Cody Christie

Minnesota's search for a new president of baseball operations might be getting closer to completion. Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports the Twins front-office interviews could stop at five candidates. The list includes one internal option and four options with various roles throughout baseball. As recently as last week, there were reports that "multiple GM types have rebuffed" the Twins interest. There are plenty of issues within the offices of 1 Twins Way and it is going to take some time to rebuild the team's infrastructure. With a young core that includes the likes of Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton, there are pieces to build around. Minnesota also looks to be headed toward the number one overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. This would be another cornerstone piece and an attractive incentive for a potential hire. So who are the candidates and what should fans know about their credentials?Rob Antony Current Position: Interim GM, Minnesota Twins Antony is the only internal candidate who will be granted a formal interview for the Twins' president of baseball operations role. His interview has already been conducted and he has served as the team's general manager since Terry Ryan was fired two weeks before the trade deadline. Antony was able to make a handful of deals at the deadline including dumping the contract of Ricky Nolasco. Even with this moves, it seems like the Twins are destined to look outside the organization for some new ideas and a new direction. Antony has been with the Twins since being hired as a public relations intern in 1987. Jason McLeod Current Position: Senior VP of Player Development , Chicago Cubs Earlier this week, Buster Olney reported that McLeod "has done well in the Twins' interview process." He went on to say he is "well-regarded" and "well-positioned" in Minnesota discussions. In the days following Ryan's firing, I said the Twins should focus their attention on McLeod because of his connections to Theo Epstein. Epstein is widely regarded as the top front office mind in the game. McLeod has worked with Epstein since the beginning and he has been rumored to be a candidate for multiple jobs through the years. Some of his player development successes include Dustin Pedroia, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo. He's also done a good job of finding undervalued pitchers like last year's NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta. J.J. Picollo Current Position: VP/Assistant GM-Player Personnel, Kansas City Royals The Royals have been one of the darlings of the baseball world over the last two seasons. The Twins have gotten a first-hand look as the Royals rolled through the AL Central in 2014 and 2015 on the way to back-to-back AL pennants. He has worked with the Royals since 2006 and has held the titles of Director of Player Development and Assistant GM- Scouting and Player Development. Before coming to Kansas City, Picollo worked as an Area Scouting Supervisor in the Braves organization. He worked for Atlanta from 1999-2005 with his highest title being Director of Minor League Operations. As recently as last off-season, he was a finalist for Philadelphia's GM opening. Chaim Bloom Current Position: VP of Baseball Operations, Tampa Bay Rays After graduation from Yale University in 2004, Bloom was hired by Tampa Bay as an intern. He has moved quickly through their ranks from assistant in baseball operations to assistant director of minor league operations in 2008. Other positions he has held include director of baseball operations and vice president of baseball operations. According to the Rays, his current duties include overseeing "all aspects of the baseball operations department, including the Rays international scouting efforts and both domestic and international player development." He also assists the Rays president of baseball operations with many of the day-to-day aspects of running the baseball operations side of their club. This could be vital with the Twins looking to create a new position in their organization. Derek Falvey Current Position: Assistant GM , Cleveland Indians At 32-years old, Falvey was promoted to Cleveland's assistant general manager last October. He is in his ninth year in the Indian's organization. Before the move to his current position, Falvey spent four years as the Indian's director of baseball operations. He started his baseball career as an intern with the Indians in 2007 before moving to the role of Assistant, Scouting Operations. Yahoo's Jeff Passan labeled Falvey as "emerging as a strong candidate for Minnesota Twins president job." He went on to say, "Falvey is extremely well-regarded in [the] industry." His young age and rapid rise in the Indians organization could all help his cause. The Twins don't switch front office personnel very often so a young, passionate person could hold the spot down for years. Which candidate stands out to you? Who would you like the Twins to hire? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

I think the defensive metric side of WAR has plenty of flaws.

It's pretty crazy that Trout only has one MVP at this point in his career.

They've added the Platinum Award to the Gold Glove voting that names the best defensive player in each league. They could add a Platinum Award to the Silver Slugger voting that names the best offensive player in each league.

Overall, there's no way Dozier would win but his numbers will put him on some ballots. Old school voters will look at him because of his power numbers. New school voters will look at him because of his WAR totals.

My ballot would be: 1) Trout 2) Betts 3) Altuve 4) Donaldson 5) Machado 6) Beltre 7) Dozier 8) Cano 9) Lindor 10) Seager

There's no arguing how bad the Twins have been this season. Even through all the mucky mess on the field, Brian Dozier has emerged as one bright spot in a sea of darkness. The home runs and his recent hitting streak have kept him in the news. He's put up numbers that have never been seen before from a second baseman but is it enough to put him into the American League MVP conversation?By The Numbers Dozier's 39 home runs as a second baseman (two have come as DH) have him tied for the all-time AL record by a second baseman. He is only three home runs behind Davey Johnson and Rogers Hornsby for the MLB record. Baseball Reference ranks Dozier as the fifth best player in the AL this season while FanGraphs ranks him as the sixth best AL player. He has more home runs than everyone in front of him and he is closing in on the century mark with RBIs (98) and runs (99). When Dozier scores his next run, he will join Chuck Knoblach as the only Twins to ever score 100-plus runs in three straight seasons. Since June 18, Dozier has 34 home runs, the most in baseball, while his closest competitors have only managed 22 apiece. During his current 22-game hitting streak, he's slashing .351/.425/.766 with 11 home runs in 94 at-bats. Historical Precedent Voters tend to look at the best players on winning teams when handing out the top AL hardware. However, there is a historical precedent for MVPs playing for losing teams. The 1991 Baltimore Orioles finished in sixth place in the AL East with a 67-95 record. Cal Ripken Jr. cranked 34 home runs and drove in 114 on his way to the AL MVP. The 2003 Texas Rangers finished the year with 91 losses but Alex Rodriguez still came away with the AL's top honor. Rodriguez had a historic season for a shortstop, hitting 47 home runs and drove in 118 RBIs. He combined for a 8.4 WAR, the seventh best total of his career. It takes the right atmosphere in the baseball world but it is not unprecedented for a player on a losing team to win the MVP. Candidates Catching A Cold For much of the first half of the season, it looked like Jose Altuve could run away with the AL MVP. The Astros were playing well and he was putting up tremendous numbers. He hit .341/.413/.542 with 14 home runs, 24 doubles and 23 stolen bases. As the Astros have fallen further behind in the standings, Altuve has struggled at the plate. So far in September, he is hitting .222/.279/.365 with five extra-base hits. Josh Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, looked to join Miguel Cabrera as the only back-to-back MVP winner in the 2000's. Much like Altuve, he played very well in the first half by combining for a 1.017 OPS with 23 home runs and 20 doubles. A second half slide has seen his average dip to .253 with just 20 extra-base hits. Toronto is just four game out in the AL East so this could help Donaldson's candidacy. Fishing For Trout While other candidates might be falling by the wayside, Mike Trout might be emerging as a favorite. Like Dozier, Trout is on a bad team but his WAR total far outpaces the competition on both Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. He entered play on Monday leading the AL in walks and OBP. He's also on pace to lead the AL in offensive WAR for the sixth consecutive season. If the voters looked solely at WAR, Trout would have more MVPs in his trophy case. His lone MVP award came in 2014 when the Angels won the AL West by 10 games. If Altuve and Donaldson continue their recent cold streaks, the voters might look to a familiar name even if he is on a bad Angels squad. By many accounts, he is the best player in the game and he has only one MVP award. When push comes to shove, Dozier will likely get some top-10 and even top-5 votes for the AL MVP. He would need to continue his blistering pace over the last few weeks to make his numbers truly stand apart from the crowd. Unfortunately, there haven't been many eyes on Minnesota baseball this season and that will only hurt his MVP chances. It's been an historic season for the Twins Brian Dozier but it has been a small ripple in a very big MLB pond. Where would Dozier be on your AL MVP Ballot? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

The Twins' schedule is slowly coming to an end and many fans might be turning away as the losses continue to mount. But while fans are averting their gaze, they could be missing the start of something special on the field. After struggling through his first 100+ games, Byron Buxton might finally be putting together all the skills that made him one of baseball's best prospects. Is the Buxton Era beginning in Minnesota?Being able to adjust to pitching at baseball's highest level can be one of the toughest challenges. When the Twins drafted Buxton, a concern surrounding him was the fact that he played his entire amateur career in rural Georgia. Even with this background, he showed few hitting concerns as he moved through the Twins system. Buxton has dominated the upper levels of the minor leagues over parts of the last two seasons. In 2015, he hit .305/.367/.500 at Double-A and Triple-A. The 2016 season has been even better as his Triple-A OPS is up to .927 while hitting double digit home runs at a level for only the second time in career. All the signs were there but the transition to baseball's highest level wasn't smooth. Through his first 109 games, Buxton batted .199/.248/.319 while posting a 34.8% K%. Pitchers were overpowering him at the plate. There were sprinkles of positive signs but the overall numbers don't lie. Something had to change with the 22-year old uber prospect and maybe he finally found the cure for his big league blues. One of the biggest changes for Buxton this season might be the return of his leg kick. Minnesota tried to have Buxton cut back on this movement after drafting him. According to FanGraphs, the Twins organization has a "front foot down early" hitting approach. At the beginning of this season his leg kick wasn't there but throughout this season his leg kick has re-emerged. Since being recalled on September 1, Buxton has looked like he might finally be hitting his stride at the big league level. Entering play on Wednesday, Buxton has gone 15-for-43 with five home runs and four doubles in his last 12 games. Obviously this isn't a huge sample size but the Twins are searching for small rays of hope during this mess of a season. It may be too early to declare the official start of the Byron Buxton era but he is certainly one of many reasons to watch the Twins as the season winds to a close. Minnesota's future is tied to Buxton's success. He will need to continue to make adjustments but we could be on the cusp of a new era for the Twins. Click here to view the article

Word trickled out earlier this week that the Twins were considering Alex Anthopoulos as the team's president of baseball operations. This would be a new position in the organization as part of the front office restructuring following the firing of general manager Terry Ryan. This is following a growing trend across baseball where a president of baseball operations oversees the hiring of a general manager and other personnel to compose the front office staff. Twins owner Jim Pohlad recently told the Pioneer Pressthat the Twins might be leaning towards this new trend.So who is Alex Anthopoulos? What do Twins fans need to know about this potential candidate? He could be shaping the future of this organization for years to come and fans are hungry to see a winning team back on the field. Blue Jays Rising Anthopoulos served as the general manager and senior vice president of baseball operations with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2010-2015. Last season, he helped the Blue Jays end a 22-year playoff drought but he decided to leave after some changes to the team's front office. Mark Shapiro was brought in as president and CEO and it sounds like the Jays wanted to cut costs and stop trading away prospects. He currently works as the vice president of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers which seems like a springboard job to other positions in the baseball. Wheeling and Dealing During his time in Toronto, the 39-year old Anthopoulos was not afraid to make moves. Some of his biggest trades included: Acquiring 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson from Oakland for Brett LawrieSending Noah Syndergaard to the Mets for RA DickeyPushing to get Troy Tulowitzki from the Rockies for Jose Reyes and other prospectsDealing a trio of left-handed pitchers to Detroit for David PriceBesides his willingness to deal away prospects for established players, he also spent plenty of money on contracts for players like Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Many Twins fans have wanted the front office to be more active in making trades and spending money. As Nick alluded to earlier this week, this might not always be the best strategy. Scouting Background Anthopoulos has a background in scouting and he made major additions to the scouting department in Toronto. He created regional cross-checker positions and nearly doubled the size of the scouting team from 28 to 54. In doing so, he was able to shrink each scout's coverage area so they could spend less time traveling and more time working. "We get to see players more often -- more innings pitched, more at-bats, Anthopoulos said. "We've added layers we didn't have before." It seems likely that he would do some major shake-ups throughout the Twins' scouting team including bringing in some scouts who have previously worked with him. The Future When the Twins let Terry Ryan go, they made it clear that they would like to have someone hired by season's end. The Dodgers are four games up in the NL West and posed to make a playoff run. This could mean Anthopoulos continues to work in his current position until deep into October. When the Dodgers hired him, they had to know he was destined to get other opportunities. Maybe they would be willing to let him out of his current position so he can start finding Minnesota's next general manager. There're plenty of changes that still need to happen and hiring Anthopoulos might be just the first step. What are your thoughts on Anthopoulos? Is he the right fit for the Twins organization? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

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

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

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

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

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

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