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Cody Christie

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Blog Entries posted by Cody Christie

  1. Cody Christie
    Every team longs for a chance to add to the legacy of their franchise. How can they get another flag to fly over the stadium and become a part of baseball's legendary past?
     
    This is the premise behind the recent book release, In Pursuit of Pennants: Baseball Operations from Deadball to Moneyball by Mark L. Armour and Daniel R. Levitt. These two authors take the reader on a journey through the annals of baseball history to find what made front offices successful throughout each era.
     
    Armour and Levitt have written together previously and both authors have quite the extensive history of writing and editing baseball books. Armour is the author of Joe Cronin: A Life in Baseball, the editor of The Great Eight: The 1975 Cincinnati Reds, and a co-editor of Pitching , Defense, and Three-Run Homers: The 1970 Baltimore Orioles.
     
    Levitt is the author of Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees' First Dynasty and The Battle that Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy. He is the coauthor with Armour of Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got That Way.
     
    The authors use 504 pages to illustrate the important factors teams used to change the way franchises functioned. Scouting players, introducing farm systems, and the integration of black players all played a role in revolutionizing the sport. Some teams were better than others in many of these areas and that lead to many successful years for key franchises.
     
    The Yankees of the 1930's and 1940's, the Big Red Machine in the 1970's, and the San Francisco Giants of more recent years have all found a way to win while other teams fell by the wayside. It's always about finding a competitive advantage.
     
    According to Armour and Levitt:
    The baseball owner, the general manager, and the rest of the organization need to work in harmony for a team to reach its ultimate goal. Talented players on the field get a lot of attention but a talented front office was needed to get all of the right pieces in place. It's up to the men at the top to put the organization in a place to succeed for multiple generations.
     
    From the most avid baseball fan to someone that knows little about the history of America's Pastime, In Pursuit of Pennants has a little bit of something for everyone. With the amount of historical content locked in this book, it is impossible for the reader not to come out a smarter fan with each turn of the page.
     
    In the end, "to create a long-term successful organization, management must also discover and institutionalize a competitive advantage, either by creating or by responding to an inflection point in the way the business operates." Competition between teams continues to get stronger and the teams that make the right choices are the ones with the flags that fly forever.
  2. Cody Christie
    In the annals of Twins history, the legacy of Bill Smith is never going to be thought of in a positive manner. There are many dubious moments from his tenure at the helm of the Twins organization. During his first year, he had to deal with Torii Hunter, the face of the franchise, leaving via free agency and multiple Cy Young award winner Johan Santana wanting to be traded.
     
    Hunter would head to southern California on a big contract. Santana was dealt for what amounted to be a bag of balls. Deolis Guerra, Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, and Kevin Mulvey were sent from New York to Minnesota. None of these players made a significant impact on the Twins big league roster even though Gomez has developed into one of the best players in the National League.
     
    The other big deal at the beginning of Smith's tenure was between Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Hunter's departure left a hole in the line-up and the Twins hunted down former top draft pick Delmon Young. It cost the Twins a hefty price in the form of Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett, who would help Tampa win the 2008 American League pennant.
     
    Even though these two trades have come to epitomize some of Smith's poor skills as general manager, the Twins are starting to see some positives out from the Smith era.
     
    Smith's second MLB draft as general manager took place in June 2009. The Twins had the 22nd pick in the first round and used it to select college pitcher Kyle Gibson (Mike Trout was taken three picks later but a ton of other team's passed over him as well). Gibson has developed into a nice asset at the major league level and there's hope that new pitching coach Neil Allen will be able to help Gibson refine his change-up.
     
    Minnesota's biggest steal in the draft might have been their eighth round pick a college shortstop by the name of Brian Dozier. Dozier has turned himself into one of the best second baseman in the American League and the Twins are committed to him being a cornerstone as the team tries to rebuild. According to Baseball Reference, Dozier has been worth more WAR than all but two first round picks (Trout and Stephen Strasburg).
     
    Drafting Dozier and Gibson weren't the only major additions during this calendar year. Minnesota was active on the international market by signing Miguel Sano ($3.15 million), Jorge Polanco ($750,000), and Max Kepler ($775,000). Each one of these players has found their way onto top prospect lists and all three could end up being significant contributors at the big league level.
     
    Sano has been highly thought of since signing with the Twins and he should make his major league debut this season. He's one of the best power hitting prospects in the minor leagues and the Twins are counting on him to make a significant impact over in the coming years.
     
    Polanco continues to shine on the defensive side of the ball while showing he could have the skills to stick at the shortstop position for the long run. His offensive numbers continue to improve and last season he became the youngest player since Joe Mauer to debut with the Twins.
     
    Kepler still has a lot of potential and Minnesota has been patiently waiting for him to have a breakout season. He's getting closer to the higher minors and he's already on the 40-man roster. If everything breaks right, he could turn into a very good everyday player with a wide-ranging skill set.
     
     
    Reflecting back on the Bill Smith years can be kind of depressing. Besides the moves mentioned above, there was the JJ Hardy trade(s), the Matt Capps deal, and the signing of Tsuyoshi Nishioka. It's starting to look more and more like his additions to the minor leagues during the 2009 season might provide a little light at the end of a very dark tunnel.
     
    For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com
  3. Cody Christie
    For the third year in a row, Seth Stohs of TwinsDaily.com asked Jeremy Nygaard and myself to help him put together the annual off-season handbook that looks deep into one of the best minor league systems in all of baseball. Several other high quality writers helped to write articles for the book and this only adds to the over 200 pages of content.
     
    It was our goal to get the paperback version out to the public before Christmas and we will meet our goal for the second year in a row. This also allows fans to have the book in hand for TwinsFest later next month. We will have full release details in the coming days.
     
    Here's a brief rundown of what's included in the book:
    Stories on my minor league award winners: Mitch Garver (hitter), Jose Berrios (starting pitcher), Brandon Peterson (relief pitcher) and Doug Mientkiewicz (manager).
    A Foreword by Mike Beradino of the Pioneer Press
    Jeremy wrote articles reviewing the 2014 Twins draft, and another looking forward to the 2015 draft.
    AJ Pettersen wrote an article about his lasting memories as he reflected back on his professional career
    The top 30 prospect lists for Seth, Jeremy, and myself.

    Below you will find a preview of one of the articles I wrote for the book. There was a bad trend throughout the farm system so it was only appropriate to include a story relating to the injuries that plagued the organization's top prospects.
    --------------------
     
    If there was one theme across the Twins minor league system in 2014, it was the injury bug that seemed to touch almost every top prospect. This unfortunate series of events ran rampant and seemed to know no bounds. Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Kohl Stewart and other top prospects fell victim and many players lost a large chunk of playing time during the season.
     
    Losing games can be tough for prospects especially as they are trying to develop. Lost playing time means more years in the minor leagues and it pushes back their arrival time at the big league level. There were high hopes for many of the players on this list going into the season. Injuries are going to happen and it will be interesting to see how these players are impacted for 2015.
     
    Byron Buxton, CF
    2014 Games Played: 31
    Injury List: Left-wrist injury (twice), right-wrist injury, head injury, dislocated middle finger on left hand
     
    It was a nightmare season for Buxton as he tried repeatedly to get back on the field but the injuries continued to pile up. Buxton started the spring in major league camp and injured his left wrist while diving for a ball on the minor league side of camp. His first action of the year came with Fort Myers and five games into the season he re-injured his left wrist on a slide into third base. Two months later he was back on the field but a couple weeks later a pitch hit him on the right wrist. He only missed a handful of games and on August 11th he was promoted to Double-A. His first game in New Britain saw the end of his regular season and a very gruesome collision. Buxton was carted off the field after colliding with Mike Kvasnicka as both players attempted to make a diving catch in the gap. Buxton was knocked out for about 10 minutes and luckily there were no broken bones. In the Arizona Fall League, he finished his injury plagued season with a dislocated middle finger on his left hand after diving for a ball.
     
    2015 Impact: Buxton is an exciting player that is going to play the game hard all of the time. There could be some injuries that arise from playing the game at an all-out pace. His wrists should be healed and there didn’t seem to be any lasting concussion issues during his play in the Arizona Fall League.
     
    Miguel Sano, 3B
    2014 Games Played: 0
    Injury List: Tommy John surgery
     
    This was supposed to be the year Miguel Sano made his much anticipated big league debut. Sano’s elbow pulled him out of the Dominican Winter League last offseason but at the time there wasn’t a ton of concern coming out of Twins camp. He showed up to spring training and a physical showed that his elbow had improved. In January, Terry Ryan even came out and said that he didn’t think the injury would require surgery. During TwinsFest, Sano predicted he would crack 45 home runs and make his big league debut. The pain in his elbow came back in February and he underwent Tommy John surgery on March 12.
    2015 Impact: His rehab is progressing well and there was some speculation that he could return to game action in the second half of the Dominican Winter League. However, the Twins are going to be conservative and hold him out of action until spring. Everything seems on track for him to start next season in the minors before making his MLB debut later in the year.
     
    Kohl Stewart, RHP
    2014 Games Played: 19
    Injury List: Right shoulder impingement (twice)
     
    Kohl Stewart dealt with a shoulder issues near the end of the 2013 season and his problems continued for different parts of this past year. In late July, he was dealing with some slight shoulder soreness after he slept wrong on his arm during a long bus ride. He was placed on the disabled list but the MRI came back clean. Some thought he might be done for the season but the Twins put him out there for a couple more games in the middle of August. Two starts later he had to be pulled because the shoulder was still sore. “I felt like (crap), tried to pitch through it,” Stewart said.
    2015 Impact: The Twins will watch Stewart’s workload very closely in 2015. If there is any sign of him not being able to get loose, the club will quickly pull him from the action. The Twins were aggressive with his promotion last year and that could allow them to be a little more conservative in 2015. It might also be helpful to get a neck pillow for the long minor league bus rides.
    --------------------
    There's much more to this article and a ton of other great content in the book. Let me know if you have any questions about the book and look for the release of my top prospect lists in the days to come.
  4. Cody Christie
    Late last week word came out that the Atlanta Braves would not tender contracts to right-handed pitchers Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy. At one point in the not so distant past both of these players figured into Atlanta's long-term starting rotation plans but now both are recovering from their second Tommy John surgeries.
     
    Medlen has shown more promise than Beachy at the big league level. He won a combined 25 games in 2012 and 2013. He excelled as a reliever and starter in 2012, when he was 10-1 with a 1.56 ERA. He was even charged with starting the Braves Wild Card Game versus the Cardinals that season. He limited the Cards to two earned runs on three hits but five total runs were scored with him on the mound and he took the loss.
     
    Beachy had his first Tommy John surgery in 2012 and he struggled on the comeback trail in 2013, when he was 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA. For his career, he's started 45 games with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP including a 9.2 SO/9 rate. These numbers look great but he's only pitched 30 innings since the end of the 2012 season.
     
    Coming back from one Tommy John surgery can be hard enough so you can imagine how hard any kind of comeback after a second trip under the knife. The list of players to return to their prior level of dominance after a second Tommy John is essential nonexistent. Pitchers tend to struggle with command and stamina and this could force both of these players into a bullpen role.
     
    Out of the two pitchers, Medlen seems to offer the most upside.
     
    The Braves sound like they would like to bring Medlen back on a short-term incentive laden deal with an option for 2016. Minnesota would like have to come up with a better offer to lure him away from Atlanta. Other teams will probably make enticing offers as well and since Atlanta non-tendered him, he's free to choose where he will be employed for 2015.
     
    Medlin will not be ready for the start of Spring Training since he had Tommy John surgery last March. However, he should be good to go shortly after the opening of camp. In recent memory, the Twins recently signed Mike Pelfrey on a one-year deal after coming off of Tommy John surgery but they failed to retain Scott Baker on his comeback trail.
     
    Minnesota already has a crop of pitchers that will be battling for a back end of the rotation spot. Phil Hughes, Ricky Nolasco, and Kyle Gibson seemed locked into the first three slots. This leaves Trevor May Mike Pelfrey, Tommy Milone, Logan Darnell, and others fighting for the final two rotation spots.
     
    Top prospects Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios are also in line to end up in the rotation at some point in 2015. If Medlen won't be ready for the season's start, he probably won't be getting back into form until the end of 2015 or the start of 2016. The Twins will have other younger pitchers ready at that point and Medlen might just be blocking their path.
     
     
    If the deal was right, it might be interesting to take a flyer on Medlen. But it's hard to imagine the Twins outbidding other teams for the services of a player that is a questions mark at this point. A team can only have so many back of the rotation options so signing Medlen might not make sense.
     
    For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com
  5. Cody Christie
    It's hard to argue with the breakout season Jose Berrios put together in 2014. He dominated the Florida State League and held his own in the Eastern League while being over four and a half years younger than the average age of the pitchers in that league. He was already a top ten prospect in the organization but he solidified himself as one of the top three pitchers in a loaded farm system.
     
    Berrios was just one of the team's prospects to do well in 2014 as other prospects also put their name on the map. Adam Brett Walker smacked a ton of home runs in the tough Florida State League. Eddie Rosario missed time at the beginning of the season due to a drug suspension but he ended the season on a high note as one of the best hitters in the Arizona Fall League. There were many other prospects that had solid seasons in
     
    Here are three of the Twins top prospects that I think could follow in the footsteps of Berrios and have a breakout season in 2015.
     
    Stephen Gonsalves- LHP
    2014 Team(s): Elizabethton Twins, Cedar Rapids Kernels
    3.02 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 65.2 IP, 70 K, 21 BB (14 Games)
    Gonsalves, a 2013 fourth round pick, made it all the way to Low-A this season as a teenager. He continues to show the ability to strikeout batters. He can hit in the 90's with his fastball and he can counter with a good change-up. His other breaking pitch still needs some work but he will be able to develop that as he progresses through the system. In his first five outings at Low-A, he posted a 1.57 ERA over 23.0 innings with 21 strikeouts and only four walks. To put those numbers in prospective, he was three years younger than the other pitchers in the Midwest League.
     
    Travis Harrison- OF/3B
    2014 Team(s): Fort Myers Miracle
    .269/.361/.365, 3 HR, 33 2B, 59 RBI, 80 R (129 Games)
    The Florida State League can be tough on hitters and this could be one of the reasons Harrison's home run total dipped from 15 in '13 to 3 this past season. The former supplemental first round pick continues to get on base at a very high rate and he's shown the ability to take the ball to opposite field. His strikeout rate continues to drop and he played a new defensive position this season. He will be 22-years old for all of next season and he should be more comfortable playing his defensive spot. This could mean result in some big numbers for Harrison at Double-A.
     
    SLEEPER PICK:
    Amaurys Minier- OF/1B
    2014 Team(s): GCL Twins
    .292/.405/.520, 8 HR, 11 2B, 33 RBI, 25 R (53 Games)
    It can be tough to have a breakout season in the lower levels of the minor leagues but the Twins have seen players like Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano have huge seasons after coming out of extended spring training. Minier has big power from the left-side but there might be some holes in his swing as evident by his 52 strikeouts this season. If his approach can improve as he moves up the ladder and he makes some positive strides on the defensive side of the ball, he could be vaulting up Twins prospect lists during the next off-season.
     
    For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com
  6. Cody Christie
    Well the wait is finally over. It took the Twins over a month and multiple interviews to finally settle on the man many believed would be the guy for the job from the beginning.
     
    Paul Molitor will be named the 13th manager in Twins history at the beginning of this week. He will also be only the third manager in nearly the last three decades following in the line of Tom Kelly (1986-2001) and Ron Gardenhire (2002-2014). Molitor takes over a Twins team that has lost 92 or more games in each of the last four seasons.
     
    Some fans will be very excited with the hiring of Molitor, the St. Paul native and Hall-of-Fame hitter.The hire won't be seen as much of a surprise but his baseball IQ has been lauded and he will be a new voice at the helm. However, there will be numerous challenges facing during his first managerial tenure.
     
    1. Hiring a Coaching Staff
    These will be some of the most interesting decisions to watch at the beginning of Molitor's career. Many familiar names could end up back on Molitor's staff. Tom Brunansky has been considered a very good hitting instructor and this could mean he's kept in the fold. Terry Steinbach also has a likely chances to stick around. It will be interesting to see if Triple-A manager Gene Glynn gets asked to join the staff after being passed over for the managerial job. Frank Viola, a Triple-A pitching coach in the Mets organization, seemed interested in the role with the Twins if he was presented the opportunity. It would also be nice to have a Spanish speaking coach on the roster to help with some of the younger Hispanic players.
     
    2. Tampering Expectations
    This isn't going to be a quick turnaround and Molitor isn't going to be a miracle worker. It was rumored that Molitor was offered the opportunity to take over for Gardenhire in July 2013. Even if he had taken over the squad at that time, it's hard to imagine the club winning a ton more games last year. The roster wasn't built to win in 2014 or 2015 so fans are going to have to be patient with Molitor. He's never had a managerial gig so he might have to learn some of the nuances of the job on the fly.
     
    3. Building for the Future
    The core of the 2015 Twins will be relatively young and the squad is only going to be getting younger as some of their younger prospects make their way to Target Field. Top prospects Alex Meyer, Miguel Sano, and Byron Buxton could all make their debuts next season with plenty of hype surrounding each of their arrivals. Other young players like Oswaldo Arcia, Danny Santana, and Kennys Vargas made a big impact last season. Molitor has also been given a lot of credit for helping Brian Dozier with the transition to second base and his breakout season on the base paths last year.
     
    4. Pushing the Core Four
    Joe Mauer needs to get back to the Joe Mauer of old. Brian Dozier needs to make strides on the defensive side of the ball while continuing to put up strong offensive numbers. Phil Hughes is coming off a record breaking season on the mound and he needs to lead a pitching staff that could contain some younger members. Trevor Plouffe is also coming off his best season at the plate and in the field. Can Molitor continue to help this core four to make strides? Each of these men will be key during Molitor's first couple of seasons as manager.
     
    5. Changing the Coaching Culture
    In his first season as a member of the Twins coaching staff, Molitor was in charge of defensive shifts. These types of shifts have started to become common across the baseball universe and the Twins can continue to improve in this area. One of the best frustrating things about Gardenhire was his inability to utilize a platoon system when there were players on the roster who would have greatly benefited from this kind of usage. Molitor has been around the game of baseball for decades but will this mean that we get more of the same old thinking. The hope is that he will be much more open to the changing culture of the game versus the previous regime.
     
    For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com
  7. Cody Christie
    Near the end of last week, the Rawlings Gold Glove finalists were announced for both the American League and the National League. It's hard to take these nominations too seriously when Derek Jeter has multiple Gold Gloves on his mantle and Rafael Palmeiro won one as a DH. Rawlings has been moving in the right direction as they have started to use SABR's Defensive Index to help decide the winners.
     
    Three former members of the Twins organization (JJ Hardy, Justin Morneau, and Denard Span) were all names as finalists while no members of the current team were among those selected. That's where some of the debate can be made since Trevor Plouffe seems to have compiled the numbers to at least be considered for a nomination.
     
    There are two third baseman in the American League that are head and shoulders above the competition. The A's Josh Donaldson and the Mariner's Kyle Seager. These two men will battle for the honor but it's the third nomination spot that should be in question.
     
    Adrian Beltre got the nod but he had a very sub-par year when it came to defensive numbers. According to SABR's Defensive Index, Beltre ranked sixth in the American League at the hot corner. This put him behind the two men mentioned above and the trio of Manny Machado, Trevor Plouffe, and Mike Moustakas.
     
    This isn't the only metric that shows Plouffe's superiority to Beltre throughout the season.
     
    According to FanGraphs version of defensive WAR, Plouffe's 8.6 mark far outpaced Beltre's 6.0 ranking. Both forms of ultimate zone rating also had Plouffe ranked higher than Beltre. Plouffe's 6.7 UZR was superior to Beltre's 4.0 mark and Plouffe was 2.4 runs higher in UZR/150 games.
     
    Plouffe also ranked better than Beltre when it comes to range runs above average. Plouffe had ranked negatively in this category over the last two seasons but he posted a 5.4 RngR in 2014. Beltre was limited to a 2.8 RngR.
     
    Revised zone rating is the proportion of balls hit into a fielders zone that he successfully converted into an out. Plouffe turned 73.6% of those balls into outs. When it comes to RZR, Beltre was below 70% for the first time since 2007. He has a .725 RZR mark for the duration of his career.
     
    Beltre already has four Gold Gloves with his last award coming back in 2012. He was also awarded the AL Platinum Glove in 2011 and 2012 for having the best defensive in the entire American League. His defensive reputation and previous awards probably put him ahead of Plouffe on the nomination list.
     
    Was there any chance of Plouffe walking away with AL Gold Glove at third?
     
    No, but it would have been nice to see him being honored for his outstanding defensive play at a very tough fielding position. This award should go to Donaldson or Seager but Plouffe proved himself to be one of the top three defensive third baseman in the American League.
     
    Plouffe was most certainly worth his weight in gold this season even if the nomination didn't follow the outstanding play.
     
    For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com
  8. Cody Christie
    Looking back at the Twins fourth straight 90-loss season doesn't have to be full of glum recollections of another horrible year. There were plenty of bright spots throughout the Twins roster. Brian Dozier did something only a handful of Twins players have ever done. Phil Hughes set an all-time MLB record. Plus young players like Danny Santana were sure fun to watch.
     
    Every year at the end of the season, I look back at the Twins year and try and handout some end of the season awards. Many of these men were on their way to winning these awards when I reflected back on the first half. However one of the first half winners couldn't hang on to his title until the end of the year.
     
    Each of the awards below has been named after someone that optimizes that award for the Twins organization. There are some legends from the past and even one current MLB player but all have had a significant place in Twins lore.
     
    Harmon Killebrew MVP: Brian Dozier, 2B
    First-Half MVP: Brian Dozier, 2B
    Previous Winners: Joe Mauer (2013), Josh Willingham (2012), Michael Cuddyer (2011), Joe Mauer (2010)
    It's hard to argue with the season compiled by Dozier. He became just the sixth player in Twins history and the first since Torii Hunter in 2004 to notch a 20-20 season. He's also finished second in the American League in runs scored as he only finished by the presumed MVP Mike Trout. According to SABR's Defensive Index, Dozier has been the fifth best defensive second baseman in the American League. He's been a leader on the field and in the clubhouse so the award is well deserved.
    Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year: Phil Hughes, RHP
    Pitcher of the First Half: Phil Hughes, RHP
    Previous Winners: Kevin Correia (2013), Scott Diamond (2012), Carl Pavano (2011), Carl Pavano (2010)
    This award is probably the easiest to hand out. Hughes was the ace of the Twins staff this season. He set the all-time strikeout to walk ratio by a starting pitcher. He pitched over 200 innings for the first time in his career and he had an ERA under 4.00 for only the second time in his career. Hughes led the Twins in basically every major category for a starting pitcher. The Twins had to be happy with him being a very good deal as a free agent signing. He will be part of the Twins rotation for the next couple seasons and he will provide a veteran presence for some of the younger players on the mound.
     
    Rick Aguilera Relief Pitcher of the Year: Glen Perkins, LHP
    Relief Pitcher of the First Half: Casey Fien, RHP
    Previous Winners: Glen Perkins (2013), Jared Burton (2012), Glen Perkins (2011), Jesse Crain (2010)
    At the mid-point of the season, this was the hardest award to pick. My vote went to Fien because of his ability to strand runners on base, his strong first half ERA and WHIP, and the amount of innings he had pitched. Fien's numbers came back to the back in the second half so my vote goes to Perkins even with the rough second half compiled by Perkins. According to FanGraphs version of WAR, Perkins was slightly better than Fien. Perkins also struck out more batters and pitched fewer innings. Fien had a very good season but Perkins was still the best bullpen arm.
     
    Rod Carew Rookie of the Year: Danny Santana, SS/OF
    Rookie of the First Half: Danny Santana, SS/OF
    Previous Winners: Oswaldo Arcia (2013), Scott Diamond (2012), Ben Revere (2011), Danny Valencia (2010)
    Josmil Pinto did some good things at the beginning of the season and Kennys Vargas had his moments in the second half. This award belongs to Danny Santana for the way he was able to impact the Twins line-up this season. He filled in admirably at a position of need for the club and he finished the year with the third highest WAR among Twins position players. There are some that doubt that he will be able to keep up this high level of play into next season but he seems to solidified himself as an everyday major leaguer.
     
    Now it's your turn. Who would you pick for each of the above awards? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.
  9. Cody Christie
    On Wednesday, Phil Hughes made his final start of the season for the Twins. It capped a memorable first year in Minnesota for the former Yankees pitcher. He signed with the club as the lesser of two big off-season upgrades to the rotation but he turned out to be the staff ace.
     
    One of the most amazing parts of this season for Hughes has been his ability to completely eliminate walks while still being a very effective pitcher. For the entire season, Hughes had 16 walks charged to him over the course of close to 210 innings. If he doesn't pitch again this season, he will have set the record for best strike out to walk rate in the history of the game.
     
    There were only two games this season where Hughes allowed multiple walks, one in April and one in June. In the month of April, he had six walks over five starts. Other than that, he went through large stretches of the season with almost no walks on his record.
     
    The Worst Walk Game of the Year
    April 9th| 1st Inning: Sam Fuld (4 pitches), Jed Lowrie (6 pitches)
    2nd Inning: Eric Sogard (5 pitches)
    Hughes must have been a little excited for his first start at Target Field. He started off the first inning with back-to-back walks including a four pitch walk to lead-off hitter Sam Fuld. Both runners would come around to score and Hughes found himself in a 4-0 hole. The second inning didn't start off much better as Hughes walked Eric Sogard on five pitches. However, he would be stranded at second base.
     
    The Walk King
    June 1st| 2nd Inning| Brian McCann (7 pitches)
    4th Inning: Brian McCann (4 pitches)
    McCann would be the lone batter to draw more than one walk from Hughes this year and he did it in Hughes' return to the Bronx. McCann's first walk lead-off the second inning but he was erased on a double play to end the frame. It ended a streak of 178 batters without issuing a walk. The fourth inning was a little more costly as McCann walked with two runners already on base. A sacrifice fly two batters later would cost Hughes his second earned run of the day but that was all he allowed and the Twins won the game.
     
    Walks Will Haunt
    June 22nd| 3rd Inning| Tyler Flowers (7 pitches)
    This might have been the most costly walk for Hughes this season. His walk to Flowers loaded the bases after he allowed two singles to start the frame. The floodgates opened from that point and he would go on to surrender five runs on six hits. The Twins had been up 3-0 at the beginning of the inning but the club would come back to score three in the fourth. Hughes picked up his eighth win even with the bad inning.
     
    April Showers
    April 3rd| 1st Inning | Adam Eaton (7 pitches)
    April 15th| 4th Inning| Adam Lind (5 pitches)
    April 20th| 2nd Inning| Alcides Escobar (7 pitches)
    The first batter Hughes faced in a Twins uniform, Adam Eaton, was able to earn the first walk of the year from the right-handed pitcher. In a game that would see a lot of scoring, he would be left on base. Later in the month, Adam Lind drew a walk with first base open after a Jose Bautista double started the inning. Neither man would score. Alcides Escobar's walk came with two outs in the inning and runners on second and third. Hughes got a flyball from the next batter and escaped the frame.
     
    One Intentional Pass
    June 28th| 8th Inning| Adrian Beltre (4 pitches)
    In the middle of a tight pitcher's duel with Yu Darvish, Hughes had to try and escape the eighth inning. With Texas already up 2-0, the walk loaded the bases. Three runs would score off the bats of the next two batters as Hughes suffered his fourth loss of the season.
     
    July Losses
    July 3rd| 7th Inning| Ichiro Suzuki (6 pitches)
    July 19th| 7th Inning| Logan Forsythe (5 pitches)
    July 30th| 3rd Inning| Omar Infante (6 pitches)
    July would see Hughes lose more games than any other month. Ichiro's seventh inning walk against Hughes set-up his rough inning for the starter. The Yankees held a slim one-run lead but two consecutive hits following the walk pushed Hughes from the game. Another late inning walk to Logan Forsythe would mean result in a loss for Hughes. Forsythe lead-off the inning with a walk and the Rays would add a couple runs to their 3-0 lead. Omar Infante's walk didn't cost Hughes any runs but he still ended up losing the game to end his worst month of the year.
     
    Season Winding Down
    August 5th| 3rd Inning| Everth Cabrera (6 pitches)
    August 10th| 4th Inning| Josh Reddick (6 pitches)
    September 13th| 2nd Inning| John Danks (6 pitches)
    Over the season's last couple months, the walks would be few and far between. Everth Cabrera worked a one-out walk in the early innings but he never left first base. One start later Josh Reddick would coax a two-out walk but he too would be left at first. It would be over a month before the next walk from Hughes. John Danks earned the free pass but Hughes would still strike out the side in the frame.
     
    Hughes outperformed many of the expectations for him this year. Leave a COMMENT and discuss what you will remember most about his season.
     
    For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com
  10. Cody Christie
    This is the third post in a series looking at different story lines in relation to the Twins as the season comes to a close (Part 1: Starting Rotation, Part 2: Prospect Promotions) September has been a rough month over the last three seasons and this year is continuing to follow that trend. The moto of the month might be "Wake Me Up When September Ends" but there seems to be a small glimmer of hope on the horizon. This could give you a reason to still pay attention over the final weeks.
    At the midway point of the season, the Twins posted a 44-50 record to sit at a .469 winning percentage. Flash-forward to the second half of the year and Minnesota is 15 games under .500 with a .347 winning percentage (entering play on Tuesday). The younger players are working out some of their kinks but the losses continue to pile up.
     
    During the 2013 season, the Twins finished the second half with a .386 winning percentage as the club was 16 games under .500 for that stretch. This included posting an 8-20 record for the final month of the year. 2012 and 2011 were also rough second halves with .390 and .301 winning percentages. That's a lot of losses piling up but bad rosters, injuries, and a rough group in the rotation will do that to a team.
     
    If a person wants to look on the bright side of things, the mounting Minnesota losses do mean some positives. The 90-loss seasons of the last three year have resulted in the Twins earning three straight top five draft picks. This has brought a trio of top-notch prospects into the organization. Byron Buxton, Kohl Stewart, and Nick Gordon might be the key to get the organization back on track and those picks wouldn't have happened without some terrible Septembers.
     
    The Twins recent losing ways to start the month of September have the club positioned to slide into a top five pick for the fourth year in a row.
     

    Projected 2015 MLB Draft Order


     

    1. Texas Rangers 54-89


     

    2. Houston Astros


     

    3. Colorado Rockies 59-85 4.5 GB


     

    4. Arizona D-Backs 59-84 5.0 GB


     

    5. Minnesota Twins 61-82 7.0 GB


     

    6. Houston Astros 63-81 8.5 GB


     

    7. Boston Red Sox 63-81 8.5 GB


     
    The Texas Rangers seem to have a stronghold on the top pick in the draft and Houston is guaranteed to pick second after failing to sign this year's top pick, Brady Aiken, This leaves the Twins hunting down the Diamondbacks and the Rockies for the third worst record in baseball.
     
    When looking at the strength of schedule for these teams, this could be shaping up to be a tight race to the end. The Twins opponents the rest of the way have roughly a .500 winning percentage which is tied with the Rockies. The Diamondbacks have a little bit easier road with opponents winning percentage around .480. The Red Sox and the Astros are behind Minnesota and they have tougher opponents the rest of the way.
     
    How well a team is playing can also impact their draft position. Some teams play a lot better than their overall record down the stretch. Over the last 20 games, the Twins have the 26th worst record in baseball. The only team on the above list with record as bad as Minnesota is Arizona and they have the same record. Texas and Boston are one game better. While some teams have been struggling, the Rockies have been two games over .500 in the last 20.
     
    So what's the prize at the end of the road? It's tough to know how the draft will shape up over the next few months. When dealing with a combination of high school and college players, a lot can impact their draft stock. Last week, Baseball America said "one of the strengths of this draft class is high school bats and prep power." That being said, it sounds like the top of the draft will be pitcher-heavy.
     
    Does losing stink at the end of the year? Well yes but another top notch prospect could only add to their organization's depth.
     
    If you are going to be bad, it pays to be really bad...
     
    especially in September.
  11. Cody Christie
    Things are starting to wind down in the minor league season and this means plenty of very important games for Twins' affiliates. The Kernels entered Sunday with a chance to clinch and the Red Wings are right in the middle of the wild card hunt. This means every at-bat and every pitch are very important.
     
    The same can't be said for the MLB version of the Twins. They are out of the playoff chase but they can still upset a few teams along the way. After pounding the Detroit Tigers in the first two games of the series, the Twins dropped the last two to end up with a split.
     
    Let's see if the farm system offered up any more hope on Sunday.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 5, Scranton/WB 4
    Box Score
    A lot of Rochester's future is in their own hands. They took that moto to heart on Sunday as they mounted a four run bottom of the eighth inning to crawl past the RailRiders. Doug Bernier went 1-for-3 in the game but his two-run double put the Wings on top for good. Daniel Ortiz cracked his eighth home run of the season, his first since July 27.
    Lester Oliveros continued his run of scoreless innings over the last 11 games. He hasn't given up a run in the last 19.2 frames. Tyler Duffey started and allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over four innings. It was the first time since June 4 that he didn't make it through five innings.
    With a week's worth of games left in the regular season, the Red Wings are 1.5 games back of the Wild Card leaders Buffalo and Pawtucket. They have two games remaining with both teams so they can forge their own destiny.
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 12, Altoona 0
    Box Score
    Pat Dean was masterful in this game as he scattered three hits over eight shutout innings. He struck out three and walked two. It was his eighth victory of the season. He hadn't pitched more than seven innings in any start this season and he only earned the win in one of those three outings. Cole Johnson helped complete the shutout by striking out one in an inning of work.
    The Rock Cats offense gave Dean plenty of run support. Reynaldo Rodriguez crossed the 20 home run plateau with a two-run shot in the 6th inning. Corey Wimberly had three hits including his 11th double. Kyle Knudson scored twice and hit a couple of doubles. The only starters to remain hitless were Nate Hanson and Tony Thomas.
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 2. Charlotte 5
    Box Score
    D.J. Baxendale surrendered five earned runs on eight hits as he was charged with his third loss of the season. It was his third straight outing of less than five innings and he has won a game since he won three straight starts at the beginning of July. Nick Burdi made his fifth appearance for the Miracle and he has yet to allow a run. He has nine strikeouts over five innings pitched with one walk.
     
    Adam Brett Walker continues to hit home runs. He reached base in three of his four plate appearances and hit his 25th home run of the season. He's also up to 93 RBI on the season. Dalton Hicks had the only other extra base hit for Fort Myers. His 24th double set-up one of the team's two runs.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 8
    Box Score
    Even though the Kernels didn't win this game, a loss by Peoria meant the Kernels still clinched a playoff spot for the second consecutive season. Cedar Rapids will play either Burlington or Kane County in the opening round.
     
    Cedar Rapids strung together three straight singles to take a late inning 5-4 lead but the River Bandits stole the lead back in the bottom of the frame. J.D. Williams was a perfect 3-for-3 and he reached base four times. Chad Christensen knocked in four runs with his 23rd and 24th doubles of the season. Engelb Vielma scored twice and added his 13th double of the year.
     
    Hudson Boyd took the loss after giving up three earned runs on three hits. He struck out one and walked one. Mat Batts got the no decision after he pitched 4.2 innings by allowing three earned runs with four strikeouts. It was the first time since July 2 that he didn't make it through five innings.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 10, Bristol 4 (Game 1- 7 Innings)
    Box Score
    Seven runs in the last two innings helped to separate the E-Twins from the Pirates. Nick Gordon went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base. He also got caught stealing once and got picked off once. Jorge Fernandez and Tyler Mautner collected three RBI apiece. Nautner had two extra-base hits, a double and a home run.
     
    Keaton Steele earned his second victory after he replaced John Curtiss. Steele struck out two over two innings while allowing one run. Curtiss made it four innings and gave up three earned runs. Dereck Rodriguez struck out the side as part of a perfect final frame.
     
    Elizabethton 1, Bristol 0 (Game 2- 7 Innings)
    Box Score
    After 14 total runs were scored in the first game of the doubleheader, this game took on quite a different feel. The teams found themselves in a pitchers duel with neither team being able to muster up much offense. Bristol out hit Elizabethton six to two but it wasn't enough. Trey Vavra hit a run scoring double to plate the lone run of the game.
     
    Randy LeBlanc earned his first professional victory after throwing five shutout frames. He struck out seven and walked none. C.K. Irby struck out five over the final two frames to complete the shutout. It was his second save of the year.
     
     
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, New Britain Rock Cats
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels
    WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Scranton/WB @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen)
    New Britain @ Binghamton (5:35 CST) – Taylor Rogers (Listen)
    Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Brett Lee (Listen)
    Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (7:00 CST) - Stephen Gonsalves (Listen)
    Elizabethton @ Bristol (6:00 CST)- Michael Cederoth
    GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD
  12. Cody Christie
    This is the second in a series of posts looking at different parts of the Twins roster as the season winds down. Clearly, there have been some rough moments at the end of the last few seasons. The moto of those years might have been "Wake Me Up When September Ends" but the hope is that this year will be a little different. Overall, there seems to be a little hope on the horizon. That hope might mean you won't want to sleep through this September.
     
    Earlier in the week, I looked at how this year's pitching staff seems to offer more hope than the last few Septembers. I'd rather see Kyle Gibson, Tommy Milone, and Trevor May on the mound over the likes of Cole De Vries, Andrew Albers, and PJ Walters. There might be some lumps with the new trio of starters but they could be part of the next winning team in Minnesota.
     
    The key to any organizational improvement is the play of young cost-effective players. The last few Septembers haven't exactly produced a cornucopia of everyday players but this year's crew could be the key to getting the Twins back on the right track.
     
    2014: Trevor May, Kennys Vargas, Danny Santana
    There was a lot of fans calling for Trevor May to make his debut. He's struggled in his first handful of appearances but the Twins aren't fighting for a playoff spot. May can take his lumps this season and be better prepared for the beginning of next year. Kennys Vargas was considered a top 10 Twins prospect entering this season but he had one of his best minor league seasons at the Double-A level. Since getting called up, he's hit for a higher average than expected and there have still been some signs of power. Danny Santana might be the biggest surprise this season. He's turned into a spark plug for the Twins offense and he's been doing it while learning a new defense position.
     
    2013: Oswaldo Arcia, Josmil Pinto, Kyle Gibson
    Last year's trio of rookies have all played a significant role on the 2014 Twins team. Oswaldo Arcia is in the midst of quite the power surge over the last handful of games. He might be finally figuring out how to hit at the big league level and that's certainly a good thing for the Twins. Josmil Pinto made the Twins team out of spring training but he hasn't been heard from since the beginning of June. Minnesota signed Kurt Suzuki to a contract extension so Pinto is going to have to use his bat to get back to the big leagues. Kyle Gibson was rough at the end of last year but he has proven himself useful in 2014. Behind Phil Hughes, he's been the second best starter on the team and he could end up fitting into the middle of the rotation for the next handful of years.
     
    2012: Chris Parmelee, Eduardo Escobar, Chris Herrmann
    This was a down year for younger players being promoted and getting playing time. Brian Dozier had played a chunk of the season at shortstop but he didn't get called up for September. Chris Parmelee had been a hit the cover off the ball as a September call-up the previous season but that didn't last. He's collected over 200 at-bats for the third straight season but he doesn't seem to have a long-term place with the club. Eduardo Escobar was brought over from Chicago in the Francisco Liriano trade and he's had quite the season this year. He's fifth in the AL in doubles and fourth in range factor for shortstops. Chris Herrmann has played parts of the last three seasons in Minnesota but he's not really considered much of a prospect any more. He offers some defensive versatility but not much of an offensive punch.
     
    Other prospects like Alex Meyer or Jorge Polanco could get a look this September but the trio of Santana, Vargas, and May are certainly enough to keep you from falling asleep.
     
    Don't sleep through this September because the future might be playing right in front of you.
  13. Cody Christie
    The big story of the night was star pitching prospect Kohl Stewart being pulled very early in his start by the Cedar Rapids training staff. His fastball usually sits in the mid-90s but he was topping out anywhere from 88-90 mph. The Twins have come out and said they removed him for precautionary reasons. With not many games left in the minor league season, it would be surprising to see Stewart on the mound again in 2014.
     
    With Stewart out of the game early, would the Kernels be able to continue their recent winning streak? Read on to find out.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 7, Buffalo 2
    Box Score
    Rochester was up six runs before Buffalo was able to crack onto the scoreboard. Pedro Florimon drove in three runs with a pair of doubles. Wilkin Ramirez hit his fourth home home run as part of a two-hit night. Chris Colabello hit his third home run in his last nine games and he leads the team with nine home runs.
     
    Tyler Duffy made his second career Triple-A start and he earned his second victory. In this game, he went six innings and allowed two earned runs as he struck out six. He has gone at least six innings in both outings. Lester Oliveros replaced Duffey and did well by striking out four in two innings. The last time he didn't strike out more than one batter in an appearance was all the way back on July 7th.
     
    With the win, the Red Wings stay two games back in the Wild Card race with 13 games remaining in the season.
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 3, Richmond 5 (Game 1-Completion from 8/18)
    Box Score
    In a game that was started on Monday night, the Rock Cats didn't have enough in the tank to mount a comeback. Virgil Vasquez has started before the rain got in the way. He didn't allow a run over two innings. Cole Johnson took over when the game resumed. He allowed four earned runs over three innings and was served his second loss. Adrian Salcedo did well to strike out five in three innings.
     
    On the offensive side of things, Levi Michael and Kyle Knudson both had two hits including a double each. Knudson drove in two runs and it was Michael's first double since being promoted. Tony Thomas knocked in a run with his ninth double of the season.
    New Britain 5, Richmond 0 (Game 2- 7 Innings)
    Box Score
    After having two hits in the first game of the night, Michael continued his hot hitting with three more hits in game two. Nate Hanson knocked in a run as part of a two hit game. Tony Thomas and Matt Koch both went 2-for-3 with a run scored to help the Rock Cats avoid the double header sweep.
     
    Jason Adam threw four shutout innings to start the game. He struck out two and walked one. Daniel Turpen earned his fourth victory by pitching 1.1 innings and striking out three. Edgar Ibarra got into a little trouble in the seventh inning as he couldn't protect the shutout. Three straight one-out singles scored a run but he was able to leave two runners on base and finish the game.
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 2
    Box Score
    The Miracle were out hit in this game but they squeaked across one more run to end up victorious. Aderlin Mejia got things started at the top of the line-up. He went 3-for-5, his second straight multi-hit game. Niko Goodrum and Travis Harrison both drove in a run to help the cause.
     
    Brett Lee joined teammate Matt Tomshaw in the double digit win club. Over seven innings, he gave up 11 hits but he was helped out by three double plays turned behind him. Nick Burdi made his second appearance with the Miracle and he struck out one in an inning. Zack Jones earned his first save by pitching a perfect ninth.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 3
    Box Score
    The Kernels had to scramble a little after starter Kohl Stewart was pulled early (see above). A big three-run eighth inning powered the club to their eighth straight victory. Mat Batts had to do some tremendous work out of the bullpen. He pitched five shutout innings by striking out six and walking none. It was his second victory of the season.
     
    Engelb Vielma and Tanner Vavra were hot at the back end of the Kernels line-up. They combined to go 7-for-8 in the game with three RBI and three runs scored. Vielma collected his first home run of the season and his first professional home run after being in the Twins organization since 2012. Chad Christensen went 3-for-5 with a double.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 7, Princeton 8
    Box Score
    Elizabethton took a one run lead into the ninth but Princeton would strike for a couple runs to take the lead. Dereck Rodriguez took the loss and the blown save but only one of the runs he gave up was earned. Third baseman Blake Schmit had two throwing errors in the ninth. Michael Cederoth started and gave up four earned runs over four innings. He struck out five and walked two. C.K. Irby struck out five in two innings of relief work.
     
    Tanner English and Alex Real both hit homers to pace the E-Twins offense. For Real, his home run was his first of the season and he smacked his fifth double. Austin Diemer went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Will Hurt had three hits for the first time this season.
    GCL TWINS TAKES
    GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 6
    Box Score
    The Twins scored five runs over the course of two innings but the Orioles came charging back with four runs in the next two frames. Rainis Silva had two doubles as part of a three hit day and he drove in three runs. It was his eighth double of the season. No players had more than one hit. Rafael Valera scored two runs without recording a hit.
     
     
    Brandon Easton started and didn't allow an earned run. The only runs scored against him came after a fielding error by Ruar Verkerk. Zach Tillery was charged with his third loss after surrendering four runs on six hits in three innings. Eduardo Del Rosario pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts to end the game.
     
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mat Batts, Cedar Rapids Kernels
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Engelb Vielma, Cedar Rapids Kernels
    WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen)
    New Britain @ Richmond (6:05 CST) – TBD (Listen)
    Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Steven Gruver (Listen)
    Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - Stephen Gonsalves (Listen)
    Elizabethton- Scheduled Off Day
    GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD
  14. Cody Christie
    The big story of the night was star pitching prospect Kohl Stewart being pulled very early in his start by the Cedar Rapids training staff. His fastball usually sits in the mid-90s but he was topping out anywhere from 88-90 mph. The Twins have come out and said they removed him for precautionary reasons. With not many games left in the minor league season, it would be surprising to see Stewart on the mound again in 2014.
     
    With Stewart out of the game early, would the Kernels be able to continue their recent winning streak? Read on to find out.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 7, Buffalo 2
    Box Score
    Rochester was up six runs before Buffalo was able to crack onto the scoreboard. Pedro Florimon drove in three runs with a pair of doubles. Wilkin Ramirez hit his fourth home home run as part of a two-hit night. Chris Colabello hit his third home run in his last nine games and he leads the team with nine home runs.
     
    Tyler Duffy made his second career Triple-A start and he earned his second victory. In this game, he went six innings and allowed two earned runs as he struck out six. He has gone at least six innings in both outings. Lester Oliveros replaced Duffey and did well by striking out four in two innings. The last time he didn't strike out more than one batter in an appearance was all the way back on July 7th.
     
    With the win, the Red Wings stay two games back in the Wild Card race with 13 games remaining in the season.
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 3, Richmond 5 (Game 1-Completion from 8/18)
    Box Score
    In a game that was started on Monday night, the Rock Cats didn't have enough in the tank to mount a comeback. Virgil Vasquez has started before the rain got in the way. He didn't allow a run over two innings. Cole Johnson took over when the game resumed. He allowed four earned runs over three innings and was served his second loss. Adrian Salcedo did well to strike out five in three innings.
     
    On the offensive side of things, Levi Michael and Kyle Knudson both had two hits including a double each. Knudson drove in two runs and it was Michael's first double since being promoted. Tony Thomas knocked in a run with his ninth double of the season.
    New Britain 5, Richmond 0 (Game 2- 7 Innings)
    Box Score
    After having two hits in the first game of the night, Michael continued his hot hitting with three more hits in game two. Nate Hanson knocked in a run as part of a two hit game. Tony Thomas and Matt Koch both went 2-for-3 with a run scored to help the Rock Cats avoid the double header sweep.
     
    Jason Adam threw four shutout innings to start the game. He struck out two and walked one. Daniel Turpen earned his fourth victory by pitching 1.1 innings and striking out three. Edgar Ibarra got into a little trouble in the seventh inning as he couldn't protect the shutout. Three straight one-out singles scored a run but he was able to leave two runners on base and finish the game.
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 2
    Box Score
    The Miracle were out hit in this game but they squeaked across one more run to end up victorious. Aderlin Mejia got things started at the top of the line-up. He went 3-for-5, his second straight multi-hit game. Niko Goodrum and Travis Harrison both drove in a run to help the cause.
     
    Brett Lee joined teammate Matt Tomshaw in the double digit win club. Over seven innings, he gave up 11 hits but he was helped out by three double plays turned behind him. Nick Burdi made his second appearance with the Miracle and he struck out one in an inning. Zack Jones earned his first save by pitching a perfect ninth.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 3
    Box Score
    The Kernels had to scramble a little after starter Kohl Stewart was pulled early (see above). A big three-run eighth inning powered the club to their eighth straight victory. Mat Batts had to do some tremendous work out of the bullpen. He pitched five shutout innings by striking out six and walking none. It was his second victory of the season.
     
    Engelb Vielma and Tanner Vavra were hot at the back end of the Kernels line-up. They combined to go 7-for-8 in the game with three RBI and three runs scored. Vielma collected his first home run of the season and his first professional home run after being in the Twins organization since 2012. Chad Christensen went 3-for-5 with a double.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 7, Princeton 8
    Box Score
    Elizabethton took a one run lead into the ninth but Princeton would strike for a couple runs to take the lead. Dereck Rodriguez took the loss and the blown save but only one of the runs he gave up was earned. Third baseman Blake Schmit had two throwing errors in the ninth. Michael Cederoth started and gave up four earned runs over four innings. He struck out five and walked two. C.K. Irby struck out five in two innings of relief work.
     
    Tanner English and Alex Real both hit homers to pace the E-Twins offense. For Real, his home run was his first of the season and he smacked his fifth double. Austin Diemer went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Will Hurt had three hits for the first time this season.
    GCL TWINS TAKES
    GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 6
    Box Score
    The Twins scored five runs over the course of two innings but the Orioles came charging back with four runs in the next two frames. Rainis Silva had two doubles as part of a three hit day and he drove in three runs. It was his eighth double of the season. No players had more than one hit. Rafael Valera scored two runs without recording a hit.
     
     
    Brandon Easton started and didn't allow an earned run. The only runs scored against him came after a fielding error by Ruar Verkerk. Zach Tillery was charged with his third loss after surrendering four runs on six hits in three innings. Eduardo Del Rosario pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts to end the game.
     
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mat Batts, Cedar Rapids Kernels
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Engelb Vielma, Cedar Rapids Kernels
    WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen)
    New Britain @ Richmond (6:05 CST) – TBD (Listen)
    Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Steven Gruver (Listen)
    Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - Stephen Gonsalves (Listen)
    Elizabethton- Scheduled Off Day
    GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD
  15. Cody Christie
    A day after being part of a no-hitter that he started three weeks ago, Trevor May did something else that was a little strange; he pitched in relief for the Twins game. This was something he hadn't done since 2010 at the High-A level. After a rough big league debut, it was probably nice for May to get back on the mound and prove he belongs at the big league level.
     
    It was a strange day in the minor leagues. Two Twins' affiliates had weather interfere with their game and one team had to finish a game they started at the end of June. Let's see how things shook out after all of the weather issues.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 1 (3rd Inning- Suspended)
    Box Score
    These two teams couldn't get their game completed as rain interrupted things after two innings of play. A double-header is scheduled for tomorrow with the first game being a nine inning contest and the second game being a shortened seven inning game. Look for a full report on this game as part of tomorrow's minor league report at Twins Daily.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 2, Bowie 0
    Box Score
    For the first time since the beginning of July, Jason Wheeler was credited with a victory. He tossed 7.1 shutout innings by striking out five and walking none. He limited the Baysox to four hits with only two of the hits being for extra-bases. Ryan O'Rourke and Daniel Turpen collected the final five outs to keep the shutout intact. It was the second save for Turpen and the tenth hold for O'Rourke.
     
    Mike Gonzalez provided the big hit for the Rock Cats. He cranked his third home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the fourth inning. After two quick outs to start the inning, Tony Thomas singled. He advanced to second on a balk ahead of the Gonzalez home run. Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco both went 1-for-3 with each reaching base a second time with a walk.
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 8 (Game 1- 9 Innings)
    Box Score
    The post Byron Buxton era in Fort Myers didn't go as planned as the team would drop a pair of games. The first game was a resumed game that had been rained out in the top of the fifth with the Miracle leading 3-2.
     
    The team held the lead for most of the game before the bullpen allowed five runs over the last two frames. Tyler Jones was the man on the mound for all of the late inning damage. The five runs were scored on five hits including a home run. Tim Shibuya had started the game on June 26th and limited the Mets to two runs, one earned, on six hits in a little over four innings.
     
    Fort Myers used a balance offensive attack to build up their early lead. Six different players drove in a run. Anderlin Mejia and Niko Goodrum did a good job at the top of the order. They combined to go 4-for-9 with two doubles and three runs scored. Dalton Hicks added a double of his own and he came around to score a run.
     
    Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 5 (Game 2- 7 Innings)
    Box Score
    Aderlin Mejia kept his hot hitting going in the second game recording another two-hit performance. In his last six games he has four multi-hit games so he's in the middle of quite an offensive run. Tyler Grimes knocked in three with a home run as part of a two hit night. Jairo Rodriguez only had one hit but he scored two of the team's runs. Adam Brett Walker added his 88th RBI of the season.
     
    Ethan Mildren got knocked around for seven hits and he allowed six runs. Only four of the runs were earned following a couple of defensive miscues by Mejia and Bryan Haar. It was the first time in his last three starts that Mildren hadn't pitched six innings. Madison Boer struck out the side in the sixth and DJ Johnson pitched a perfect seventh.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 12, Beloit 5
    Box Score
    The Kernels used a small ball approach to rack up 12 runs in this game. Cedar Rapids didn't have an extra-base hit but they used a balance attack with every batter besides Ryan Walker, the lead-off man, getting at least one hit. Chad Christensen plated three runs including two of them with two outs in an inning. The bottom three men in the order (JD Williams, Engelb Vielma, and Tanner Vavra) all drove in two runs. The Kernels went 9-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
     
    Ryan Eades was able to coast to his second straight win and he hasn't been charged with a loss since July 20th. He scattered nine hits and allowed two earned runs for his eighth victory. Josue Montanez got into a little bit of trouble as he allowed three runs in an inning of work. Hudson Boyd limited the Snappers to two base runners over the last two frames.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton --, Bristol --
    Rain got in the way of this contest between the E-Twins and the Pirates. It was the second time in the tree game series that weather postponed due to rain. The game will be made-up as part of a double header on August 24th when the E-Twins return to Bristol.
     
    GCL TWINS TAKES
    GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 5
    Box Score
    The GCL Twins were only out hit 11 to 10 but the team struggled to get runners across the plate. Overall the team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and they left nine runners on base. Joel Polanco and Zack Larson each had a double as part of a two-hit day. Amaurys Minier reached base three different times but his teammates couldn't move him in to score.
     
    Zach Tillery took his second loss of the season after throwing three innings and allowing one earned run on four hits. He struck out two and walked one. Josh Burris relieved Tillery and four runs were scored against him but they were all unearned because of a couple defensive errors. Jhon Silva, Callan Pearce, and Miles Nordgren shut out the Rays offense the rest of the way.
     
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler, New Britain Rock Cats
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Aderlin Mejia, Fort Myers Miracle
    WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Durham @ Rochester (4:05 CST)- Completion of 8/12 Game
    Durham @ Rochester (30 minutes after Game 1) – Mark Hamburger (Listen)
    New Britain @ Trenton (6:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen)
    St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (4:05 CST) – TBA (Listen)
    St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (30 minutes after Game 1)- TBA
    Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) - Chih-Wei Hu (Listen)
    Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - John Curtiss
    GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD
     
    For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and toread his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com
  16. Cody Christie
    When a team could be heading for its fourth consecutive 90-loss season, the trade deadline can be a bit of a bummer. The Twins have had the opportunity to deal veteran players over the last couple of seasons but nothing has happened. Minnesota sticks with the players on their roster while not getting anything back for some of their expiring contracts.
     
    Earlier in the week, I took a look at some of the possible trade candidates on the current Twins roster. These players are all veterans and there's a good chance they won't be back with the club next season. The Twins aren't going to be in contention this year or even next year so it makes sense to deal assets while they are still under team control.
     
    There are a few players who likely won't be dealt over the next few days. Realistically the Twins should be listening to offers for any player in the Twins system with the exception of Byron Buxton. For now, the focus is on the major league side of the roster and these men will still be in a Twins uniform at the beginning of August.
     
    Joe Mauer- First Baseman
    Mauer's contract is huge and he can't play behind the plate anymore. These are two big red flags for other teams looking to make a trade. He doesn't fit the prototypical version of a first baseman as he doesn't hit for power. If the Twins wanted to move Mauer (that's a big if at this point), they would have to eat a big chunk of his salary. He also hasn't played a high level for a couple of seasons. His stock is low and his contract is high which means a trade is very unlikely.
     
    Brian Dozier- Second Baseman
    Dozier might seem like a young player but the 27-year old spent a lot of time working through the Twins minor league system. He won't even be arbitration eligible until 2016 which means he can't hit free agency until 2019. That's a long ways off and the Twins will have him at a very friendly price for a couple of more seasons. Since he is cost controlled, it makes sense to keep Dozier around. If another player in the system looks ready to take over second base, the Twins could make a deal but that likely isn't happening this season.
     
    Glen Perkins- Relief Pitcher
    Out of all the players currently on the roster, Perkins might have the highest trade value. Contending teams value relief pitching for the stretch run and Perkins is a high strikeout guy with closing experience. He also signed a team friendly deal that could keep him under contract through the 2018 season. At this point, it's hard to know how much the Twins will be in contention over the life of Perkins' contract. If the team wants to get the most value, it could be this year but the deal would have to be overwhelming. Perkins is staying in his home state.
     
    Trevor Plouffe- Third Baseman
    There probably isn't much of a market for a low average third baseman with some rough around the edges defensive skills. Plouffe is only a year older than Dozier but he has already reached his arbitration years because of his status as a Super 2 player. Even with this status, he can't become a free agent until 2018. He's not an outstanding player but it's important to have everyday regular players on the roster. It will be interesting to see where his salary goes in the coming years. The Twins will keep him for now but he will become more expensive in the next couple years.
     
    You can read more from Cody at his blog http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com or by following him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan.
  17. Cody Christie
    The Florida State League announced that Byron Buxton was that league's player of the week. In games played from July 14-20 and he went 10-for-20 at the plate with one triple, two home runs, four runs batted in and scored six runs. Buxton is currently listed as day-to-day after being hit on the wrist by a pitch. He is expected to be back in the line-up by the end of this week.
     
    There were a few different roster moves made throughout the system on Tuesday. Yohan Pino was recalled by the Twins to make the start at Target Field. To make room for him, the team sent Monday's starter Kris Johnson back to Rochester. Relief pitcher Alex Muren was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Fort Myers. Over 29 appearances, he had a 2.89 ERA with 44 strikeouts and eight walks.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 4, Durham 0
    Box Score
    While making a spot start for only the fourth time this season, Mark Hamburger was dominant over seven shutout innings. He struck out a career high nine batters, walked none, and limited the strong Bulls roster to four singles. It was the first time a Wings pitcher tossed at least seven shutout innings since the middle of June. Ryan Pressly finished the final two innings of the shutout by striking out four and only allowing two base runners.
     
    Josmil Pinto led the offensive charge with a two hit night including his fifth double and his eighth RBI. Deibinson Romero helped spark the first run of the game with his International League leading 29th double. Nate Hanson and James Beresford joined the doubles party with one two-bagger each.
    It was the first road shutout for Rochester since August 11th of last season. Tuesday's have also been very good to the Red Wings. They have a 10-3 record on Tuesday and they haven't lost on Tuesday since May 27th. The team's four doubles tonight give them an International League best 220 on the season.
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 9, Altoona 10
    Box Score
    The Rock Cats offense was hot at the beginning of the game combining for nine runs in the first three frames. Altoona got out to a hot start too with a five run first and they capped off their scoring with two ninth inning runs to take back the lead.
     
    Virgil Vasquez had a rough day on the mound. He allowed 13 hits and eight runs over four innings. Matthew Summers coughed up the lead after a trio of Rock Cats relievers combined to shut down the Curve offense for four frames. It was the second blown save for Summers and dropped his record to 2-4.
     
    Eddie Rosario cracked two home runs and a double. He knocked in four runs and scored three runs to cap quite the offensive night. Brandon Waring and Brad Boyer joined the hit parade with two hits apiece. Mike Kvasnicka only had one hit but he knocked in two runs.
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 7, Brevard County 6 (12 Innings)
    Box Score
    The Miracle had to use multiple comebacks to stay in this game. Fort Myers was shutout until the eighth inning but they team combined for four runs in the last two frames to push this one into extras. The Manatees scored two in the top of the 11th inning and the Miracle had to answer back to push this one further into the night.
     
    Ethan Mildren started this contest but he would be long gone before a decision was made. He lasted six innings and allowed four runs while striking out five. It was the first time he had gone six innings since being called up from Cedar Rapids. Madison Boer gave up the two runs in the eleventh but the team bailed him out.
    Tyler Grimes did it all in this game as his fourth hit of the night turned out to be the walk-off hit. He also had two doubles, two runs batted in, and two runs scored. He also had two outfield assists as he threw out a runner at second and at third. Jorge Polanco hit his 18th double of the season as part of a two hit night. Mike Gonzalez reached base four times including two walks and a double.
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids had a scheduled off day after taking a 10 hour bus ride to Kentucky. The Kernels start a series with Bowling Green on Wednesday as the start of a six game road swing. Former first round pick Kohl Stewart is the scheduled starter tomorrow.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 2, Bluefield 7
    Box Score
    The E-Twins almost matched the Blue Jays in hits on this night but the big hits weren't there. Even though the club combined for nine hits, none of them were for extra-bases. The team went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and they combined to leave nine runners on base.
     
    A trio of players including Jeremias Pineda, Trey Vavra, and Pat Kelly all went 2-for-4. Pineda stole his ninth base of the season but he also was caught stealing for the fourth time. Nick Gordon was held hitless for only the third time in the last ten games. He also had his fifth error of the year at shortstop.
     
    Sam Gibbons started for Elizabethton and he went five frames while giving up four runs on seven hits. He struck out one and walked two. It was the fewest amount of strikeouts he's had all season after averaging over 6.5 per game coming into this start.
     
    GCL TWINS TAKES
    GCL Twins 0, GCL Rays 3 (Suspended- Rain)
    Box Score
    This game was suspended by rain in the third inning. The two squads will complete this game tomorrow unless weather gets in the way for a second day in a row. Look for a full report on this game in Wednesday's Minor League Report at Twins Daily.
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mark Hamburger, Rochester Red Wings
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Eddie Rosario, New Britain Rock Cats
    WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester @ Durham (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen)
    Altoona @ New Britain (11:05am CST) – Pat Dean (Listen)
    Brevard County @ Ft. Myers (10:35am CST) – Brett Lee (Listen)
    Cedar Rapids @ Bowling Green (7:05 CST) - Kohl Stewart (Listen)
    Elizabethton @ Bluefield (6:05 CST) - Matt Batts
    GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD
    GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (Completion of Tuesday's game)
     
    You can follow me on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and check out my writing at NoDakTwinsFan.com
  18. Cody Christie
    The festivities are underway in the Twin Cities as Minnesota plays host to the MLB All-Star Game. The major league players still had games to play on Sunday but the some of the best and brightest minor league players were on hand to strut their stuff.
    Twins pitching prospect Jose Berrios got the start for the World squad and Kennys Vargas was in the middle of the batting order to back him up. Berrios struck out the first batter he faced on a high fastball and both of the other batters flied out. Vargas played the entire game and he collected a double in four plate appearances. He also made a nice leaping catch at first and a couple of nice scoops.
     
    Alex Meyer pitched the fifth inning for the US and earned a hold. The first two batters made decent contact against him but luckily one of those hits was right at a fielder. Meyer got a double play to end the inning and he only needed four pitches to get his job done.
     
    While these three players were busy with a big event, their teams were busy still trying to win games. Here's a look at how their teams did on Sunday.
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester --, Scranton/Wilkes Barre -- (Postponed)
    Rain put a damper on what was supposed to be the unofficial end of the first half for the Rochester Red Wings. Trevor May was scheduled to make his first start since coming off of the DL but that will have to wait another day. Rochester had also ended a four game losing streak on Saturday so it would have been nice to keep the momentum going in the right direction.
     
    The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, August 23. Game one is scheduled for a 3:35 pm CST and both games will be seven innings long.
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 4, Reading 6
    Box Score
    New Britain staked themselves to an early two run lead but Reading connected on four home runs as part of a 12-hit barrage to win the game. Jason Wheeler started for the Rock Cats. He went five innings and allowed five earned runs on 10 hits including three of the above mentioned four home runs. It was his third loss in five starts since being moved up from Fort Myers.
     
    Daniel Turpen relived Wheeler and pitched two innings. He gave up one hit but it happened to be a home run. Mason Melotakis pitched the last two frames and he kept the ball in the park. Over two shut-out frames he allowed one hit and struck out two.
     
    Reynaldo Rodriguez collected two hits including his 30th double of the season. It was the third time in his last ten games that he has collected multiple hits. Eddie Rosario had a double and scored a run. Lance Ray also collected his second double in only eight games since getting promoted.
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 3, Dunedin 1 (Game 1- 7 innings)
    Box Score
    DJ Baxendale put together his best outing of the year for the Miracle as he tossed a complete game. He scattered five hits over seven innings and struck out two. Baxendale induced three double plays and recorded 12 outs on ground balls. He hadn't made it through more than six innings in any other start.
     
    Nate Roberts and Stuart Turner both knocked two hits and Roberts' triple was the lone extra-base hit. Byron Buxton went 1-for-2 with a run scored and his second stolen base of the season. His infield single was his first hit since coming off of the disabled list at the beginning of last week.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 8, Dunedin 4 (Game 2- 7 innings)
    Box Score
    In the second game of the doubleheader, the Miracle beat up on a familiar name, Dunedin starter Frank Viola Jr. He only lasted 2.1 innings and was charged with six earned runs as the Miracle pelted him with seven hits. Four Miracle hitters had at least two hits. Anderlin Mejia led the way going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Adam Brett Walker had a couple of big hits as he knocked in two and hit his ninth double.
     
    Fort Myers patched together pitchers for the second half of the doubleheader. BJ Hermsen collected the win after tossing a scoreless second inning. Todd Van Steensel made his Miracle debut at Hammond Stadium and lasted 1.1 scoreless frames. Madison Boer shut the door by recording the last five outs without allowing a hit.
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 7, Clinton 4 (Rain Shortened- 6 innings)
    Box Score
    One giant inning is all that it took for Cedar Rapids to earn the win. In the top of the sixth inning, the Kernels scored seven runs without recording an extra-base hit. Cedar Rapids has now won four games in a row including another rain shortened game on Saturday.
    In that big sixth inning, the Kernels sent 11 men to the plate. The team recorded five singles and took advantage of one defensive error. The first four hitters all reached base. It matched the largest run-scoring inning for the Kernels on the season. Four Cedar Rapids hitters (Logan Wade, Chad Christensen, Jason Kanzler, and Alex Smith) had two hits. Swim hit the only Kernels extra-base hit, a double.
     
    Lewis Thorpe pitched the first four innings by allowing three earned runs on four hits. He struck out five and didn't walk anyone. Brandon Bixler earned his sixth victory of the season with all of them coming out of the bullpen. He allowed one run over two innings with a strikeout. Hudson Boyd earned the save since he was on the mound when the game was called.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 10, Danville 6
    Box Score
    The E-Twins brought a consistent offensive approach to pound out 10 runs on 16 hits. Max Murphy reached base four times and scored three runs. He also hit his sixth home run of the season in the ninth inning. Tyler Kuresa went 2-for-4 with a home run. All of the hitters in the batting order from first to seventh had a minimum of two hits with the exception being Nick Gordon (1-for-6 with a run scored).
     
    Michael Cederoth was credited with his second professional victory in as many appearances. He allowed three runs over five innings with four strikeouts and two walks. CK Irby got hit around a little in his second inning of work. He gave up two runs on four hits but it wasn't enough to get Danville back into the game.
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – DJ Baxendale, Fort Myers Miracle
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Elizabethton Twins
     
    MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester- Scheduled Off Day
    Reading @ New Britain (11:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen)
    Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – TBD (Listen)
    Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) - Ryan Eades (Listen)
    Elizabethton @ Danville (6:00 CST)- Stephen Gonsalves
    GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00am CST) – TBD
  19. Cody Christie
    Welcome to July!
     
    Minnesota's offense busted out the fireworks a couple days early with a big performance against the Royals. The biggest news of the night might have been Joe Mauer being pulled from the game with what is being called an oblique strain. Mauer told reporters after the game that he has been dealing with a sore oblique for about a week and it doesn't feel good. This is bad news especially since Mauer's bat had seemed to be warming up in recent weeks.
     
    The Twins offense wasn't the only one to explode on Tuesday. Let's look around the minor leagues to see who's hot and who's not.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 15, Norfolk 11
    Box Score
    Rochester went on a scoring rampage of their own pounding out 15 runs on 19 hits. Chris Colabello cranked out two home runs and Wilkin Ramirez collected five hits to help the offensive charge. Chris Herrmann went 2-for-4 with a home run and he now has a season-high six game hitting streak. Eric Farris has a seven game hitting streak of his own and he leads the team with 29 multi-hit games.
     
    On the mound, Kris Johnson did just enough to pick up his seventh win of the season. He last five innings and gave up four runs on six hits. Edgar Ibarra saw his 15.1 inning scoreless streak come to an end in a big way. In relief of Johnson, he was charged with five earned runs on only three hits. Aaron Thompson did well to stop some of the bleeding at the end of the game by tossing two shutout innings.
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 9, Binghamton 6
    Box Score
    New Britain rode a five-run first inning to an early lead and the team was able to hold back the charging Mets. Eddie Rosario and Mike Kvasnicka each hit a home run to help the cause. Rosario reached base in three at-bats and scored two runs. Aaron Hicks showed some positive signs by going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Reynaldo Rodriguez has been a doubles machine this year as he hit his 24th double in this game.
     
    Jason Wheeler picked up his second win in three starts since being promoted from Fort Myers. He went six frames and was charged with three earned runs. He struck out five and he has yet to allow more than three runs in any of his Double-A action. Mark Hamburger struck out five batters in only two innings of relief work but it took him 45 pitches to get through those innings.
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 5
    Box Score
    The Miracle rallied for two runs in the ninth inning and three runs over the last three frames but it still wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit. Lance Ray got the scoring started early with a first inning home run. After that the Fort Myers offense went cold until the late innings. At one point 16 Miracle batters were retired in a row.
     
    Alex Wimmers was strong in relief as he threw five scoreless frames before giving up two runs in his sixth inning of work. BJ Hermsen took the loss after surrendering three runs on five hits over two innings. There was a lengthy weather delay after the second inning which caused Hermsen to be pulled early.
     
    Travis Harrison and Max Kepler each had a double, the 21st for Harrison and the 8th for Kepler. Jorge Polanco went 0-for-4 in his second game back after his brief taste of the big leagues.
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 0, Wisconsin 1 (12 innings)
    Box Score
    It turned into a long evening in Wisconsin as the Kernels and the Timber Rattlers decided nine innings wasn't enough to decide this game. In fact, it took 12 innings and the game almost lasted until after midnight in the Central Timezone. After all of those innings and all of that time, the Kernels found themselves on the short end of the stick.
     
    Cedar Rapids had a grand total of four hits over 12 frames. Two of those hits came off of the bat of Jason Kanzler. Bryan Haar and Zack Granite also added singles. The team went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and they left seven runners on base. They also couldn't capitalize on three defensive errors committed by Wisconsin.
     
    Aaron Slegers started the game but he would long gone before a decision was made in this one. He last five innings and limited the Timber Rattlers to two hits. Brandon Bixler and Dallas Gallant kept the shutout going by combining for four scoreless frames. Jared Wilson took the loss as he gave up a walk, a sac-bunt, and then the game winning hit.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 4, Johnson City 8
    Box Score
    After ending the month of June on a three-game winning streak, the E-Twins saw that streak come to a screeching halt. The team was only able to muster up four hits including a 2-for-3 night from Dutch Doel. Nick Gordan went 1-for-5 including his third stolen base. He also committed his second error of the season on a throw. The team left seven runners on base.
     
    Stephen Gonsalves scattered seven hits and limited the Cardinals to four runs. Cameron Booser kept Elizabethon in the game by pitching three shut-out innings with two strikeouts. Randy LeBlanc took the loss as he gave up three run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
     
    GCL TWINS TAKES
    GCL Twins 7, GCL Rays 8
    Box Score
    There wasn't a lot of solid pitching in this match-up as the teams combined for 29 hits and 15 runs. The Twins held multiple leads in this game but costly error meant three late unearned runs. Alexis Tapia tossed four innings of two-run ball to start the game but he didn't figure into the decision. Miles Nordgren took the loss but he didn't give up an earned run after Rainis Silva had a fielding error at first.
     
    Manuel Guzman and Amaurys Minier each had three hits and they combined to go six-for-nine in the game. Minier is batting .407/.500/.630 in eight games this season with four extra-base hits. The lone extra-base hit for the Twins came off the bat of Jack Barrie, his firs double of the year. The club went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position and that was the difference in the game.

    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler, New Britain Rock Cats
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chris Colabello, Rochester Red Wings
    WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester@ Pawtucket (5:15 CST) – Sean Gilmartin (Listen)
    Binghamton@ New Britain (6:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen)
    Ft. Myers@ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Tim Shibuya (Listen)
    CedarRapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) - Lewis Thorpe (Listen)
    Elizabethton-Scheduled Off Day
    GCL Rays @GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD
  20. Cody Christie
    On Tuesday afternoon, the rosters for the MLB Future's game were announced and it included two Twins players, Jose Berrios and Kennys Vargas. Word came out on Wednesday that Rochester Red Wings starter Trevor May would be added to US roster to replace Cardinals LHP Marco Gonzalez who made his big league debut.
     
    May is in the middle of a breakout season at Triple-A. Since the beginning of May, he's gone 7-3 with a 2.35 ERA over 10 starts. This could set up a situation similar to last year when the Mets had prospects as the starting pitchers for both the US and the World team.May could start for the US and Berrios could start for the World squad.
     
    Enough about the Futures Game, let's dive down on the pond.
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester --, Scranton/WB -- (Postponed)
    The game between the Red Wings and the RailRiders was rained out on Wednesday night. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday, July 10. First pitch is scheduled to be at 4:35 CST and both games are scheduled to be seven innings.
     
    Earlier in the day, Rochester made a roster move by adding RHP Lester Oliveros from New Britain. To make room for him on the roster, the team sent RHP Mark Hamburger to Double-A.
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 3, Altoona 1
    Box Score
    The Rock Cats rode a hot start from Taylor Rogers to win the rubber game of a three-game set with the Altoona Curve.Rogers tossed eight frames by allowing one on six hits. He struck out a career high 11 batters and improved to 7-4 on the season. He hasn't lost a game since June 3rd and he is 6-1 over his last ten outings. Matthew Summers earned his first save of the year by pitching a perfect ninth.
     
    Earlier in the day, the Twins reinstated Aaron Hicks from the disabled list and optioned him to New Britain. He lead-off for the Rock Cats but went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Nate Hanson was the lone batter with multiple hits as he went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Brandon Waring had a big two-out RBI double that turned out to be the difference in the game.Reynaldo Rodriguez added his 21st double of the season.
     
    New Britain starts a five-game weekend series in New Hampshire on Thursday including a make-up game from April 15th.
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 8, St. Lucie 6
    Box Score
    The Miracle put themselves in an early 6-0 hole before the team even had a chance to bat. B.J. Hermsen was pelted for six runs on six hits in the first inning. After the rough start, he didn't allow another run and he made it through four innings. Alex Wimmers picked up the victory out of the bullpen with four shutout innings of work. He struck out four and limited the Mets to two hits.
     
    Fort Myers responded to St. Lucie big first inning with a strong inning of their own. The Miracle sent 11 men to bat and plated five runs in the frame. Even a 20 minute delay due to a lightning strike in the area couldn't stop the runs from being scored in the first. With the delay, the first inning took over an hour to complete and featured 21 hitters, 11 runs, nine hits, six walks, three different pitchers, and an error.
     
    Lance Ray's first home run of the season was a big one as he put the Miracle on top in the late innings. Nate Roberts went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Niko Goodrum scored two runs and stole his 14th base of the season but his first inning error added to an already bad frame.
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    CedarRapids 1, Peoria 2
    Box Score
    Kohl Stewart continues to impress on the mound but the Kernels are having a tough time backing up some of his stronger outings. He went five innings in this game and gave up two runs on six hits. Over his last ten starts, he has a 2.29 ERA and he has allowed more than two earned runs in only one of those outings. Unfortunately for him, the offense hasn't been there and he hasn't won a game since April 25th.
     
    The Kernels went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position as the team left six men on base. J.D. Williams went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. His doubles were the only extra-base hits for the Kernels. Bryan Haar collected two hits. It was a rough night at the plate for Jason Kanzler as he struck out four times.
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 8, Burlington 0
    Box Score
    Nick Gordon cracked his first professional home run to help the Elizabethton to their fourth win of the season. His three-run shot was part of a two hit night where he also scored two runs. Max Murphy also helped the cause with a two hits including his first home run of the young season. Tyler Kuresa had a double and an RBI.
     
    In his second start of the season,Stephen Gonsalves was very sharp to pick up his first victory. He struck out nine batters in six shutout innings. Keaton Steele earned a hold after pitching two innings and limiting Burlington to one base runner. Jake Reed closed out the shut out by striking out the side in the ninth.
    GCL TWINS TAKES
    GCL Twins 9, GCL Orioles 7
    Box Score
    The GCL Orioles outhit the GCL Twins sixto 14 but the Orioles pitching staff allowed nine walks. The Twins were timely with their hits and four of the six hits were for extra-bases. It was the second straight day with a win for the Twins after losing their first three contests of the year.
     
    Four different pitchers helped the Twins to come out victorious. Josh Guyer started the game and tossed 3.1 innings by allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked one. Alexis Tapia earned his first victory as he gave up two runs over 2.2 frames. Trevor Hildenberger struck out three batters in his two innings of work.
     
    Nelson Molina was in the middle of most of the offensive action. He went 2-for-3 with two triples, two runs scored, and four RBI. Rafael Valera only collected one hit but he knocked in a couple runs and drew two walks. Dubal Baez and Jarrad Poteete both hit their third double of the season.
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Taylor Rogers, New Britain Rock Cats
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Elizabethton Twins
    THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester@ Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) – Trevor May (Listen)
    NewBritain @ New Hampshire (6:05 CST) – Jason Wheeler (Listen)
    St. Lucie@ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Tim Shibuya (Listen)
    CedarRapids @ Peoria (7:00 CST) - Aaron Slegers (Listen)
    Elizabethton@ Burlington (6:00 CST) – Sam Gibbons (Listen)
    GCLOrioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD
  21. Cody Christie
    Baseball lost another great on Monday morning. Hall of Fame hitter Tony Gwynn passed away at the age of 54. He lost his battle after he had been dealing with cancer issues for some time. Gwynn said that he believed the cancer was attributed to his chewing tobacco habit during his playing days.
     
    Fans across Twins Territory can feel the pain that Padres fans are dealing after today's announcement. Former Twins great and Hall of Fame inductee Kirby Puckett also passed away at an early age. It can be tough for a franchise to lose the player most associated with the success of the franchise.
     
    Gwynn never had a heroic World Series moment like Puckett but there were still connections between these star players.
     

    Both players were born in 1960. Gwynn was born in Los Angeles, CA and Puckett was born in Chicago, IL.
    Gwynn debuted in 1982 at age 22. Puckett wouldn't debut until 1984 at the age of 24.
    Puckett would make every All-Star Game from 1986 to 1995. Gwynn was on the NL squad for every one of those games except for 1988.
    Puckett led the AL in hits in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1992. Gwynn led the NL in hits in 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, and 1997.
    Puckett won his lone batting title in 1989 when he hit .339. Gwynn won the NL crown that same year with a .336 batting average.
    Gywnn collected his 2,000 career hit in August 1993. Puckett wouldn't be far behind as he got his 2,000th in April of the next season.
    Both men finished their careers with a batting average of over .300 (Puckett at .318, Gwynn at .338)
    Gwynn led the NL in WAR once in 1987. Puckett led the AL in WAR once in 1992.
    Puckett won Gold Gloves in 1986-1989 and 1991-1992. Gwynn won Gold Gloves in 1986-1987 and 1990-1991.
    Gwynn won seven Silver Slugger awards and Puckett had six Silver Slugger awards to his credit
    Both elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame with over 80% of the vote. Puckett got 82.1% and Gwynn received 97.6% of the vote.

     
    Both of these players were great hitting outfielders during the same time period, one in the National League and one in the American League. They helped make their organizations better.
     
    Overall, both players were taken too soon.
  22. Cody Christie
    With the number five pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, the Minnesota Twins selected Nick Gordon, a high school shortstop from Florida. This is the pick most people expected the Twins to make especially with word coming out that the team's top brass had seen him in person more than any other draft prospect. To read more about Gordon, check out his Twins Daily pre-draft profile.
     
    Leading up to the Twins fifth pick, the Houston Astros had the first overall pick for the third straight season. Houston took high school left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken. He had emerged as the favorite for the first overall pick and he was the third high school left-hander to be selected first overall.

    For more from Cody Christie, check out NoDakTwinsFan.com

     
    They were followed by the Marlins who were happy to have flame-throwing Tyler Kolek still on the board. The next two picks were centered on the Windy City. The White Sox decided they needed to add more pitching and they took Carlos Rodon. No one was quite sure what the Cubs were going to do. They were a wild card and they went off the board to pick Kyle Schwarber.
     
    This left the Twins to get the guy they wanted all along for the third season in a row.
     
    On last week's episode of the Talk to Contact podcast, we interviewed MLBpipleline.com's Jim Callis about many of the top prospects in this year's draft including Nick Gordon. Check out the podcast and feel free to discuss the Twins selection in the comments below.
  23. Cody Christie
    It's hard to believe the middle of the minor league season is fast approaching. This will mean the announcement of the mid-season All-Star Team rosters over the next few weeks. On Tuesday the Florida State League announced their teams and the Miracle have four players on the roster.
     
    Pitchers Jose Berrios, David Hurlbut and Brett Lee will be joined by outfielder Adam Brett Walker on the FSL South Division Team. Berrios, Hurlbut, and Lee have all been fantastic pitchers with each posting an ERA of under 2.40. Walker is the only position player in the group but he leads the FSL in home runs.
     
    In transaction news, Daniel Ortiz has been called up to Rochester from New Britain. You will have to read on to see how he did in his Triple-A debut.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 5, Charlotte 2
    Box Score
    Rochester wanted to get their nine-game road trip started off on the right foot and it took a come from behind victory. The Wings found themselves trailing 2-1 in the top of the sixth before Deibinson Romero cracked a game-tying home run. He would also knock in the go-ahead RBI in the 8th inning as part of a three-run frame for Rochester. Eric Farris and James Beresford each had a couple hits including a double apiece. Daniel Ortiz went 0-for-4 after being called-up.
     
    AJ Achter earned his second victory after the team received a strong start from Logan Darnell. He allowed two runs on five hits over 6.1 innings. Over his last 16 starts with Rochester, he has allowed three runs or fewer. Achter entered the game with a runner at second and one out but he got out of the jam to keep the game tied. He has stranded all 12 runners he has inherited this season. Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.
     
    The Wings have been hot lately winning 16 of their last 21 including four of their last five on the road. Rochester hasn't lost two straight contests since all the way back on May 12.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 3, Akron 5
    Box Score
    New Britain found themselves in an early hole and it took too long for their offense to get up and running in this one. Taylor Rogers pitched seven innings but he surrendered five runs on eight hits to suffer his fourth loss of the season. It was the first time he has been charged with a loss since his second start of the season on April 18th. Cole Johnson and Matthew Summers didn't allow a baserunner over the final two frames but it wasn't enough.
     
    Tony Thomas had a double and a run scored as part of a two-hit night. Reynaldo Rodriguez also had a double, his 16th of the season. The offense didn't record a hit until the fourth inning and the team was 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Overall, the team left five men on base.
     
    The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Rochester. Coming into the night, the club had won five of their last six games.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 8, Tampa 0
    Box Score
    Miracle pitcher Jason Wheeler improved his record to 5-4 by throwing seven shutout innings. His ERA is down to 2.59 as he struck out five and walked two. It was his the third consecutive victory and he hasn't allowed a run over his last 16.2 innings of work. Mason Melotakis completed the shutout by pitching the last two frames without allowing a hit.
     
    The top of the order did all of the damage on the offensive side of the ball. The first four batters in the Miracle line-up all had multiple hit nights including three hit performances from Stephen Wickens and Adam Brett Walker. Eddie Rosario scored two runs and Jorge Polanco reached base in all five plate appearances. He finished 2-for-2 with a double, three runs scored, and three walks.
     
    With a St. Lucie loss to Dayton, the Miracle now have a 1.5 game lead in the Florida State League South Division with 12 games remaining in the first half.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids (Scheduled Off Day)
     
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Jason Wheeler, Fort Myers Miracle
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Deibinson Romero, Rochester Red Wings
     
    SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester @ Charlotte (5:05 CST)- Kris Johnson (Listen)
    Rochester @ Charlotte (Game 2)- Scott Diamond
    Akron @ New Britain (5:35 CST)- Tyler Duffey (Listen)
    Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:05 CST)- DJ Baxendale (Listen)
    Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST)- Aaron Slegers (Listen)
  24. Cody Christie
    With the Houston Astros having the number one overall pick for the third year in a row, there can be some question about who will be selected first overall. Two years ago it looked like Mark Appel would be a lock for the first pick. The Astros saved a little money by taking Carlos Correa and this looks like a great decision. Correa is blossoming into one of the best position players in the minors and Appel ended up in an Astros uniform in last year's draft.
     
    Will Houston go with an expected player at the top of the draft or will they surprise the baseball world for the second time in three years?
     
    Who is this guy?
    Rodon attended high school in North Carolina and was drafted in the 16th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The appeal of playing of staying in his home state to pitch for North Carolina State was too much and he made the decision not to sign with the Brewers.
     
    Entering the 2014 spring season, Rodon was considered by many to be the clear-cut number one pick in the draft. He burst onto the scene as a freshman at NC State. In 2012, he posted a 9-0 record with a 1.57 ERA over 16 starts. He struck out 135 and walked 41 in 114.2 innings. His sophomore campaign was also very good as he compiled a 2.99 ERA and struck out 184 in 132.1 innings.
     
    There have been some concerns about how he's been used during his junior season and this could cause him to fall in the draft. He's only thrown 98.2 innings and he has a 2.01 ERA but there have been some long outings. During one three game stretch, he was averaging 126 pitches per start. With Tommy John surgery seeming like a big league epidemic, teams will be cautious when it comes to his workload. Jeff Hoffman and Erick Fedde, two possible top 10 draft picks, have already had Tommy John surgery.
     
    Rodon's stock might not be as high as it was coming into the spring season but he should still be one of the first couple names called by Bud Selig on draft night.
     
    Why the Twins will pick him?
    Starting pitching is one of the weaknesses for the Twins and many of their top pitching prospects are multiple years away from the big leagues. Rondon's college experience could make him a fast mover in the organization and this could allow him to be an impact player in the next couple of years. A possible rotation with Alex Meyer, Kohl Stewart, and Carlos Rodon is the stuff dreams are made of for Twins fans.
     
    While some of the prep arms would take awhile to develop, Rodon is already a proven pitcher who could likely make an impact at the big league level sooner rather than later. If Rodon were to make it to the Twins with the fifth pick and he is healthy, there is no reason to think the team wouldn't take him.
     
    Why the Twins won't pick him?
    Realistically, there doesn't seem like a scenario where Rodon would drop to the Twins especially with the injuries to other potential top pitching prospects. He's not going to be on the board at number five.
     
    Scott Boras is an advisor to Rodon and that could scare away some teams if he drops in the draft. Last year's top pick Mark Appel, another Boras client, was supposed to be the top pick in the 2012 draft but he fell to ninth and he didn't sign with the Pirates. That sounds like a headache the Twins would like to avoid even though they have shown a tendency to pay the full slotted amount for their top picks.
     
    Also, the Twins haven't used their first overall pick on a college pitcher since 2009-2010 when they selected Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers in back-to-back drafts. Gibson has found some big league success but both players underwent Tommy John surgery in the minors. Rodon's high workload in college might scare away the front office.
  25. Cody Christie
    Phil Hughes signed during the off-season to help remedy some of Minnesota's starting pitching woes over the last two seasons. Hughes was coming off a rough final season in New York where he posted an ERA over 5.00 and his WHIP topped out at 1.46. Hughes was charged with a career high 14 losses and he probably couldn't get out of town fast enough.
     
    "Walks Will Haunt" was the message played to taunt opposing pitchers inside the Metrodome. Apparently, Hughes has taken that message to heart as he has been living out that mantra over the last month.
     
    When Hughes takes the mound on Tuesday evening, he is in the midst of quite the impressive streak. He hasn't walked a batter in 147 consecutive batters, a career-best stretch. It has been more than a month since he last walked a batter on April 20 at Kansas City. It is the longest such streak for the Twins since Carlos Silva went 155 batters between walks in 2005.
     
    Since Hughes isn't walking batters, it's easy to assume that he is throwing more strikes. Last season he averaged 67% of his pitches being strikes and that was close to his career mark of 66%. Since joining the Twins, he has been much more efficient with his pitches. In 2014 over nine starts, he is averaging almost 73% of his pitches being strikes.
     
    While Hughes has been in the strike zone more frequently, he has been able to coax more swinging strikes than in previous seasons. In 2013, Hughes got opponents swung at pitches outside of the zone 29.7% of the time. That was very close to his career mark of 30.3%. So far this season, opponents have show more of a willingness to chase pitches out of the zone as opponents have swung at 37.8% of pitches outside of the zone.
     
    Besides swinging at pitches out of the strike zone, opponents have also shown a tendency to swing at more pitches overall. For his career Hughes gets opponents to swing 48.7% of the time and he posted a 48.9% swing percentage a year ago. Because of his ability to get more swings outside of the zone, Hughes is up to a 56.2% swing percentage in 2014.
     
    Hughes has always been known as a fly ball pitcher and that's easy to see from his heat maps from 2013. He gave up 24 home runs last season, 13 to left-handed hitters and 11 to right-handed batters. His heat maps show a change for 2014. He is doing a better job of keeping the ball out of the middle of the zone versus righties. Hughes approach versus lefties seems to be similar but he is tending to stay up in the zone.
     
    Some questioned whether the Twins should give Hughes a three-year deal especially after his recent track record in New York. At this early stage of the contract, things seem to be working out in the Twins favor. Hughes will eventually walk a batter because that's how baseball works.
     
    Let's hope that walk doesn't haunt him...
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