Cody Christie

Before the season began, Deibinson Romero wasn't cracking many top prospect lists. As a 26-year old prospect(?), there had been some tough seasons in the minor leagues. He needed multiple seasons in Beloit, Fort Myers, and New Britain. After 2,600 plate appearances in the minors, Romero had never faced a pitch above Double-A. Things have changed so far this season for Mr. Romero. This year it took another trip back to the Eastern League for Romero to get back on track and he did so in a big way. He wasn't there long, batting .355/.429/.710 with three home runs and two doubles in eight games. The team promoted him to Rochester and he has continued putting together his best professional season. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com In 18 games at Rochester, Romero is hitting .308/.394/.583 with four home runs and two doubles. Those numbers are great but he has been even better in his last ten games. Over that stretch, Romero is hitting .395/.452/.684 with three home runs. This also includes one game on June 3rd where he went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI. On the defensive side, Romero has continued to improve his play at third. He has averaged close to 20 errors a season over the last four years. So far this year he has three errors in 55 chances. If he continues to hit well and play strong defense it will be hard for the front office not to notice him. One man who has noticed his recent play is Ron Gardenhire. In an interview this weekend, the Twins skipper said, "He's gotten better and better. He's really brought himself back into the picture here. Another option -- and he is an option for me." This is high praise from a manager who has seen a revolving door at third base since the departure of Corey Koskie many years ago. The Twins coaching staff was excited at the prospect of getting an extended look at Romero during spring training this year. Unfortunately, Romero got tied up in the Dominican Republic due to a visa issue. This cost him a chance to impress the front office and Gardenhire's staff. There might be some issues with finding a place for Romero. He is currently not on the 40-man roster so the Twins would need to clear a space for him in order to call him up. The Twins have been willing to move people from the 40-man roster this year so this shouldn't be much of a stumbling block for Romero. Another obstacle in Romero's way could be the return of a healthy Trevor Plouffe. The last month has been interesting for Plouffe. He was placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list after sliding hard into second base to break up a double play. On the day he was removed from concussion DL, he injured his calf in warm-ups and he had to be placed on the 15-day DL. Plouffe will be heading to Rochester on a rehab assignment at the start of this week. This could mean his return to the line-up in the next handful of days. Minnesota has struggled since Plouffe went on the disabled list May 22. Entering play on Sunday, third basemen have combined to go 7-for-68 (.103) with one extra-base hit. There will be a lot of talk about Miguel Sano's promotion from High-A to Double-A because he is the future at third base. However, Romero has been a pleasant surprise this season and it would be nice to see him get an opportunity to prove himself on the big league stage.

Before the season began, Deibinson Romero wasn't cracking many top prospect lists. As a 26-year old prospect(?), there had been some tough seasons in the minor leagues. He needed multiple seasons in Beloit, Fort Myers, and New Britain. After 2,600 plate appearances in the minors, Romero had never faced a pitch above Double-A. Things have changed so far this season for Mr. Romero. This year it took another trip back to the Eastern League for Romero to get back on track and he did so in a big way. He wasn't there long, batting .355/.429/.710 with three home runs and two doubles in eight games. The team promoted him to Rochester and he has continued putting together his best professional season. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com In 18 games at Rochester, Romero is hitting .308/.394/.583 with four home runs and two doubles. Those numbers are great but he has been even better in his last ten games. Over that stretch, Romero is hitting .395/.452/.684 with three home runs. This also includes one game on June 3rd where he went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI. On the defensive side, Romero has continued to improve his play at third. He has averaged close to 20 errors a season over the last four years. So far this year he has three errors in 55 chances. If he continues to hit well and play strong defense it will be hard for the front office not to notice him. One man who has noticed his recent play is Ron Gardenhire. In an interview this weekend, the Twins skipper said, "He's gotten better and better. He's really brought himself back into the picture here. Another option -- and he is an option for me." This is high praise from a manager who has seen a revolving door at third base since the departure of Corey Koskie many years ago. The Twins coaching staff was excited at the prospect of getting an extended look at Romero during spring training this year. Unfortunately, Romero got tied up in the Dominican Republic due to a visa issue. This cost him a chance to impress the front office and Gardenhire's staff. There might be some issues with finding a place for Romero. He is currently not on the 40-man roster so the Twins would need to clear a space for him in order to call him up. The Twins have been willing to move people from the 40-man roster this year so this shouldn't be much of a stumbling block for Romero. Another obstacle in Romero's way could be the return of a healthy Trevor Plouffe. The last month has been interesting for Plouffe. He was placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list after sliding hard into second base to break up a double play. On the day he was removed from concussion DL, he injured his calf in warm-ups and he had to be placed on the 15-day DL. Plouffe will be heading to Rochester on a rehab assignment at the start of this week. This could mean his return to the line-up in the next handful of days. Minnesota has struggled since Plouffe went on the disabled list May 22. Entering play on Sunday, third basemen have combined to go 7-for-68 (.103) with one extra-base hit. There will be a lot of talk about Miguel Sano's promotion from High-A to Double-A because he is the future at third base. However, Romero has been a pleasant surprise this season and it would be nice to see him get an opportunity to prove himself on the big league stage.

It's Day 2 of Major League Baseball's Rule 4 Draft and the Twins continued to add some new talent to an already strong organization. A variety of pitchers and one college catcher highlight the Twins second day of making picks. Those players haven't signed yet but there are plenty of other players already in the system and on the field on Friday night. Let's see how the organization fared under the Friday Night Lights. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Rochester Red Wings 11, Gwinnett Braves 0 Box Score Seven runs in the first inning were enough for the Red Wings to jump all over the Braves. Twelve men came to the plate in that frame and Jeff Clement provided one of the biggest hits with a 3-run home run. Doug Bernier and Eric Fryer had doubles to keep the runners moving around the bases. Poor Eric Farris would account for the first and the last out of the inning. Clement would end up putting together quite the game. He ended the night 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Deibinson Romero was 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored. The team went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position as the club pounded out 13 hits. Andrew Albers was terrific on the mound. He tossed a complete game shutout to improve his record to 4-2 on the season. He allowed six hits and struck out seven without any walks. Albers hasn't lost a game since May 11th and he has picked up the win in his last three decisions. His ERA dropped almost half a point from 3.53 to 3.06 with this start. It was the third series win of the season for the Red Wings. The club has won 11 of their last 16 games. It was also the first road series win over a Braves Triple-A affiliate since 1995. Rochester returns home for an 8-game, 9-day homestand beginning on Saturday night. New Britain Rock Cats --, Bowie Bay Sox -- (Postponed--Rain) Tropical Storm Andrea not only impacted the Twins game on Friday, it also impacted the Rock Cats game. These two clubs will try and play two games on Saturday but one has to wonder if weather will be a factor for the second day in a row. So far this month, New Britain has won four of their first five games. Tom Stuifbergen is scheduled to make his start at the Double-A level, if the clubs can ever get back on the field. In Fort Myers, Stuifbergen was 2-3 with a 3.65 ERA with 28 strikeouts and two walks. Fort Myers Miracle 5, Bradenton Marauders 6 (10 innings) Box Score The bullpen for the Miracle gave up three runs over the last three innings to see a victory slip away. Corey Williams and Zach Jones were the men held responsible for these runs as the Miracle suffered only their 18 loss of the season. Jones gave up a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth. Matthew Summers started for Fort Myers and tossed five innings before being removed. He gave up three runs but only one of them was earned as Eddie Rosario and Kennys Vargas had errors. Summers struck out eight batters but he needed 85 pitches to get through five frames. Vargas tried to make up for his error in the field by going 2-for-4 with his 12th home run of the year. With the 2-run home run, he took over the league lead for RBI. Rosario also hit a long ball but it was his only hit in five trips to the plate. Levi Michael had two hits and his sixth stolen base. The Miracle return home with a chance to clinch the Florida State League South Division first half championship on Saturday. It could be a big night tomorrow so stay tuned. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Quad Cities River Bandits 6 Box Score The Kernels got on the board first in this game by plating a run in the bottom of the first. Cedar Rapids wouldn't cross the plate again and the River Bandits would walk away with the victory and a series win. It was only the ninth home loss of the year for the Kernels. There wasn't a lot of exciting action on the offensive side of the ball. Dalton Hicks went 1-for-3 with his 20th double of the year and his 51st RBI. No other Kernels were able to get an extra-base hit. In fact, the club only put together four hits in the game. Byron Buxton went 0-for-4 with a strike out. Christian Powell, a 2012 eighth round pick, made his first start in the Twins organization. Things didn't go exactly as planned for Powell. He gave up six runs on eight hits with five strike outs and one walk. The Kernels bullpen wouldn't give up a run after Powell exited the game but the offense sure didn't help them out. Cedar Rapids will get a fresh start on Saturday when Kane County comes to town. The Kernels sit three games ahead of the Beloit Snappers for first place in the Midwest League Western Division. The club needs to keep winning to become the first half champions.

It's Day 2 of Major League Baseball's Rule 4 Draft and the Twins continued to add some new talent to an already strong organization. A variety of pitchers and one college catcher highlight the Twins second day of making picks. Those players haven't signed yet but there are plenty of other players already in the system and on the field on Friday night. Let's see how the organization fared under the Friday Night Lights. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Rochester Red Wings 11, Gwinnett Braves 0 Box Score Seven runs in the first inning were enough for the Red Wings to jump all over the Braves. Twelve men came to the plate in that frame and Jeff Clement provided one of the biggest hits with a 3-run home run. Doug Bernier and Eric Fryer had doubles to keep the runners moving around the bases. Poor Eric Farris would account for the first and the last out of the inning. Clement would end up putting together quite the game. He ended the night 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Deibinson Romero was 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored. The team went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position as the club pounded out 13 hits. Andrew Albers was terrific on the mound. He tossed a complete game shutout to improve his record to 4-2 on the season. He allowed six hits and struck out seven without any walks. Albers hasn't lost a game since May 11th and he has picked up the win in his last three decisions. His ERA dropped almost half a point from 3.53 to 3.06 with this start. It was the third series win of the season for the Red Wings. The club has won 11 of their last 16 games. It was also the first road series win over a Braves Triple-A affiliate since 1995. Rochester returns home for an 8-game, 9-day homestand beginning on Saturday night. New Britain Rock Cats --, Bowie Bay Sox -- (Postponed--Rain) Tropical Storm Andrea not only impacted the Twins game on Friday, it also impacted the Rock Cats game. These two clubs will try and play two games on Saturday but one has to wonder if weather will be a factor for the second day in a row. So far this month, New Britain has won four of their first five games. Tom Stuifbergen is scheduled to make his start at the Double-A level, if the clubs can ever get back on the field. In Fort Myers, Stuifbergen was 2-3 with a 3.65 ERA with 28 strikeouts and two walks. Fort Myers Miracle 5, Bradenton Marauders 6 (10 innings) Box Score The bullpen for the Miracle gave up three runs over the last three innings to see a victory slip away. Corey Williams and Zach Jones were the men held responsible for these runs as the Miracle suffered only their 18 loss of the season. Jones gave up a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth. Matthew Summers started for Fort Myers and tossed five innings before being removed. He gave up three runs but only one of them was earned as Eddie Rosario and Kennys Vargas had errors. Summers struck out eight batters but he needed 85 pitches to get through five frames. Vargas tried to make up for his error in the field by going 2-for-4 with his 12th home run of the year. With the 2-run home run, he took over the league lead for RBI. Rosario also hit a long ball but it was his only hit in five trips to the plate. Levi Michael had two hits and his sixth stolen base. The Miracle return home with a chance to clinch the Florida State League South Division first half championship on Saturday. It could be a big night tomorrow so stay tuned. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Quad Cities River Bandits 6 Box Score The Kernels got on the board first in this game by plating a run in the bottom of the first. Cedar Rapids wouldn't cross the plate again and the River Bandits would walk away with the victory and a series win. It was only the ninth home loss of the year for the Kernels. There wasn't a lot of exciting action on the offensive side of the ball. Dalton Hicks went 1-for-3 with his 20th double of the year and his 51st RBI. No other Kernels were able to get an extra-base hit. In fact, the club only put together four hits in the game. Byron Buxton went 0-for-4 with a strike out. Christian Powell, a 2012 eighth round pick, made his first start in the Twins organization. Things didn't go exactly as planned for Powell. He gave up six runs on eight hits with five strike outs and one walk. The Kernels bullpen wouldn't give up a run after Powell exited the game but the offense sure didn't help them out. Cedar Rapids will get a fresh start on Saturday when Kane County comes to town. The Kernels sit three games ahead of the Beloit Snappers for first place in the Midwest League Western Division. The club needs to keep winning to become the first half champions.

We are only a couple days away from getting a new influx of talent into the Twins minor league system. The MLB First Year Player Draft will start on Friday night and the Twins have the fourth overall selection. It will be the second year in a row that the Twins are picking in the top five picks. Last year's first round selection, Byron Buxton, has been a great addition to the organization. By the end of this year, he could be the top ranked prospect in all of baseball. Last week, Seth Stohs moved him ahead of Miguel Sano as the Twins number one prospect. Let's take a look at how the current crop of minor league players fared on Wednesday before some new players join their ranks in the coming weeks. Rochester Red Wings 4, Gwinnett Braves 2 (Rain Shortened- 8 innings) Box Score Through the first eight innings, the Red Wings got out hit by the Braves but they still held a 4-2 advantage on the scoreboard. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, the skies opened up and a rain delay ensued. Before the rains fell, Cole De Vries put together a very good start. He tossed seven strong innings by scattering nine hits and allowing two runs. He struck out two and walked one. This was the best start of the season for De Vries after some rough starts as he was coming back from injury. Oswaldo Arcia had two hits for the second time in the last three games. His fourth double of the season scored the team's third run of the game. Chris Colabello knocked in his team leading 41st RBI of the year. The Red Wings left 11 men on base but that didn't matter on this night. The Red Wings have two more games in Gwinnett before heading back home for an eight-game home stand. With the win, Rochester moves to within four games of the .500 mark. An 8-2 record in their last ten games has moved the Red Wings back into contention. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 Box Score Pat Dean did his best to keep the Rock Cats in the game but in the end it still wasn't enough. An error by third baseman Mark Sobolewski cost the team an unearned run and that would be the difference in the game. Over 6.2 innings, Dean only allowed two earned runs on seven hits. It was his third straight strong start in a row but it was his first loss during that stretch. With this start, his ERA dropped below 5.00 for the first time since some awful starts in the middle of May Josmil Pinto continued his hot hitting by going 2-for-3 with his tenth home run of the year. In his last 10 games, he is hitting .355/.459/.581 with two home runs and a double. Reynaldo Rodriguez wasn't in the original line-up but he replaced Daniel Ortiz in the defense half of the second inning. Rodriguez would proceed to go 2-for-2 with his 16th double of the year. The loss put the Rock Cats three games under .500 for the season. Tonight's game was the first game of a six-game road trip that will see the team play three games in Richmond and three games in Bowie. New Britain has played to a .500 record on the road so the club will look to get back over .500 with a win tomorrow night. Fort Myers Miracle --, Brevard County Manatees -- (Postponed) The game between Fort Myers and Brevard County was postponed on Wednesday due to rain. The teams will make-up the game as part of a double header on Thursday evening. Game one is scheduled to begin at 5:05 eastern with the second game starting 30 minutes after the completion of the first. The Miracle lost the first two games of this series with the Manatees so the club will be looking to bounce back. If the club is able to sweep Thursday's double header, Fort Myers would gain a split of the four game series. The team hasn't lost a series since the middle of May so they have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Cedar Rapids Kernels 14, Quad City River Bandits 5 Box Score One inning explained a lot for the Kernels on Wednesday night. In their half of the fourth frame, the Kernels exploded on the offensive side of the ball. They put 10 runs on the board with the power of 12 hits. 15 hitters came to bat and the club had nine straight hits to open the frame. Byron Buxton returned to action after not playing in a game so far in June. He looked like he hadn't missed a beat as he got hits in his first five at-bats before being retired for the first time. On the night, he was 5-for-6 with two triples, a double, and three runs scored. Buxton wasn't the only offensive star for the Kernels. Jorge Polanco had four hits including two doubles and Dalton Hicks knocked in four runs with his two doubles on the night. Michael Quesada also added three hits of his own. Hein Robb made his second start of the season and he pitching into the fourth inning. He gave up five runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Alex Muren did a very good job in relief. He threw 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball and only gave up two hits. The Kernels continue their series versus Quad Cities on Thursday night. The club will be looking to win their second series in the month of June before playing a three-game set against Kane County over the weekend.

We are only a couple days away from getting a new influx of talent into the Twins minor league system. The MLB First Year Player Draft will start on Friday night and the Twins have the fourth overall selection. It will be the second year in a row that the Twins are picking in the top five picks. Last year's first round selection, Byron Buxton, has been a great addition to the organization. By the end of this year, he could be the top ranked prospect in all of baseball. Last week, Seth Stohs moved him ahead of Miguel Sano as the Twins number one prospect. Let's take a look at how the current crop of minor league players fared on Wednesday before some new players join their ranks in the coming weeks. Rochester Red Wings 4, Gwinnett Braves 2 (Rain Shortened- 8 innings) Box Score Through the first eight innings, the Red Wings got out hit by the Braves but they still held a 4-2 advantage on the scoreboard. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, the skies opened up and a rain delay ensued. Before the rains fell, Cole De Vries put together a very good start. He tossed seven strong innings by scattering nine hits and allowing two runs. He struck out two and walked one. This was the best start of the season for De Vries after some rough starts as he was coming back from injury. Oswaldo Arcia had two hits for the second time in the last three games. His fourth double of the season scored the team's third run of the game. Chris Colabello knocked in his team leading 41st RBI of the year. The Red Wings left 11 men on base but that didn't matter on this night. The Red Wings have two more games in Gwinnett before heading back home for an eight-game home stand. With the win, Rochester moves to within four games of the .500 mark. An 8-2 record in their last ten games has moved the Red Wings back into contention. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 Box Score Pat Dean did his best to keep the Rock Cats in the game but in the end it still wasn't enough. An error by third baseman Mark Sobolewski cost the team an unearned run and that would be the difference in the game. Over 6.2 innings, Dean only allowed two earned runs on seven hits. It was his third straight strong start in a row but it was his first loss during that stretch. With this start, his ERA dropped below 5.00 for the first time since some awful starts in the middle of May Josmil Pinto continued his hot hitting by going 2-for-3 with his tenth home run of the year. In his last 10 games, he is hitting .355/.459/.581 with two home runs and a double. Reynaldo Rodriguez wasn't in the original line-up but he replaced Daniel Ortiz in the defense half of the second inning. Rodriguez would proceed to go 2-for-2 with his 16th double of the year. The loss put the Rock Cats three games under .500 for the season. Tonight's game was the first game of a six-game road trip that will see the team play three games in Richmond and three games in Bowie. New Britain has played to a .500 record on the road so the club will look to get back over .500 with a win tomorrow night. Fort Myers Miracle --, Brevard County Manatees -- (Postponed) The game between Fort Myers and Brevard County was postponed on Wednesday due to rain. The teams will make-up the game as part of a double header on Thursday evening. Game one is scheduled to begin at 5:05 eastern with the second game starting 30 minutes after the completion of the first. The Miracle lost the first two games of this series with the Manatees so the club will be looking to bounce back. If the club is able to sweep Thursday's double header, Fort Myers would gain a split of the four game series. The team hasn't lost a series since the middle of May so they have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Cedar Rapids Kernels 14, Quad City River Bandits 5 Box Score One inning explained a lot for the Kernels on Wednesday night. In their half of the fourth frame, the Kernels exploded on the offensive side of the ball. They put 10 runs on the board with the power of 12 hits. 15 hitters came to bat and the club had nine straight hits to open the frame. Byron Buxton returned to action after not playing in a game so far in June. He looked like he hadn't missed a beat as he got hits in his first five at-bats before being retired for the first time. On the night, he was 5-for-6 with two triples, a double, and three runs scored. Buxton wasn't the only offensive star for the Kernels. Jorge Polanco had four hits including two doubles and Dalton Hicks knocked in four runs with his two doubles on the night. Michael Quesada also added three hits of his own. Hein Robb made his second start of the season and he pitching into the fourth inning. He gave up five runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Alex Muren did a very good job in relief. He threw 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball and only gave up two hits. The Kernels continue their series versus Quad Cities on Thursday night. The club will be looking to win their second series in the month of June before playing a three-game set against Kane County over the weekend.

Earlier this week, the Twins made a roster move to bring in some center field help for Aaron Hicks. For most of the season, the club has been without a back-up center fielder because Darin Mastroianni has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury. Even last week, Chris Parmelee had to play a defensive inning in center field in the late portion of a game. The Twins need a back-up center fielder and Thomas was one of the few options. When Hicks was struggling at the beginning of the season, Thomas was destroying the ball for Triple-A. During the month of April, he hit .362/.456/.621 with four home runs and three doubles. There were some whispers of Thomas being brought up to replace Hicks in the line-up. A leg injury slowed down Thomas in more recent weeks so he isn't joining the Twins on the kind of tear he was on at the start of the year. In his last ten games with Rochester, he hit .225/.311/.525 with three home runs and three doubles. Thomas isn't exactly a spring chicken. He is 29-years old and he has 472 MLB plate appearances under his belt. The majority of those plate appearances came with the Detroit Tigers in 2008 and 2009. Since that point, he has bouncing around in the minor leagues. Last season with the Twins, he played 12 games with the club and hit .143/.172/.286 with a home run and a double. Things have been going better for Hicks at the plate. In the last 12 games, he is hitting .279/.295/.605 with three home runs, a triple, and three doubles. Besides the improvement at the plate, he has also been making some very good plays on the defensive side of the ball. He might not have completely figured out the big leagues but he sure looks better than some of the earlier parts of the year. It is in the best long term interest of the team to continue to play Hicks on a regular basis. He is going to be the center fielder for this team for the next couple of seasons. Eventually, he might have to shift to a corner outfield role but that would only be to allow a younger Byron Buxton to take over in center field. Hicks needs repetitions so he is able to figure out the big league level. Thomas took the place of left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Robertson on the 40-man roster. Robertson has some trouble controlling his breaking ball at Rochester as he walked 16 mean in almost 21 innings. His 3.05 ERA is fine but it's not exactly like the Twins will be hurting since he isn't on the roster. Overall, it's nice to have an option in center field if Hicks needs an off day. For the most part, Thomas should be riding the bench so Hicks can be getting as much playing time as possible. Thomas provides insurance for the club in case of an injury to Hicks. There was also word out of the Twins clubhouse that Hicks has been icing a foot after games recently. This might not be anything serious but it could be a sign of him dealing with something. Ron Gardenhire could look to give the rookie a day off in the next couple of days. Before Thomas joined the team, there were few options to take over center field. The Twins have been playing well in the last week or so. This is a good sign but the club needs to continue to think about their future. Thomas is not going to be part of the next winning baseball team in Minnesota but he can help in the present. Hicks is working his way through some of the rookie stumbling blocks. If the Twins need him, Thomas is there to help out when needed.

Earlier this week, the Twins made a roster move to bring in some center field help for Aaron Hicks. For most of the season, the club has been without a back-up center fielder because Darin Mastroianni has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury. Even last week, Chris Parmelee had to play a defensive inning in center field in the late portion of a game. The Twins need a back-up center fielder and Thomas was one of the few options. When Hicks was struggling at the beginning of the season, Thomas was destroying the ball for Triple-A. During the month of April, he hit .362/.456/.621 with four home runs and three doubles. There were some whispers of Thomas being brought up to replace Hicks in the line-up. A leg injury slowed down Thomas in more recent weeks so he isn't joining the Twins on the kind of tear he was on at the start of the year. In his last ten games with Rochester, he hit .225/.311/.525 with three home runs and three doubles. Thomas isn't exactly a spring chicken. He is 29-years old and he has 472 MLB plate appearances under his belt. The majority of those plate appearances came with the Detroit Tigers in 2008 and 2009. Since that point, he has bouncing around in the minor leagues. Last season with the Twins, he played 12 games with the club and hit .143/.172/.286 with a home run and a double. Things have been going better for Hicks at the plate. In the last 12 games, he is hitting .279/.295/.605 with three home runs, a triple, and three doubles. Besides the improvement at the plate, he has also been making some very good plays on the defensive side of the ball. He might not have completely figured out the big leagues but he sure looks better than some of the earlier parts of the year. It is in the best long term interest of the team to continue to play Hicks on a regular basis. He is going to be the center fielder for this team for the next couple of seasons. Eventually, he might have to shift to a corner outfield role but that would only be to allow a younger Byron Buxton to take over in center field. Hicks needs repetitions so he is able to figure out the big league level. Thomas took the place of left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Robertson on the 40-man roster. Robertson has some trouble controlling his breaking ball at Rochester as he walked 16 mean in almost 21 innings. His 3.05 ERA is fine but it's not exactly like the Twins will be hurting since he isn't on the roster. Overall, it's nice to have an option in center field if Hicks needs an off day. For the most part, Thomas should be riding the bench so Hicks can be getting as much playing time as possible. Thomas provides insurance for the club in case of an injury to Hicks. There was also word out of the Twins clubhouse that Hicks has been icing a foot after games recently. This might not be anything serious but it could be a sign of him dealing with something. Ron Gardenhire could look to give the rookie a day off in the next couple of days. Before Thomas joined the team, there were few options to take over center field. The Twins have been playing well in the last week or so. This is a good sign but the club needs to continue to think about their future. Thomas is not going to be part of the next winning baseball team in Minnesota but he can help in the present. Hicks is working his way through some of the rookie stumbling blocks. If the Twins need him, Thomas is there to help out when needed.

At the beginning of the spring, there was a question about what the Twins would do with the men behind the plate. Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit were locks to make the roster. Minnesota carried three catchers for most of 2012 so one would assume that a third catcher would be on the roster in 2013. The year started with Mauer and Doumit being the only members of the Twins catching core. Drew Butera and Chris Herrmann were in the running for the third catcher role but both players ended up in Rochester for the start of the season. It would be a short run for Butera at Rochester. In his first at-bat, a pitch hit him on his hand. His pinky finger was broken and he hasn't been back on the field since that point. At 29-years old, Butera isn't exactly up-and-coming. He has over 500 plate appearances at the big league level and fans know what to expect from him. The front office has made some interesting choices with Butera so far this year. He could have been dropped from the 40-man roster on multiple occasions. The Twins have five total catchers on their 40-man roster and Butera's .183/.232/.265 batting line is far below replacement level. His time might be running out in Minnesota especially with other player’s performances. Herrmann is getting his second taste of the big leagues after being a September call-up last season. His brief MLB stint didn't leave too many memories but he is back with some more positive results. On Sunday afternoon, he hit his first career home run as part of his first multi-hit game. The ability of Herrmann to play multiple positions also makes him an intriguing roster option. On Sunday, he was starting in left field and this is a trend that has continued from the minors. Over the course of his five seasons in the Twins system, he has played 169 games in left field and 220 games at catcher. When some other members of the Twins roster begin to get healthy, it could start to get tough for the Twins to send him back down to Rochester. He is 25-years old but he only has 43 games of Triple-A experience. As the long 162-game schedule continues, the Twins are going to want a third catcher and it's looking more and more like that will be Herrmann. Josmil Pinto is the other catcher on the Twins 40-man roster. He has played the entire season for Double-A New Britain. After a very strong season for Fort Myers last year, Pinto is putting together what might be his best season as a professional. Through 55 games, he is batting .332/.426/.535 with nine home runs, 12 doubles, and 42 RBI. New Britain has used him as a catcher and a DH this year but he is still very good behind the plate. He has thrown out 31% of potential base stealers. Pinto has also done a good job with some of the best young pitchers in the organization. Pitcher like Trevor May, Alex Meyer, and Logan Darnell could be on the same path to the big leagues as Pinto. Mauer and Doumit will continue to get most of the time behind the plate in the next couple of seasons. Herrmann can be a solid third catcher and part-time outfielder for the present and he is a viable option to take over the role of Doumit when his contract expires. If Pinto keeps playing like this, it will be hard to keep him out of the big leagues for very much longer. The present members of the Twins catching core continue to make their mark on the club. Players like Herrmann and Pinto make it fun to look to what could be more permanent fixtures down the line. For now, the future of Twins catching looks to be in good shaping moving forward.

At the beginning of the spring, there was a question about what the Twins would do with the men behind the plate. Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit were locks to make the roster. Minnesota carried three catchers for most of 2012 so one would assume that a third catcher would be on the roster in 2013. The year started with Mauer and Doumit being the only members of the Twins catching core. Drew Butera and Chris Herrmann were in the running for the third catcher role but both players ended up in Rochester for the start of the season. It would be a short run for Butera at Rochester. In his first at-bat, a pitch hit him on his hand. His pinky finger was broken and he hasn't been back on the field since that point. At 29-years old, Butera isn't exactly up-and-coming. He has over 500 plate appearances at the big league level and fans know what to expect from him. The front office has made some interesting choices with Butera so far this year. He could have been dropped from the 40-man roster on multiple occasions. The Twins have five total catchers on their 40-man roster and Butera's .183/.232/.265 batting line is far below replacement level. His time might be running out in Minnesota especially with other player’s performances. Herrmann is getting his second taste of the big leagues after being a September call-up last season. His brief MLB stint didn't leave too many memories but he is back with some more positive results. On Sunday afternoon, he hit his first career home run as part of his first multi-hit game. The ability of Herrmann to play multiple positions also makes him an intriguing roster option. On Sunday, he was starting in left field and this is a trend that has continued from the minors. Over the course of his five seasons in the Twins system, he has played 169 games in left field and 220 games at catcher. When some other members of the Twins roster begin to get healthy, it could start to get tough for the Twins to send him back down to Rochester. He is 25-years old but he only has 43 games of Triple-A experience. As the long 162-game schedule continues, the Twins are going to want a third catcher and it's looking more and more like that will be Herrmann. Josmil Pinto is the other catcher on the Twins 40-man roster. He has played the entire season for Double-A New Britain. After a very strong season for Fort Myers last year, Pinto is putting together what might be his best season as a professional. Through 55 games, he is batting .332/.426/.535 with nine home runs, 12 doubles, and 42 RBI. New Britain has used him as a catcher and a DH this year but he is still very good behind the plate. He has thrown out 31% of potential base stealers. Pinto has also done a good job with some of the best young pitchers in the organization. Pitcher like Trevor May, Alex Meyer, and Logan Darnell could be on the same path to the big leagues as Pinto. Mauer and Doumit will continue to get most of the time behind the plate in the next couple of seasons. Herrmann can be a solid third catcher and part-time outfielder for the present and he is a viable option to take over the role of Doumit when his contract expires. If Pinto keeps playing like this, it will be hard to keep him out of the big leagues for very much longer. The present members of the Twins catching core continue to make their mark on the club. Players like Herrmann and Pinto make it fun to look to what could be more permanent fixtures down the line. For now, the future of Twins catching looks to be in good shaping moving forward.

After some miserable baseball in Twins Territory, this week wasn't so bad for the hometown nine. It helps to play the lowly Brewers but it is still important to win games no matter who the opponent is. There were some close games but the club was able to steal a couple wins in Milwaukee before the two teams switched venues. The trip back to Target Field turned out to be just as good for the Twins. Minnesota won both games on their home turf. It was also nice to see the team pound out a bunch of home runs against former Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse. In another Twins training room nightmare, Trevor Plouffe was activated from the 7-day concussion disabled list on Wednesday. That same night, he hurt his calf in warm-ups and ended up back on the DL. The injury situation for the Twins is always an adventure. Before you head out of the office for the weekend, check out the latest edition of "Weekly Links-N-Thinks." You'll laugh. You'll cry. It's the best of times. It's the worst of times. Before the draft is a great time to look at what the Twins already have in the farm system. Alex Meyer is missing high and that's not a good thing. Advanced stats are part of the game and it was interesting to hear how Cory Provus uses them in the Twins radio booth. There have been some struggles for Chris Parmelee and his time might be running out. A possible future member of the Twins rotation is serving as the Kernels stopper this year. With the draft approaching, it's always fun to look back on previous years. Here is a look back at the 2006 draft. This is one of the most important posts about Target Field EVER written. So far this year, there have been plenty of underachievers in the Twins line-up. It has been quite an interesting year for the Twins starting rotation and it could get even more intriguing as the year goes on. Did the Twins already lose the Worley-Revere trade? Bryon Buxton jumped all the way to the number two prospect in baseball for ESPN.com These two relief arms look to be headed to Target Field at some point. Greg Gagne went through a lot in his baseball career. Chris Colabello had a rookie mistake when he wore the wrong uniform in Milwaukee. Jason Giambi isn't fast so his attempt to steal third base was pretty funny. Minnesota's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year was named and he is from the school I worked at the last couple of years. "Casey at the Bat" was published 125 years ago this week. Brewers Manager Ron Roenicke has an interesting connection to one Twins player. You know you missed this beautiful swing in the Twins line-up this season. Skunk on the Field!!! Here's the last time each team drafted an All-Star. If you thought the Joe Mauer was the Twins name on the list, you would be wrong. There is a shortage of redheads in baseball. The Pirates have a new addition to their clubhouse. It's time for the Twins bullpen to have a cool nickname. Trevor Bauer gave the Cleveland Indians a terrible anthem for their season. One of the best sports physicians in the world, Dr. Lewis Yocum, passed away earlier this week. He was the man that performed Francisco Liriano's Tommy John surgery. My Weekly Rundown Saturday: Talk to Contact: Episode 39 Sunday: Twins Minor League Report (5/26): Arcia Hurt Tuesday: The Many Sides of Carlos Gomez Twins MLB Draft Profile: Brandon Shipley, RHP Wednesday: Twins Minor League Report (5/29): Rochester Comebacks Video of the Week: I love old baseball things so this video of Walter Johnson's throwing motion was something I had to share. Ty Cobb once said that Johnson's fastball "hissed with danger." It might be tough to tell if the ball is hissing in this video but is still cool to see him on the mound. These are some must watch clips for every type of baseball fan.

After some miserable baseball in Twins Territory, this week wasn't so bad for the hometown nine. It helps to play the lowly Brewers but it is still important to win games no matter who the opponent is. There were some close games but the club was able to steal a couple wins in Milwaukee before the two teams switched venues. The trip back to Target Field turned out to be just as good for the Twins. Minnesota won both games on their home turf. It was also nice to see the team pound out a bunch of home runs against former Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse. In another Twins training room nightmare, Trevor Plouffe was activated from the 7-day concussion disabled list on Wednesday. That same night, he hurt his calf in warm-ups and ended up back on the DL. The injury situation for the Twins is always an adventure. Before you head out of the office for the weekend, check out the latest edition of "Weekly Links-N-Thinks." You'll laugh. You'll cry. It's the best of times. It's the worst of times. Before the draft is a great time to look at what the Twins already have in the farm system. Alex Meyer is missing high and that's not a good thing. Advanced stats are part of the game and it was interesting to hear how Cory Provus uses them in the Twins radio booth. There have been some struggles for Chris Parmelee and his time might be running out. A possible future member of the Twins rotation is serving as the Kernels stopper this year. With the draft approaching, it's always fun to look back on previous years. Here is a look back at the 2006 draft. This is one of the most important posts about Target Field EVER written. So far this year, there have been plenty of underachievers in the Twins line-up. It has been quite an interesting year for the Twins starting rotation and it could get even more intriguing as the year goes on. Did the Twins already lose the Worley-Revere trade? Bryon Buxton jumped all the way to the number two prospect in baseball for ESPN.com These two relief arms look to be headed to Target Field at some point. Greg Gagne went through a lot in his baseball career. Chris Colabello had a rookie mistake when he wore the wrong uniform in Milwaukee. Jason Giambi isn't fast so his attempt to steal third base was pretty funny. Minnesota's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year was named and he is from the school I worked at the last couple of years. "Casey at the Bat" was published 125 years ago this week. Brewers Manager Ron Roenicke has an interesting connection to one Twins player. You know you missed this beautiful swing in the Twins line-up this season. Skunk on the Field!!! Here's the last time each team drafted an All-Star. If you thought the Joe Mauer was the Twins name on the list, you would be wrong. There is a shortage of redheads in baseball. The Pirates have a new addition to their clubhouse. It's time for the Twins bullpen to have a cool nickname. Trevor Bauer gave the Cleveland Indians a terrible anthem for their season. One of the best sports physicians in the world, Dr. Lewis Yocum, passed away earlier this week. He was the man that performed Francisco Liriano's Tommy John surgery. My Weekly Rundown Saturday: Talk to Contact: Episode 39 Sunday: Twins Minor League Report (5/26): Arcia Hurt Tuesday: The Many Sides of Carlos Gomez Twins MLB Draft Profile: Brandon Shipley, RHP Wednesday: Twins Minor League Report (5/29): Rochester Comebacks Video of the Week: I love old baseball things so this video of Walter Johnson's throwing motion was something I had to share. Ty Cobb once said that Johnson's fastball "hissed with danger." It might be tough to tell if the ball is hissing in this video but is still cool to see him on the mound. These are some must watch clips for every type of baseball fan.

The Twins finished off their road trip with two wins in Milwaukee over the last couple days. Now the border battle moved to Target Field for a couple of games. Trevor Plouffe was reinstated from the 7-day concussion disabled list but he was a late scratch with some left calf tightness. This meant Chris Colabello was sent back to Rochester. Maybe it was because the rookie wore the wrong jersey on Tuesday night. This leaves the Twins with three catchers on their roster including Chris Herrmann. Here's a look into Wednesday night's minor league action. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Rochester Red Wings 8, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 7 (Completion of 5/28 Game) Box Score Weather got in the way for these two clubs on Tuesday evening. This meant their game got suspended in the top of the fifth inning with one out. The IronPigs were leading 6-5 at the time of the suspension. There was still plenty of time for a Rochester comeback. Andrew Albers started the game on Tuesday and he pitched 4.1 innings before the rains came. It was his worst start of the season as he allowed five earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. The six runs allowed by Albers were a career high. When play resumed, Luis Perdomo took over the pitching duties. He got the final two outs of the fifth inning and went on to pitch another two frames. Perdomo allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts. Tyler Robertson got out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth with a pop out and a strikeout. At the plate, Jeff Clement had himself quite the game. He hit a solo home run in Tuesday's portion of the game and he hit another solo shot in Wednesday's portion. Brian Dinkelman had his first triple of the season. The hit moved him into third place on the Red Wings all-time hits list in the Twins era. The biggest hit of the game was a two-run single off the bat of Ray Olmedo to give Rochester the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Rochester Red Wings 8, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 7 (7 innings) Box Score Three home runs were just enough for Rochester in this game. Doug Bernier, Clete Thomas, and Dan Rohlfing all hit home runs and the Red Wings had another comeback victory up their sleeves. The win clinched a series victory for Rochester and the club can go for the sweep tomorrow morning. Pedro Hernandez made his second start since being sent down by the Twins and things didn't go so great. He was roughed up over 3.1 innings to the tune of six runs and nine hits. Only three of the runs were earned but he only struck out one batter and walked two men. Daniel Turpen and Shairon Martis did a fine job in relief of Hernandez. Turpen earned his second victory of the year by throwing 1.2 innings. The only blemish on his night was a solo home run. Martis earned his first save of the year and his first save since the 2005 Arizona Fall League. Danny Lehmann went 3-for-3 with a run scored. Clete Thomas finished the night with a double, a home run, and three RBI. Oswaldo Arcia didn't join the hit parade as he went 0-for-3 with a strike out. He has yet to record a hit since being sent down. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels 10 Box Score There was a whole lot of offense going on in New Britain on Wednesday night. The Rock Cats ended up on the wrong end of a shoot out and there were some rough moments on the mound and in the field. New Britain had four errors in the game but the defense also turned three double plays. DJ Baxendale got called up from Fort Myers to make his first Double-A start. He had been terrific in the Florida State League with a 1.10 ERA and a perfect 7-0 record. Things didn't go so great for him on this night. He surrendered seven earned runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a double. Danny Santana and Jordan Parraz both went 2-for-4 and Parraz added his third double of the year. Chris Pettit had his first multi-hit game since joining the Rock Cats seven days ago. He went 2-5 out of the leadoff spot with his second double. New Britain sits five games under .500 and the team will look to salvage the last game of the series tomorrow morning. Pat Dean is scheduled to start and he is looking to repeat a solid outing in his last start. Fort Myers Miracle 10, Bradenton Marauders 3 Box Score Matt Tomshaw, Eddie Rosario, and Kennys Vargas worked together to put on quite the show for the Miracle. The win marked the fourth in the last five games for Fort Myers. It also clinched a series win and the Miracle have not lost a series in the month of May. Tomshaw was terrific on the mound. He gave up two hits and one earned run on a solo home run. Over six innings, he struck out four and only walked one batter. It was his first start since being called up from Cedar Rapids and it couldn't have gone much better for the lefty. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4225[/ATTACH] As good as Tomshaw was on the mound, Rosario and Vargas were just as good at the plate. Rosario finished the night 3-for-5 with a home run and a double. Vargas was 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. Both players knocked in two runners with two outs in an inning. It was the 37th win of the year for Fort Myers and the team will go for the series sweep on Thursday evening. After that, the club will head to Palm Beach to play the Cardinals in a three-game weekend series. Cedar Rapids Kernels --, Clinton LumberKings -- (Postponed) The game between the Kernels and the LumberKings was postponed on Wednesday evening. A double-header will be played on Thursday starting at 4:00 pm. Thursdays games will both be scheduled for seven innings. Cedar Rapids has only won one game in the last week. This has shrunk their lead in the Western Division of the Midwest League to one game. The club boasts an 18-7 record at home but the club is only one game over .500 on the road (13-

Who IS This Guy? Shipley is a former shortstop that only moved to the mound full-time last year. He is still among the top 10 talents in the draft because of his low-effort delivery and the effectiveness of some of his pitches. His recent performances for Nevada have him moving quickly up the draft boards. In the past, he has hit 99 mph with his fastball but he is more consistently in the 92-95 mph range. His best pitch is his changeup, which counters his fastball nicely. His change sits 83-86 mph and he uses great arm speed to deceive the batter. He does have a curveball but he doesn't have a feel for this pitch yet probably because of his inexperience. Overall, he can throw strikes and this is a trait the Twins have coveted in the past. One NL scout recently said, "When he is firing on all cylinders, he's as good as any pitcher not named Appel in this class." That's high praise and it could be tough for teams to pass him by. Who Could He Be? His arm strength and athleticism make him an intriguing pitching option especially since he is so new to the position. He had a great start to the spring season and some hiccups in the middle. More recent starts have been better and this could help his draft stock. Shipley will need to work on his curveball if he is going to develop into a top of the rotation pitcher. He doesn't have much feel for this pitch and this is evident in the type of break he gets while throwing it. With more repetition, this pitch could move from the below average range and help to make him more effective. He might not be in the elite class of college arms in this draft but he isn't far behind. The ceiling for him might be a number two pitcher on most teams. With the Twins, he could end up being a front of the rotation hurler for multiple seasons. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? Out of all of the pitchers taken early in the draft, Shipley might need the most development time in the minors. His fastball and change-up are great but he is going to need time to work on his curveball. This will only come with repetition in the minors. If he signed right away, the Twins would likely send him to the rookie leagues for the end of the 2013 season to pitch out of the bullpen. Next season, he would get the chance to be a starter for Cedar Rapids. After spending the entire season with the Kernels, he could move to Fort Myers for 2015. In 2016, he would make his way to New Britain with a shot at going to Rochester. Because of his inexperience, it would seem that 2017 would be the earliest he could make an appearance with the Twins. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because... There are more experienced college pitchers in this draft. Shipley could be a wild card especially if his secondary pitches aren't honed in the minors. His fastball and change-up combination could make him a deadly bullpen weapon. With the fourth pick in the draft, a team doesn't necessarily want a good relief pitcher. The front office and the fans want a front of the line starter and Shipley might not have all of the tools to reach this lofty goal. It would also take some time for him to develop in the minor leagues and the Twins might be back in contention before he is ready to take over a rotation spot. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because... The Twins need pitchers with upside. With Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray likely off the board, Shipley is the next best collegiate option. Other prep arms like Kohl Stewart could take even more time to develop in the minor leagues. Some members of this organization might lose their jobs before a younger arm makes it to the big leagues. Shipley's upper 90s velocity makes him a power arm this organization has been lacking. In recent weeks, he has shown more control over his curveball and this could make him a devastating pitcher. At the beginning of the spring season, there were other collegiate pitchers in front of him. But by draft day, he could be the third college arm off of the board. Twins Daily MLB Draft Player Profiles: Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SP Tuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP Friday, May 24-- Clint Frazier, OF Tuesday, May 28-- Reese McGuire, C

Who IS This Guy? Shipley is a former shortstop that only moved to the mound full-time last year. He is still among the top 10 talents in the draft because of his low-effort delivery and the effectiveness of some of his pitches. His recent performances for Nevada have him moving quickly up the draft boards. In the past, he has hit 99 mph with his fastball but he is more consistently in the 92-95 mph range. His best pitch is his changeup, which counters his fastball nicely. His change sits 83-86 mph and he uses great arm speed to deceive the batter. He does have a curveball but he doesn't have a feel for this pitch yet probably because of his inexperience. Overall, he can throw strikes and this is a trait the Twins have coveted in the past. One NL scout recently said, "When he is firing on all cylinders, he's as good as any pitcher not named Appel in this class." That's high praise and it could be tough for teams to pass him by. Who Could He Be? His arm strength and athleticism make him an intriguing pitching option especially since he is so new to the position. He had a great start to the spring season and some hiccups in the middle. More recent starts have been better and this could help his draft stock. Shipley will need to work on his curveball if he is going to develop into a top of the rotation pitcher. He doesn't have much feel for this pitch and this is evident in the type of break he gets while throwing it. With more repetition, this pitch could move from the below average range and help to make him more effective. He might not be in the elite class of college arms in this draft but he isn't far behind. The ceiling for him might be a number two pitcher on most teams. With the Twins, he could end up being a front of the rotation hurler for multiple seasons. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? Out of all of the pitchers taken early in the draft, Shipley might need the most development time in the minors. His fastball and change-up are great but he is going to need time to work on his curveball. This will only come with repetition in the minors. If he signed right away, the Twins would likely send him to the rookie leagues for the end of the 2013 season to pitch out of the bullpen. Next season, he would get the chance to be a starter for Cedar Rapids. After spending the entire season with the Kernels, he could move to Fort Myers for 2015. In 2016, he would make his way to New Britain with a shot at going to Rochester. Because of his inexperience, it would seem that 2017 would be the earliest he could make an appearance with the Twins. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because... There are more experienced college pitchers in this draft. Shipley could be a wild card especially if his secondary pitches aren't honed in the minors. His fastball and change-up combination could make him a deadly bullpen weapon. With the fourth pick in the draft, a team doesn't necessarily want a good relief pitcher. The front office and the fans want a front of the line starter and Shipley might not have all of the tools to reach this lofty goal. It would also take some time for him to develop in the minor leagues and the Twins might be back in contention before he is ready to take over a rotation spot. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because... The Twins need pitchers with upside. With Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray likely off the board, Shipley is the next best collegiate option. Other prep arms like Kohl Stewart could take even more time to develop in the minor leagues. Some members of this organization might lose their jobs before a younger arm makes it to the big leagues. Shipley's upper 90s velocity makes him a power arm this organization has been lacking. In recent weeks, he has shown more control over his curveball and this could make him a devastating pitcher. At the beginning of the spring season, there were other collegiate pitchers in front of him. But by draft day, he could be the third college arm off of the board. Twins Daily MLB Draft Player Profiles: Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SP Tuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP Friday, May 24-- Clint Frazier, OF Tuesday, May 28-- Reese McGuire, C

It has been four seasons since Carlos Gomez last wore the uniform of the Minnesota Twins. At that point in his career, he was a hotshot 23-year old outfielder that was heading to his third club in four years. The defensive side of the ball was his calling card and his offensive game still looked to be in the infant stages. The Twins acquired Gomez as the top prospect in the famous deal that sent Johan Santana to the New York Mets. He would play 290 games in Minnesota while hitting .248/.293/.352 with 10 home runs, 12 triples, and 39 doubles. This all added up to a 0.8 WAR in two seasons. Minnesota eventually got tired of the attitude of Gomez and his lack of offensive production. This meant he was shipped across the border to Milwaukee in a deal that netted the Twins JJ Hardy. His first two seasons for the Brewers were filled with ups and downs. He hit .238/.288/.377 in 191 games from 2010-2011. At 25-years old, Milwaukee stuck with Gomez and it seems to be paying off. Flash-forward to the present day and Gomez is putting together his finest season as a professional. His name is being bounced around as a potential MVP candidate and he could be in line to make his first All-Star team. Oh, how things have changed for Mr. Gomez... Twins fans got an up close and personal view of Gomez on Monday afternoon as he put on a personal hitting clinic in Milwaukee. In his first two at-bats, he hit solo-home runs. They were his ninth and tenth home runs respectively. This wasn't just one miracle game from Gomez. He has been putting up solid offensive numbers all season. His .331 batting average ranks him in the top five in the National League. To go along with his 10 home runs, he has three triples and 13 doubles so there has been plenty of power. His slugging percentage is also in the top five in the NL. There were positive signs from Gomez at the end of last season. He batted .233/.280/.423 in the first half of 2012 but something clicked after the All-Star Break. He would hit .278/.321/.488 with 14 home runs and 11 doubles in the second half of the year. Gomez has never hit more than 8 home runs in one season so to knock out 19 in one year was quite the power surge. Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin liked what he saw from Gomez down the stretch so the club signed him to a four-year, $28.3 million extension. At the time of the signing, it looked like the Brewers were overpaying for someone with one half of a good season at the big league level. The performance of Gomez so far this year makes it look like Milwaukee made a wise investment. This new and improved version of Gomez can leave some fans wondering… Did the Twins get rid of Gomez before the club should have? There were plenty of other center fielders in the Twins organization. Denard Span, Ben Revere, and Aaron Hicks were all in different parts of their development when Gomez was sent packing. Span looked ready to take over the center field job on a regular basis. Revere and Hicks were still in the minors but on their way to the big leagues. It also doesn't seem likely that the Twins would have waited for Gomez to try and solve his offensive woes. For Gomez, it took five seasons and close to 2,000 plate appearances to get to this point. With better offensive options in center field, the Twins would have likely passed on Gomez before his offensive explosion. The future could be interesting for Mr. Gomez. In 2016 at 30-years old, he will be making $9 million. That is almost more than he has made in his entire career up to this point. Will Gomez be worth that kind of money in four years? Only time will tell...

It has been four seasons since Carlos Gomez last wore the uniform of the Minnesota Twins. At that point in his career, he was a hotshot 23-year old outfielder that was heading to his third club in four years. The defensive side of the ball was his calling card and his offensive game still looked to be in the infant stages. The Twins acquired Gomez as the top prospect in the famous deal that sent Johan Santana to the New York Mets. He would play 290 games in Minnesota while hitting .248/.293/.352 with 10 home runs, 12 triples, and 39 doubles. This all added up to a 0.8 WAR in two seasons. Minnesota eventually got tired of the attitude of Gomez and his lack of offensive production. This meant he was shipped across the border to Milwaukee in a deal that netted the Twins JJ Hardy. His first two seasons for the Brewers were filled with ups and downs. He hit .238/.288/.377 in 191 games from 2010-2011. At 25-years old, Milwaukee stuck with Gomez and it seems to be paying off. Flash-forward to the present day and Gomez is putting together his finest season as a professional. His name is being bounced around as a potential MVP candidate and he could be in line to make his first All-Star team. Oh, how things have changed for Mr. Gomez... Twins fans got an up close and personal view of Gomez on Monday afternoon as he put on a personal hitting clinic in Milwaukee. In his first two at-bats, he hit solo-home runs. They were his ninth and tenth home runs respectively. This wasn't just one miracle game from Gomez. He has been putting up solid offensive numbers all season. His .331 batting average ranks him in the top five in the National League. To go along with his 10 home runs, he has three triples and 13 doubles so there has been plenty of power. His slugging percentage is also in the top five in the NL. There were positive signs from Gomez at the end of last season. He batted .233/.280/.423 in the first half of 2012 but something clicked after the All-Star Break. He would hit .278/.321/.488 with 14 home runs and 11 doubles in the second half of the year. Gomez has never hit more than 8 home runs in one season so to knock out 19 in one year was quite the power surge. Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin liked what he saw from Gomez down the stretch so the club signed him to a four-year, $28.3 million extension. At the time of the signing, it looked like the Brewers were overpaying for someone with one half of a good season at the big league level. The performance of Gomez so far this year makes it look like Milwaukee made a wise investment. This new and improved version of Gomez can leave some fans wondering… Did the Twins get rid of Gomez before the club should have? There were plenty of other center fielders in the Twins organization. Denard Span, Ben Revere, and Aaron Hicks were all in different parts of their development when Gomez was sent packing. Span looked ready to take over the center field job on a regular basis. Revere and Hicks were still in the minors but on their way to the big leagues. It also doesn't seem likely that the Twins would have waited for Gomez to try and solve his offensive woes. For Gomez, it took five seasons and close to 2,000 plate appearances to get to this point. With better offensive options in center field, the Twins would have likely passed on Gomez before his offensive explosion. The future could be interesting for Mr. Gomez. In 2016 at 30-years old, he will be making $9 million. That is almost more than he has made in his entire career up to this point. Will Gomez be worth that kind of money in four years? Only time will tell...