Cody Christie

I don't think they get huge viewership anyway. Especially without big named schools in the final. I'm sure ESPN had plenty to say about when the game was going to be played. There must be something else on the four-letter network tonight that couldn't be moved.

How do others feel about this? Should the second half of last season be included in picking out the All-Stars? My feeling is if we don't consider the second half of last season then they should move the All-Star Game to the end of the season. Otherwise the All-Stars are only being picked off of half a season's worth of work.

I'd love to have Donaldson and Machado both start but unfortunately that can't happen with the way the ballot was set-up this year. Our team's are pretty close. I give Cabrera the nod over Davis since he is one of the best hitters of all-time. Bradley just missed my team. Desmond has been good but I wouldn't have him as a starter.

I'm guessing he will have a longer leash than that... especially if the team trades one of their starters in the next month.

Let me know who you think should be the starters in the AL. Third base and shortstop were probably the two hardest spots to pick.

There is always plenty of debate when it comes to the starters for each squad in the MLB All-Star Game. Fans get to vote for their favorite players and this can result in ballot stuffing by certain fan bases across the country. For example, Chicago Cubs fans have been spending a lot of time voting and their team currently has five starters at the last voting update. Are these the best players in the National League at those positions? Maybe not but that's what happens when you leave the voting to the fans. Since the Twins are in the American League, let's delve into that ballot before the official rosters are announced on Tuesday, July 5, at 7 p.m. Who are the starters going to be? Who should actually be the starters? There's plenty to discuss.Catcher Leading: Salvador Perez, Royals My Pick: Salvador Perez, Royals Catching is in a rough spot in the American League especially with Joe Mauer no longer being an option behind the plate. Salvador Perez, the reigning World Series MVP, leads the league in fWAR during the last 365 days. Blake Swihart and Matt Wieters are tied for a distant second place. Perez is hitting close to .300 and getting on-base 33% of the time. He hit a career high 21 home runs last season and he already has 12 long balls so far this season. He's never posted a slugging percentage over .475 in his career and he's sitting at a .520 OPS in 2016. First Base Leading: Eric Hosmer, Royals My Pick: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers There are plenty of candidates for this spot but it has become a two-man battle. The voting block in Kansas City has Eric Hosmer out to a 550,000 vote lead at the last check-in but he doesn't get my vote. Sometimes it's about putting a player in who is one of the best players in the generation. Cabrera's average has dipped a little this year from his normal standards but he is still hitting .295/.368/.529 with 17 home runs after only hitting 18 home runs last season. I'd put Chris Davis ahead of Hosmer on my ballot as well so the player likely to start wouldn't be in my top 2 for voting purposes. Second Base Leading: Jose Altuve, Astros My Pick: Jose Altuve, Astros There are some bigger names on the ballot like Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia but Jose Altuve is in the midst of a historic season. Altuve has a career OPS of just over .780 and this season he is closing in on a 1.000 OPS. By the way, he's leading the American League in batting too. If the Astros keep playing well, Altuve will be in the discussion for the AL MVP and this would be his fourth All-Star Game in the last five seasons. Cano and Pedroia might be the big names but everyone needs to get familiar with Altuve because he might be in this position for years to come. Third Base Leading: Manny Machado, Orioles My Pick: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays This two-man battle features the defending AL MVP in Josh Donaldson versus the up-and-coming Manny Machado. Both players have been very good over the last calendar year. In fact, each of these players has been one of the top five players in the game this season. Look at the chart below to see how close the battle is between them even with Machado sliding over to play shortstop in the absence of JJ Hardy. Donaldson has been slightly better so I will give him the nod but they should both be playing in San Diego. Shortstop Leading: Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox My Pick: Francisco Lindor, Indians We might be living in the "Golden Age of Shortstops" in the American League. Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa are all young and dominating at one of the toughest defensive positions in the field. Lindor has dominated on both sides of the ball, being an offensive threat while playing some of the best defense in the game at shortstop. His 8.2 fWAR over the last calendar year is 1.5 points higher than Bogaerts and 3.6 points higher than Correa. Lindor plays in Cleveland where he isn't getting much attention but he is showing that he is one of the top overall players in the game. Outfield Leading: Mike Trout, Angels; Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox; Mookie Betts, Red Sox My Picks: Mike Trout, Angels; Lorenzo Cain, Royals, Mookie Betts, Red Sox Mike Trout is another easy pick as he has helped the AL win the last two All-Star Games on his way to earning back-to-back All-Star Game MVPs. Even though he was just injured, Lorenzo Cain gets a big jump from his defensive numbers while holding his own on the offensive side of the ball. He also helped the Royals to their first World Series Championship since the 1980s. The last spot is a toss up between Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. so I gave my vote to Betts. I like his ability to steal bases and that can be a handy addition to the roster of an All-Star squad. Designated Hitter Leading: David Ortiz, Red Sox My Pick: David Ortiz, Red Sox Probably the easiest pick on the board. David Ortiz will retire at season's end and ride off into the sunset of what is likely a Hall-of-Fame career. It helps that Ortiz is also having a very strong season at the plate. This is nothing against Edwin Encarnacion and the season he is having, but Ortiz is a legend. The 2016 All-Star Game might turn into an honoring for Ortiz much like the 2014 All-Star Game in Minnesota honored Derek Jeter. Ortiz will bow out and let other players take his place in the years to come. So there's my ballot with a few picks that were tough to make. Who would make your AL All-Star team? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

If he's shutdown in mid-September, he'd only miss a couple starts. The Twins won't have much to play for at that point. Another thought...Not having him on the mound at that point could mean the club is getting closer to the number one pick in next year's draft.

I'm pulling for Coastal Carolina but Arizona's pitching might be too tough. Should be a great game and a great ending to the 2016 CWS

One game tonight for the title... who is everyone picking to win?

I was going for a headline that would bring in some readers that don't always read the Minor League Reports. The point was to show that he had a really good start and had "no-hit" stuff on this night. Berrios was at 96 pitches (64 strikes) so I think they might have sent him back out there for the eighth if he hadn't given up a hit.

Yeah, it's tough to go straight off what the stats show. We do get reports from the media personal but it's not exactly an in-depth scouting report. The big thing with Berrios and Chargois will be control. If they can show consistency with their control, they will be called back up.

I'm fine with high schools using metal bats but I'd like to see colleges make the switch.

My guess is Sano plays a few more games in Rochester before ending his rehab. A few too many strikeouts the last couple games.

My guess is they will leave Chargois down until at least after the Futures Game.

Minnesota has been well represented in recent years at MLB's annual Futures Game. In each of the last two seasons, Jose Berrios has been the Twins representative on the World Team. When the game was played at Target Field in 2014, Berrios was joined by Kennys Vargas and Alex Meyer. The year before that featured Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano in front of the minor leagues' biggest audience. Earlier today, the rosters for the 2016 Futures Game were announced. Relief pitcher JT Chargois will be the Twins lone representative in San Diego. Chargois made his debut earlier this season and it didn't go exactly to plan. Minnesota promptly sent him back to Rochester and he has continued to dominate at that level. Maybe this was his reward for being sent packing after a disastrous debut.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Pawtucket 0 Box Score Miguel Sano continues to shake the rust off with his rehab appearances in Rochester. For the second straight game, Sano hit a home run but he struck out multiple times. Fans will be happy to know that he was back at third base and he wasn't charged with any errors. John Ryan Murphy went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Jose Berrios was dominant on the mound as he had a no hitter going into the seventh frame. In the end, he allowed one hit in seven shutout innings with six strikeouts and two walks. Marcus Walden took over for Berrios and earned his sixth hold. Like Sano, Trevor May is also on rehab assignment. He pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth with a pair of strikeouts for his first save. Rochester continues to clear a path through the International League. The win moved the Red Wings to 13 games over .500. Even with the great record, the club trails Scranton/WB for the top spot in the International League North but leads the wild card standings. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Palm Beach 2 Box Score Fort Myers first baseman Trey Vavra was featured in an MiLB.com video where he talked about playing baseball in Australia and the connections he has to his baseball family. The Miracle have seen multiple starting pitchers move up to Chattanooga and that has resulted in opportunities for other starting pitchers. Fernando Romero was making his second Florida State League and he pitched much better than his first appearance. In 7.0 innings, he allowed two earned runs on four hits while striking out five. More importantly, he didn't allow a walk. Yorman Landa picked up his sixth save, a two-inning outing, with two strikeouts. Joe Maloney collected four hits and Fort Myers needed both of the two runs he drove in. After his MiLB video appearance earlier in the day, Trey Vavra went 2-for-3 with the team's only extra-base hit, his ninth double. Chris Paul and Edgar Corcino both scored runs on the way to the Miracle victory. The win moves Fort Myers back to .500 on the season at 37-37 and the team is 3-2 since the second half started. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Quad Cities 5 Box Score The Kernels popped off five runs in the second inning. Brian Olson drove in a run with a double to start the scoring. Luis Arraez knocked a two-out single to plate a couple more runs. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Austin Diemer capped off the scoring with his first double. Every hitter in the Kernels line-up collected a hit with Daniel Kihle and Brad Hartong both having multi-hit nights at the plate. Sam Clay made it into the sixth inning by allowing four runs on five hits. With seven strikeouts in this game, he struck out at least seven batters for the third time in his last five starts. Michael Cederoth finished off the sixth for Clay but walked two and allowed two inherited runners to score. Williams Ramirez stopped some of the bleeding as he pitching two innings and didn't allow a run. He struck out three and walked one. Tom Hackimer ran into a little bit of a mess in the ninth but only allowed one run. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 0, Johnson City 2 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score The E-Twins got rained out on Monday night so they got to carry their perfect 4-0 record into Tuesday night's double-header. But all good things must come to an end as Elizabethton suffered its first loss of the season even though they out-hit Johnson City four to two. No member of the E-Twins reached base more than once. The team was limited to one at-bat with a runner in scoring position and Shane Carrier couldn't come through with a hit. Amaurys Minier, Mitchell Kranson, and Bryant Hayman all went 1-for-3. Casey Scoggins collected one hit in his two plate appearances. Sean Poppen took the loss after allowing two earned runs on two hits. He struck out two and walked three in 3.1 innings. Andrew Vasquez finished the final 2.2 frames without allowing a run as he added two strikeouts. Elizabethton 1, Johnson City 3 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score After waiting multiple games and a rain delay for their first loss, the E-Twins suffered two losses in a matter of hours. Elizabethton got out to an early lead on a first inning home run from Jaylin Davis but the offense would go cold from there. The team left five runners on base and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Bryant Hayman went 2-for-3 with his first double. Jose Martinez tried to make it through five innings but he ran into some trouble in the fifth. He was pulled after allowing three runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings. He struck out three and walked a pair of batters. Johan Quezada finished off the game without allowing a hit as he walked two and struck out three. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 2 Box Score The GCL Twins pitching staff limited the GCL Orioles to four hits in this game. Taylor Clemensia started and went 3.2 innings by allowing one run with five walks and four strikeouts. Clemensia was relieved by Onas Farfan who struck out four in two shutout innings. Brady Anderson, C.K. Irby, and Patrick McGuff finished off the game by combining to allow three total base runners and striking out four. On the offensive side of the ball, the Twins needed only five hits to push across four runs. Luis Martinez led the way with a 3-for-3 day including two doubles and two runs scored. Akil Baddoo drove in a pair of runs and Dane Hutcheon reached base twice. With the win, the GCL Twins improved to 2-2 at this early juncture of their season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Luis Martinez, GCL Twins WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Pawtucket (12:35 CST) - LHP Logan Darnell (8-5, 3.29 ERA) Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:30 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut (5-3, 3.61 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (7-3, 1.58 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (7:00 CST) - RHP Miles Nordgren (3-3, 2.73 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Pulaski (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday's games. Click here to view the article

This would make scouting for MLB organizations easier as well. I hope they make the switch soon but it might be awhile.

We stayed in Council Bluffs but it was less than a five minute Uber ride away from downtown. We stuck pretty close to the stadium both nights because that's where most of the action seemed to be centered. I could see where that area would get quiet if there wasn't any games going on.

For baseball fans across the country, attending the College World Series is one of the events on almost everyone's bucket list. The NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament culminates in a multi-week, double-elimination tournament where there is drama and plenty of surprises. I was lucky enough to head to Omaha at the end of last week to take in multiple games over a three day stretch. Here are some of my impressions as the Championship Series gets underway on Monday night.Omaha Overview Omaha has got this event down to a science. The area around the stadium is set up perfectly for fans to enjoy pre-game festivities at local establishments. Fans can then head into the game and after the game there are multiple concerts, food offerings and activities. If you can't find something to occupy your time, you aren't trying very hard. Blatt Beer & Table was our gathering spot before the first game because it was right next to the stadium and it had a roof-top patio to enjoy views of the downtown area. We ran into ESPN's Pedro Gomez at this bar as his son Rio Gomez is a sophomore left-handed pitcher for Arizona. Through out the trip we tried many of the establishments near the field and my group was impressed with the service, food and overall atmosphere. Omaha makes it easy to want to come back to this event again and again. Stadium Experience TD Ameritrade Park is beautiful with all the amenities fans need to enjoy the baseball experience. I spent most of my early time in the park exploring each part of this venue that opened in 2011. You can walk all the way around the concourse and have a pretty good sight lines. Even when I sat in the upper deck for part of a game, it felt like you were still right on top of the action. There were plenty of water stands available to counteract the 90 degree heat. Some things I would like to see improved would be to add in some big fans like those used at Target Field. The lines for concessions were very long during the games which were sold out and this took a little away from the experience. Pace of Play Thursday night's game between Coastal Carolina and Texas Tech was brutal to watch. The official game time is listed at three hours and 48 minutes but it seemed like an eternity. It was an elimination game for both teams so there were seven different pitchers used with no pitcher throwing more than 4.1 innings. Pitchers took a long time between pitches, batters took a long time getting into the box, and coaches visits to the mound lasted too long. I didn't realize how much MLB's new pace of play rules were impacting the game until I had to watch a game where those rules aren't in place. One has to wonder how long it will be before the NCAA starts to implement some of the same rules. Power Outage It is really tough to hit home runs at TD Ameritrade Park. It was amazing to see the positioning of outfielders especially on Friday when the wind was blowing straight in from center field. I made a comment to one of my friends that it almost looked like they were playing at Little League depth. There was no reason to play any further back as the wind played a factor in all the games we attended. Between the three games we attended on Thursday and Friday, we saw a grand total of one home run, a line drive down the third base line that snuck into the bullpen off the bat of TCU's Dane Steinhagen. Some of these teams rely a lot on the long ball during the regular season but it's almost impossible to hit it out in the most important games of the year. Pitcher Usage When it comes to watching a big league game, fans know that a pitcher getting close to 100 pitches is most likely near the end of his time on the mound. MLB organizations are very conscientious about the health of their pitchers and their future in the game. College teams and coaches don't have the same agenda as MLB teams. The incentive in college is to win and to win now, no matter the cost. On Friday night, I witnessed a pitcher throw 137 pitches on the way to a complete game. Andrew Beckwith was an undrafted junior who throws with a side-arm action so there is less stress on his arm. This was his second straight complete game and now his team is in the College World Series Championship. Arizona has also been criticized for their use of pitchers and they might have seen the results of this on Friday afternoon as Nathan Bannister left the game with pain is his forearm. The Wildcats will face Coastal Carolina in the championship but their pitcher usage might have cost them their ace. Attending the College World Series was a dream come true and I'm excited to see who will come out victorious over the next few days. Part of me is rooting for Coastal Carolina since it is their first trip to the College World Series and who knows when they will be back. Feel free to ask any questions in the COMMENTS section about the event and I will try and answer as many questions as I can. Click here to view the article

I blame your parents for not naming you Engelb

For the second time this week, one of the Twins affiliates was hosting their league's All-Star Game festivities. The Fort Myers Miracle hosted the 2016 FSL All-Star Game on Saturday night. Tonight it was the Kernels turn to host the Midwest League All-Star Game in Cedar Rapids. This wasn't the only All-Star Game on the docket for Tuesday night. The Southern League was also holding their own mid-season classic. With plenty of Twins players on both rosters, there's a chance that one or two of them could play a vital role in deciding the outcomes of these exhibition games. Found out below what transpired in the All-Star contests and throughout the rest of the Twins farms system.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Columbus 4 Box Score Rochester found themselves in a pitching duel in the early innings. Jason Wheeler gave up a first inning run but settled in nicely and he was eventually backed up by plenty of run support. Wheeler scattered seven hits and four earned runs over six frames. He struck out three and walked one. Eddie Rosario is making it very clear that he doesn't want to be playing at Rochester anymore. Tonight was a clear indication of that as he went 4-for-4 at the plate with a three-run home run and two doubles. Jorge Polanco might want to follow Rosario to Minnesota as he reached base three times including his 11th double on the season. Kennys Vargas and Adam Brett Walker both added home runs as the Red Wings pounded out 13 hits. Sean Burnett and JT Chargois put up zeros in their innings of work. Chargois has his ERA down to 0.54 with a 37 to 9 strikeout to walk ratio over 28.1 innings. Alex Wimmers struck out two but allowed a run on three hits in the final inning. With the win, Rochester has won nine of their last ten games and moves to 44-28 on the season. In fact, the team has lost only five games the entire month of June. SOUTHERN LEAGUE SHOWDOWN North All-Stars 1, South All-Stars 5 Box Score After a hot-hitting start to the season, Daniel Palka struggled in this exhibition game. Across four plate appearances, he didn't collect a hit and he struck out twice. Mitch Garver started at catcher and he struck out in both of his at-bats. Travis Harrison was a late inning replacement but he managed to go 1-2 with a single. Former Twins prospect Chih-Wei Hu started for the North and allowed one hit in his inning of work. DJ Baxendale pitched two-thirds of an inning and didn't allow a base runner. Trevor Hildenberger made a brief appearance at the end of the game. He came in with two outs in the eighth and was only asked to get the final out for the North. Overall, the North couldn't find enough offense to make-up for the five run inning allowed by Brad Markey, a Chicago Cubs pitching prospect. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Charlotte 1 Box Score Roster Move: Brian Gilbert was placed on the DL and in a corresponding move relief pitcher Michael Theofanopoulos was added from Cedar Rapids. Randy LeBlanc fell into an early 1-0 hole as he allowed a solo home run in the second inning. However, he was able to settle down from there. He lasted six innings while giving up one run on three hits. LeBlanc struck out one and walked three for his first win in the Florida State League. Brandon Peterson kept the game close with two shutout frames as he struck out three. Yorman Landa earned his fourth save with a perfect ninth. On the offensive side of the ball, Max Murphy provided the big hit on the night. Edgar Corcino started the inning by reaching on a bunt single. He advanced to second on a groundout by Chris Paul but he was left standing in scoring position when Joe Maloney was hit by a 1-2 pitch. Much like Maloney, Murphy fell behind 1-2 before drilling a ball over the left fielder's head for a double. The Miracle took a 2-1 lead and never gave it back. Fort Myers moves to 33-35 with the victory and they will look to complete a sweep of the Stone Crabs on Wednesday night. The Miracle have won three of their last four games and they have yet to lose since this weekend's All-Star break. MIDWEST LEAGUE MINUTES East All-Stars 11, West All-Stars 10 Box Score The Kernels felt right at home in their home park. Players from the Cedar Rapids squad filled up the box score as both team's pounded out runs in the early innings. Luis Arraez led off for the West Division All-Stars and finished the night 2-for-3 with a run scored. LaMonte Wade followed Arraez in the batting order and had one of the biggest hits for the West squad, a two-run single. AJ Murray didn't want to get out-shined by the other All-Stars on the team. He competed in the Home Run Derby before the game and didn't win but smacked a two-run shot during the seventh inning. In a game where runs were being scored in bunches, it was tough to find pitchers with clean innings. Sam Clay started for the West All-Stars and pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. Clay was the lone Kernels pitcher to be selected to the contest and he represented the team well. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Randy LeBlanc, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Eddie Rosario, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (6:05 CST)- LHP Pat Dean (1-3, 3.00 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Charlotte (6:05 CST)- RHP Fernando Romero (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article

I would rather see Park go down and collect some at-bats at AAA. Buxton at the big league level has been a roller coaster ride but the Twins need to see what he can do and not keep moving him back and forth. However, I think the Twins will be more willing to send Buxton down again.