to make some strong strides in the right direction during the second half. His strikeout rate is over 9.3 SO/9 for the first time in his professional career. He’s also been keeping the ball in the ballpark at better rate than the last couple of seasons. Both of these things could help him to improve down the stretch. Entering this season, he carried a career 1.22 WHIP with an 8.0 H/9 and a 3.0 BB/9. This season his WHIP has ballooned up to 1.42 because he is giving up more hits (8.7 H/9) and more walks (4.1 BB/9). June was a rough month with an ERA close to 6.00 and a 1.68 WHIP. With the calendar flipping to July, Odorizzi seems to have found something he was missing in the beginning of the year. Jose Berrios as the ace and Odorizzi and Kyle Gibson behind him could be a strong top of the rotation in the second half. Andrew Thares There have been many Twins players who have underperformed during the first half, and one would assume that at least one or two of these guys would bounce back and have a big second half. For me I’m looking at Logan Morrison. While we knew going in that it was unlikely Morrison would repeat his success from 2017, it wasn’t exactly like Morrison was a slouch before then either. While his first half numbers haven’t looked all that appealing at .192/.289/.357 with 10 home runs, Morrison has the potential to find his home run stroke and break out at any second. Logan Morrison’s peripheral numbers also support the case that he will have an improved second half. The first glaring number that sticks out to me is his .212 BABIP. While Morrison is the ideal candidate to have a lower BABIP than most given how often he is shifted against and his lack of speed, but at .212, he is still well below his .268 career average. The Statcast metrics also support the case that Morrison has been hitting the ball better than his results show. Here are what a few of Logan Morrison’s actual stats look like compared to his expected stats via Statcast. AVG: .192 Expected: .249 SLG: .357 Expected: .483 wOBA: .287 Expected: .356 Those are all really big gaps that suggest that Logan Morrison has been hitting the ball much better than his results show. Seth Stohs I believe that Jorge Polanco will have a big second half (or, first half for him?), I think he'll wind up hitting second or third for much of the second half and do well. If you've been to the last two Twins Daily Winter Meltdowns, you heard me answer the same question the same way each year. During the Twins Daily panel round table, we've been asked who we think will lead the Twins in home runs. Both years, I've answered "Max Kepler." It's been a somewhat disappointing first half for the Twins outfielder, but he's shown signs. His improved approach and improved results against left-handers is encouraging. With that approach, the numbers against right-handers should bump up. Kepler has so much talent and a ton of power potential. At some point it's going to click for him. Maybe it will be in the second half. Jeremy Nygaard It might be the easy answer, but I think the second half is going to belong to Jorge Polanco. He proved it last year by hitting 293/359/511 after the break and will have the added motivation of having let his team down/proving it wasn't a PED-enhanced stretch of hitting. When you look into the crystal ball of the Twins infield, there is very little certainty. But one thing is certain: Jorge Polanco is going to be in it for the foreseeable future. His second half is going to prove it. Jamie Cameron For me, it's Jorge Polanco. Regardless of how you feel about Polanco's suspension, he was a key catalyst for the Twins' outstanding second half last year. In the second half, Polanco hit .293/.359/.511 with 10 HR and a wRC+ 128. He'll be looking to replicate that form to spark a pedestrian Twins offense which should benefit from having the second easiest second half schedule in all of baseball. Polanco was right around an average defensive short stop in 2017, it'll be interesting to see if he can build upon that and cement his position in the field. If not, he may find himself moving to second base when Ehire Adrianza returns if Brian Dozier is traded. Either way, Polanco will feel like he has something to prove to a team he let down in the first half of the season. Ted Schwerzler I think the easy answer here is Brian Dozier if we're looking at nothing but track records. That being said, I think the two most intriguing options are Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco. A year ago, Polanco was arguably the Twins greatest player down the stretch. He's still settling into the lineup after missing half the season due to his PED suspension. While Adrianza filled in fine, I thin we'll see some offensive firepower from Polanco sooner rather than later. On Kepler, I just can't believe he's going to scuffle like this all season long. He looked so great out of the gate and has gone in the tank of late. I'd be far from shocked if he doesn't use a hot stretch to get it going. SD Buhr Assuming the question is, “who do you expect to have a big second half FOR THE TWINS,” I’m going to go with Jorge Polanco. He’s a guy who has not been tainted by having to go through the frustration of the first three months of the season and I suspect he feels he has a lot to prove, coming off his suspension. If he’s traded (and accepts the trade, of course), I do think Joe Mauer could have a terrific second half of the season somewhere. I happen to think he’d be a great fit for the Yankees or, to a lesser degree perhaps, in Cleveland. If he suddenly found himself on a team that’s virtually a shoe-in for the post-season, I think he’d be very focused and very motivated. Steve Lein If I was fully confident that he'd be around for it's entirety, I'd peg Brian Dozier as that has seemed to be his M-O over the past few seasons. But since I'm not that confident in that happening at this point, I'm looking at #DasWunderkind, Max Kepler. I'm not going to dig into numbers to describe it, but I've had the impression Kepler's overall numbers should be better than they currently are. For the first month of the season he was looking great and continually having fantastic at-bats. He had even worked himself up into the number three spot in the lineup. Then... I'm not sure what happened. As Eduardo Escobar and Eddie Rosario heated up, he no longer was getting those big hits. Kepler had been my favorite prospect to follow since watching him play Spring Training games on a roster that included Rosario, Miguel Sano, and Kennys Vargas. That experience all the way back then made me believe he'd become the best overall player of the group. Let's say that starts coming to fruition after the All-Star break. If you missed any of the most recent roundtable discussions, here are the links: Sell, Sell, Sell? Fixing the Offense Romero’s Rotation Spot Top Prospect Timelines Minnesota’s All-Star Selection Click here to view the article

It wasn’t long ago when Jose Berrios was a regular fixture on the Twins Daily Minor League Report. On Sunday, he found out he had been selected to his first All-Star Game. Top pitching prospects like Fernando Romero and Brusdar Graterol were both on the mound on Sunday and they hope to follow in Berrios’ footsteps in the years to come. Did either of them have an All-Star performance on Sunday? Read on to find out...ROSTER MOVES OF Tanner English placed on the disabled list at Chattanooga with a lower back strain.INF Taylor Motter transferred to Chattanooga from Rochester.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 6, Lehigh Valley 7 (10 Innings) Box Score Rochester pitchers allowed five runs over the last three innings to end up on the wrong side of this one. Fernando Romero was strong for seven innings as he limited the Iron Pigs to two runs on four hits. He struck out six and didn’t walk any. His Triple A ERA is down to 2.04 for the season. Every relief pitcher saw one run scored against them even if it wasn’t earned. Adalberto Mejia committed a throwing error in the eighth inning that eventually allowed an unearned run to be scored against him. John Curtiss ran into trouble in the ninth with two former Twins prospects, Trevor Plouffe and Danny Ortiz, starting the rally. Curtiss was charged with his second blown save after allowing two earned runs. Tyler Duffey took the loss after allowing the game-tying and winning run to score in extra-innings. Rochester racked up 13 hits in this one but it wasn’t enough. Byron Buxton went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Kennys Vargas drove in a pair of runs as part of a three-hit effort. Nick Gordon also joined the hit parade by going 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jacksonville 5 Box Score The Lookouts left nine men on base and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position to take the loss on Sunday. Luis Arraez went 3-for-5 at the plate and Zander Wiel collected his fourth home run as part of a two-hit game. Ryan Walker also reached base three times. Of the team’s 10 hits, Wiel had the lone extra-base hit. Omar Bencomo took his third loss but he allowed only one earned run over six frames. In the second inning, Taylor Motter committed a throwing error that allowed multiple unearned runs to score. Bencomo uncorked a wild pitch in the fourth inning that eventually lead to another run. He finished with four strikeouts and one walk. Paco Rodriguez pitched two shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts to end the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 6 Box Score One big inning was all it took for Fort Myers to see the rubber game of this series slip through its fingers. The Miracle took a 3-0 first inning lead thanks to a two-out double from Taylor Grzelakowski that plated two runs. It was his 10th double of the season and he would eventually score on a Caleb Hamiton single. Top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol made it through the first six frames relatively unscathed. He allowed one run in the third but he seemed to be sliding by nicely. The seventh inning was when he ran into a little trouble. Back-to-back one-out singles meant his day was done. Overall, Graterol went 6 1/3 inning, allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked two while hitting 101 mph multiple times during the game. Unfortunately, Hector Lujan replaced Graterol and allowed both runners to score along with three other runs. Lujan wasn’t able to record an out. Adam Bray pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to finish the game. His ERA lowered to 1.08 on the season. Miguel Sano finished 2-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 5 Box Score Up one run in the final frame, it looked like Cedar Rapids would take a 2-1 series lead against Kane County. However, the Cougars flipped the script with back-to-back two-out RBI hits and ended up walk-off winners in the one. Bryan Sammons continued his strong pitching performance but he saw his 20-inning scoreless streak come to an end. He pitched into the sixth inning and limited Kane County to one earned run. Overall, he pitched 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and two walks. Every batter in the Kernels line-up reached base at least once. Akil Baddoo went 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored. Jose Miranda drove in two runs as part of a two-hit day. Robby Rinn added his 11th double and came around to score a run. Calvin Faucher suffered his first blown save after allowing two earned runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings. Ricky Ramirez took the loss and the blown save after allowing two runs over the last 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two and didn’t walk any. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 1, Danville 3 Box Score Hits were few and far between for the E-Twins as the club only had five hits. Trevor Casanova reached base three times including two hits and a run scored. Yunior Severino and Alex Robles both went 1-for-4. Albee Weiss reached base twice. Austin Schulfer allowed one run on five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out two. Brian Rapp took over for Schulfer and pitched 3 2/3’s scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Juan Gamez allowed a pair of runs over the last two innings for his first loss. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Akil Baddoo, Cedar Rapids (3-for-5, 2B, 2 R) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Fernando Romero, Rochester (7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 6 K, 0 BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, RBI, 2 BB #2 – Fernando Romero (Rochester) – 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, 0 BB #3 – Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 2-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 0-3, BB, K #7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-5, 2 K #9 – Brusdar Graterol (Fort Myers) – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 K, 2 BB #10 – Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 3-5, 2B, 2 R #14 – LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-5, RBI, 2 K #18 – Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) – 1-4, 2B, 2 K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05 CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (2-4, 5.05 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Palm Beach (6:00 CST) – RHP Andro Cutura (3-3, 3.62 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (12:00 CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (6-2, 3.74 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Danville (6:00 CST) – TBD GCL Twins vs. 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. Click here to view the article

In the end, it was likely a four-man race for one All-Star spot. Jose Berrios, Eduardo Escobar, Fernando Rodney, and Eddie Rosario were all having strong seasons but Minnesota’s lackluster first half meant that only one would be selected to the initial roster. Who made the cut? And who still has a chance to make it?Jose Berrios will be an All-Star for the first time. In his age-24 season, he has gone 8-7 with a 3.54 ERA. He has 114 strikeouts in 114 1/3 innings pitched and his 26 walks allowed have resulted in a tidy 0.997 WHIP. He leads the league with two complete games. Before the season started, some off-the-wall predictions were made here at Twins Daily. Berrios might be the only one who comes to fruition. He’s been able to do this by cutting his walk rate from 3.0 BB/9 in 2017 to 2.0 BB/9. Berrios has also improved his strikeout rate. Entering the season he had a career 8.3 SO/9 and he has posted a 9.0 SO/9 so far in 2018. Eddie Rosario will have a little more of a challenge to make his first All-Star team. He is part of MLB’s Final Vote, which allows the fans to add one player to the roster of the AL and NL squads. Rosario faces off against Andrew Benintendi, Jean Sugura, Andrelton Simmons, and Giancarlo Stanton. It’s going to be a tough road for the Twins outfielder as many of those names are better known. However, his fWAR ranks as the ninth best in the American League with Simmons being the only Final Vote candidate to rank higher. Rosario leads the Twins in most offensive categories as he seems to be having a coming-of-age season. For now, he needs the help of fans voting him in or an injury to a starting player. Did Major League Baseball get it right? Should Berrios be the team’s selection? Did Rosario get snubbed? What about Escobar and Rodney? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

First-round picks carry a lot of weight in any organization. Some teams are consistently making strong picks but the art of drafting players can be a tough endeavor. If a team misses out multiple first-round picks, there can be a void near the top of an organization’s prospect rankings. In Twins Daily’s updated top-40 prospect list, two former first-round picks fall into the 21-25 range. Each of them was a top-10 prospect as recently as 2017. Their fall in the rankings is connected to multiple factors but each of them has the potential to help the Twins at some point in the future.25. Tyler Jay – LHP Age: 24 ETA: 2018 2018 Stats (AA): 1-1, 3.64 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 35 H, 12 BB, 26 K 2018 Ranking: 19 | 2017 Ranking: 5 Seth: 30 | Tom: 26 | Cody: 26 Jay was Minnesota’s first-round pick back in 2015 and he was taken with the intention of turning him into a starting pitcher. That plan didn’t work and he has since shifted to a bullpen role. His first 10 appearances (16.2 IP) this season resulted in a 1.62 ERA with a 13 to 7 strikeout to walk ratio. Over his next eight appearances (13.0 IP), things haven’t gone as smoothly. He has allowed nine earned runs and opponents are hitting .321/.377/.571 against him. At the University of Illinois, Jay was a shutdown relief pitcher and he has the potential and pitches to get there again. However, fans haven’t seen that version of Jay in the Twins organization. 24. Felix Jorge – RHP Age: 24 ETA: 2017 2018 Stats (AA/GCL): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K 2018 Ranking: 20 | 2017 Ranking: 12 Seth: 37 | Tom: 24 | Cody: 18 We compiled these rankings prior to Jorge being designated for assignment. He's since been released. 23. Kohl Stewart – RHP Age: 23 ETA: 2018 2018 Stats (AA): 3-4, 4.76 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 68.0 IP, 84 H, 21 BB, 71 K 2018 Ranking: NR | 2017 Ranking: 8 Seth: 31 | Tom: 22 | Cody: 25 Minnesota took Stewart with the fourth pick of the 2013 MLB draft with hopes of turning this strong athlete into an elite pitcher. He has been slowly making his way through the Twins system and he even made one start with Rochester last season. Consistency has been the biggest issue for Stewart. His pitching performance has been up and down and he currently sits on the temporary inactive list after being limited to four starts in June. Stewart has his highest strikeout per nine total since his professional debut season (9.4 K/9) and his walks per nine is lower than his career average (2.8 BB/9). Stewart is still only 23 and he might finally be showing signs of putting it all together. 22. Landon Leach – RHP Age: 18 ETA: 2022 2018 Stats (Rookie): Has Not Played 2018 Ranking: NR | 2017 Ranking: NR Seth: 28 | Tom: 25 | Cody: 20 Leach, a Canadian native, was taken by the Twins in the second round of the 2017 MLB draft and he made his pro debut with the GCL Twins. In five appearances (13.1 IP), he allowed five earned runs and posted a 10 to 6 strikeout to walk ratio. He’s on the GCL Twins roster now but he is starting the season on the disabled list. He throws hard with a mid-90s fastball and multiple off-speed offerings including a curve and a changeup. His secondary pitches need some work but he was a multi-star athlete in high school and his natural athleticism make him very projectable. 21. Jose Miranda – 2B/3B Age: 20 ETA: 2021 2018 Stats (Low-A): .255/.308/.405 (.713), 16-2B, 1-3B, 7-HR 2018 Ranking: NR | 2017 Ranking: NR Seth: 17 | Tom: 18 | Cody: 30 Miranda debuted in the GCL after being drafted in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft out of Puerto Rico. With the E-Twins last season, he hit .283/.340/.484 with 21 extra-base hits in 54 games. This season he has played the entire year at Cedar Rapids where he has continued his trend of being over a year younger than the competition. He started this season slowly with the Kernels as he hit .170/.230/.259 through the team’s first 30 games. As a right-handed hitter, his OPS is over .800 against left-handed pitching so most of his issues have come against righties. He has started to come on as of late and he has plenty of power potential. What are your thoughts on the latest set of rankings? Who’s ranked too high? Who’s ranked too low? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Kohl Stewart hasn’t exactly set the world on fire this season but the Twins are going to push their 23-year old former first round pick. Stewart was promoted to Rochester on Thursday after posting a 4.76 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in 68 innings. Things have gone better in his last four starts. In 24 1/3 innings pitched, he has allowed four earned runs (1.48 ERA) while posted a 29 to 8 strikeout to walk ratio. In a corresponding move, Dietrich Enns was transferred to Chattanooga. Enns had made 12 starts for Rochester and posted a 5.31 ERA with a 1.57 WHIP in 59 1/3 innings. As a 27-year old, it seems interesting to be sending Enns back to Double-A since he was already older than the competition at Triple-A. Maybe, it will be a good wake-up call.ROSTER MOVES INF Jorge Polanco had MLB rehab assignment transferred from Ft. Myers to Rochester.C Juan Graterol signed by Minnesota to a minor league contract and assigned to RochesterRHP Kohl Stewart transferred from Chattanooga to RochesterC Jordan Pacheco placed on the disabled list at Rochester with a right knee contusion, retroactive to June 26.LHP Dietrich Enns transferred to Chattanooga from Rochester.RHP Brusdar Graterol transferred to Fort Myers from Cedar Rapids.LHP Tyler Watson transferred to Cedar Rapids from Fort Myers.OF Jared Akins transferred to Cedar Rapids from ElizabethtonC Robert Molina placed on the disabled list at Cedar Rapids with a left hand contusion. RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Syracuse 1 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score Fernando Romero got the start on the mound and pitched six innings. He allowed one run on six hits while striking out one and walking two. In a tight game, he did enough to keep the Red Wings on top. John Curtiss earned his eighth save after pitching a perfect seventh. He struck out one and saw his season ERA dip to 2.12. Leonardo Reginatto helped to get the scoring started in the third. He lead-off the inning with a walk and moved to third on a Byron Buxton single. In a rare sight, Buxton got thrown out trying to steal second base. His steal streak is still active at the big league level. Nick Gordon eventually drove in Reginatto and Rochester took a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Zack Granite singled with two outs and moved into scoring position after an error by the right fielder. Reginatto singled and Grante scored to push the lead to 2-0. Jorge Polanco and Buxton both finished 2-for-3 as they get closer to returning to the big league roster. Rochester 7, Syracuse 5 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score Rochester used a huge four-run seventh inning to sweep the double header. LaMonte Wade doubled to start the inning and moved to third on a wild pitch. Gregorio Petit and Juan Graterol connected on back-to-back singles before Nick Gordon cracked his first Triple-A home run to put the Red Wings on top for good. Wade finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Graterol joined the hit parade with a 2-for-3 night including two RBI. Jorge Polanco went 2-for-4 and Byron Buxton went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. D.J. Baxendale went 2 1/3 innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits. He struck out two and walked one. Luke Bard couldn’t make it through two innings as he surrendered three runs in 1 2/3 innings. Nick Anderson picked up the win and improve to 4-1 after he pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Gabriel Moya earned his third save with a clean seventh inning. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Tennessee 7 Box Score The Lookouts cranked four home runs included two from Brent Rooker but it still wasn’t enough to come out victorious in this one. Rooker finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI, and added his 17 double. Andy Wilkins and Brian Navarreto chipped in with their own home runs. The Lookouts only had one at-bat with a runner in scoring position and only four runners were left on base. Omar Bencomo allowed three home runs in six innings of work. He struck out six and allowed five earned runs on four hits. Cody Stashak was actually charged with the loss as he allowed two runs on two hits in the final two innings. He struck out two and walked one. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 13, Tampa 0 Box Score Fort Myers scored at least one run in the final six frames to blowout Tampa. Charlie Barnes and Hector Lujan combined for the shutout on the mound. Barnes pitched six shutout frames by scattering three hits, all singles. He struck out two and walked two. Barnes hasn’t allowed a run in his last 16.2 innings. Lujan earned his first save by pitching three innings and striking out three. Luis Arraez reached base five times include a three hit night. He added his 14th double and scored a pair of runs. Caleb Hamilton also exploded at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, and five RBI. He’s homered in back-to-back games. Mark Contreras, Shane Carrier, and Lewin Diaz also had multi-hit efforts. Overall, the club at 14 hits and still missed some opportunities as they went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids --, Burlington – (Postponed-Rain) Wind blew the tarp off the field in Burlington and the Kernels and Bees found themselves without a chance to play baseball. A similar situation happened earlier this year at the same field. The Kernels will play a doubleheader on Friday, which is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 2, Danville 11 Box Score Yunior Severino chalked up four hits but it wasn’t enough for the E-Twins. Ricky De La Torre had the team’s lone extra-base hit, a double, as he finished 2-for-4. Chris Williams reached base twice with walks but was held hitless. Tyler Palm took the loss as he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits in two innings. Things didn’t go much better for Seth Pinkerton as he allowed four runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked three. Johan Quezada and Rickey Ramirez combined for 3 1/3 shutout innings to end the game. Quezada struck out two and walked one. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 11, GCL Rays 12 (11 innings) Box Score The GCL Twins held multiple leads in this game but allowed six runs in the final four innings resulted in the loss. Prelander Berroa started and gave up five runs (four earned) in four innings. He struck out three and walked two. Michael Montero and Tanner Howell each pitched two innings and allowed one run apiece. Denny Bentley was charged with his first blown save as he allowed three runs on three hits in two innings. Petru Balan got charged with the loss but the only run scored against him was the runner that started on second base in the final frame due to MiLB’s extra-inning rules. Janigson Villalobos, Yeison Perez, and Gabe Snyder all finished with three hit. Perez and Snyder each had a long-ball. Villalobos had a double and a triple. Multiple fielding errors and passed balls hurt the team. Tyler Webb didn’t start the game and he was still able to collect a pair of outfield assists after entering as a defensive replacement. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Caleb Hamilton, Fort Myers (3-for-4, 2 HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Charlie Barnes, Fort Myers (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 2 BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Fernando Romero (Rochester) – 6 IP, 1 ER, 1 K, 2 BB #3 – Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 2-7, HR, 4 RBI, R, K #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 1-4, 3 RBI, K #7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 3-4, 2 HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, K #13 – Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 2-5, 2 R, RBI #14 – LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R, K #17 – Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-4, RBI, K #18 – Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) – 4-5, RBI, K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (5-3, 4.56 ERA) Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:00 CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (1-4, 5.61 ERA) Fort Myers vs Lakeland (6:00 CST) – RHP Tyler Wells (6-3, 2.68 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (3-1, 5.16 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (Game 2) – RHP Blayne Enlow (0-2, 4.43 ERA) Elizabethton @ Danville (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Thursday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

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. July is only days away. This means the non-waiver trade deadline will quickly be approaching. It’s time to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the American League Central has been full of poor play this season. The Indians, Twins and Tigers are separated by less than 10 games and there is plenty of baseball left to be played so…. This week’s roundtable discussion question is: “With a little over a month until the trade deadline, should the Twins be buyers or sellers?”John Bonnes Neither. They ARE neither. Because in order to be a buyer or a seller, there needs to be a marketplace. There isn’t. You’re anxious to turn the page on this season. I get it. Believe me, as someone who follows the team obsessively, runs a Twins web site and talks weekly on a Twins podcast, it’s been a frustrating three months. But declaring the season is over provides no practical value. It just makes us feel a little less personally invested in the year. Maybe, in three weeks, when the All-Star break is over, a marketplace will exist, and the Twins will need to choose. If their struggles continue, they’ll be sellers. But even then, don’t expect a cornucopia of prospects to be coming their way. They don’t have any of the premier veterans on the market, so they’re likely to get premier prospects in return. Until then, like it or not, this year is a competitive window for this franchise. I’d encourage you to personally invest another month in this team. I assure you that the management, the coaches and the players certainly are. Seth Stohs In my opinion, the Twins need to make all moves that they think will put them into contention by about July 20th. At that point, you evaluate where they are compared to Cleveland. If they had to make that decision today, and fortunately they don't, they would be sellers. The odds indicate that they will be sellers at the deadline at which point a lot of guys could be on the market. Nick Nelson At this rate, they sure look like sellers, although that could potentially change within the next few weeks. The trouble is that the Twins don't have much at this time in terms of appealing assets to move, so it's hard to envision any major haul coming back even if they're willing to unload anyone nonessential to the big picture. Brian Dozier's sluggish first half has torpedoed his trade value. Lance Lynn will have takers but won't net a ton. Fernando Rodney's been great, but non-elite relievers don't bring back top prospects (Matt Capps notwithstanding). Eduardo Escobar is perhaps the most intriguing candidate, as an All Star candidate on the last year of his deal, but Minnesota is probably best served holding onto him and extending a qualifying offer after the season. Cody Christie The AL Central might be the weakest division in baseball so it’s hard to call the Twins out of the race. That being said, Cleveland seems to have started to figure it out after a slow start. Minnesota hasn’t been able run off a long streak of winning baseball. Cleveland should easily win the division but they have flaws and this could make them vulnerable. If the front office is making the decision today, the club is sellers and the team has a lot of pieces that could be dealt. With many players on one-year deals, Minnesota could reset the roster and restock the farm system for the next decade. There were high hopes at the beginning of the season, so it’s depressing to think the team could be sellers. Flashback to last year, the Twins were in selling mode as the deadline approached. Then the team found a nice groove and ended up in the playoffs. Anything is possible but it seems like it’s time to sell. Ted Schwerzler I don't think it's fair to answer this question with so much time yet before the trade deadline. Realistically Falvey and Levine set the roster up for success this offseason, and it has underperformed as a whole. With the games remaining prior to the deadline, the Twins need to show some consistent life. The Indians have real warts, and I don't believe they're going to run away with anything. Given the amount of one year deals, the Twins are well positioned to act either way. They can let their play in the weeks ahead dictate how they should attack the deadline. Tom Froemming Right now, you'd have to say sellers. The depressing part is most of their obvious pieces to move are having down years. You can't expect guys like Brian Dozier, Lance Lynn or Zach Duke to fetch much of a return right now. The same can be said for Logan Morrison and Fernando Rodney, who both have a team option for 2019. Who does that leave? Taking emotion out of it, Eduardo Escobar could be a great sell high option, but in my heart I want the team to extend him with a 15-year deal. OK, that's an exaggeration, but from a fan's perspective I'd be really bummed if they sent him packing. With those being the options, I'm not expecting the front office to make a move one way or another until the week of the trade deadline. Jeremy Nygaard I can't imagine the Twins buying at the deadline. What would be the point? If they decide not to sell, they should stand pat... but not buy. They should sell. Anyone scheduled to be a free agent should be on the block. Brian Dozier is playing his way out of getting a qualifying offer, so prospect would be better than nothing. Lance Lynn, in my opinion, has to be traded, especially if he continues to work back to his old self. Team needs a lefty reliever? Zach Duke has to be available. I would pay - not personally, but as the Twins - the rest of Joe Mauer's salary to give him a chance to win a title this year (and in return for that money, ask for a decent prospect). And moving any of those guys only give opportunities to other prospects. Moving Dozier allows at-bats for Nick Gordon. Trading Lynn opens a rotation spot for either of Mejia or Gonsalves. Exit Duke, enter Moya. Or Jay. Mauer's at-bats could be absorbed by many players. I'd also look at moving Morrison, Rodney and potentially Santana. In addition to those three with options, the team has only three other players (Castro, Reed, Pineda) under contract for next year. Moving guys now would be more of a reload and less of a rebuild; the nucleus of the team would remain under control. Steve Lein The Cleveland Indians are finally starting to pull away in the division, a wild card is even further off, and the Twins haven’t sniffed a .500 record in over a month. Unless a drastic turnaround happens, like immediately, they should be sellers. Unfortunately, the reason they’re in this position now is a direct result of the performances from some of those whom they should sell. Lance Lynn has rebounded nicely and could fetch something decent for a rental but the other guys with only one year on their deals, like Brian Dozier and Logan Morrison, have fallen flat and Ervin Santana has yet to throw a pitch this season. Fernando Rodney might net enough where selling him makes sense too. If you’re hoping to get anything beyond a B-level prospect though, that’s going to mean selling someone like Eddie Rosario or Eduardo Escobar as part of something bigger. But they’re really the only position players who have earned their money this season and are the types I’d want to keep around. So, while I think they should sell all those rental type pieces to clear the roster space if anything, I’m not holding my breath on any stellar returns. If you missed any of the previous roundtable discussions, here are the links: Fixing the Offense Romero’s Rotation Spot Top Prospect Timelines Minnesota’s All-Star Selection Extension Candidates Click here to view the article

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. Click here to view the article

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