Steve Lein

Kevin Correia did all he could for the Twins against Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees on Saturday, but the bullpen was unable to keep the game tied after an eighth inning rain delay, and the Twins would fall 3-1. Rain would also prevent one affiliate’s game from being played on Saturday, while the AAA team received another strong effort from a top prospect. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 1, Rochester 6 Box score Rochester would put runs on the board in each of the first three innings to take a 4-0 lead, and it would be more than enough offense to support starter Trevor May. In seven shutout frames, May allowed only four hits and two walks, while striking out four. In his last four starts, the righthander has allowed only one unearned run in twenty-six innings, and has lowered his ERA on the season to 2.62. He also lowered his league-leading Batting Average Against to .196. Matt Hoffman was charged with the only Gwinnet run in the eighth inning, and was replaced by A.J. Achter who shut the door on a bases loaded threat. Achter would finish the game with a clean ninth inning to pick up his fourth save. The Rochester offense pounded out thirteen hits in the game including one from every hitter in the lineup. Eric Farris, Doug Bernier, Eric Fryer, and Pedro Florimon all had two hits, with Florimon’s second inning solo-HR being their only extra-base hit. Bernier led the team with two RBI, and Deibinson Romero drew two walks. With the win, the Red Wings took back first place in the International League North division, and have now won fourteen of their last eighteen games. ROCK CATS REVIEW Binghamton 2, New Britain 3 Box score Virgil Vasquez made the start for New Britain and scattered nine hits and a walk over six innings. He allowed just the two runs and struck out four in a quality start effort. He was relieved by Mark Hamburger, making his first appearance of the year after serving his suspension. In two scoreless innings, Hamburger gave up two hits and walked one, and struck out two. Lester Oliveros picked up his seventh save with a scoreless ninth. The offense was led by Danny Ortiz and Kennys Vargas, who each went 2-4. Ortiz and Mike Kvasnicka had the only extra-base hits (doubles) for the Rock Cats, and Vargas and Brad Boyer each collected an RBI. The two-hit game for Ortiz was his sixth multi-hit game in his last ten, and he finished the month of May with a .388 batting average in twenty-seven games. MIRACLE MATTERS The Fort Myers Miracle game against the Tampa Yankees was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up tomorrow in a double header starting at 2:05PM CST. KERNELS NUGGETS Burlington 7, Cedar Rapids 6 Box score The Burlington Bees struck quickly with three runs in the first inning against Kernels starter Josue Montanez, but it was two errors from the Kernels defense that allowed them to score. Montanez then kept the Bees off the board until the fourth inning, when another error would lead to a fourth unearned run and end to his night. In four innings Montanez allowed four hits, one walk, and had seven strikeouts. Alex Muren pitched three innings of relief, surrendering three earned runs on four hits. He struck out four. Felix Jorge would finish the game for the Kernels with two scoreless innings. Down 7-2 in the eighth inning, the Kernels mounted a strong effort at a comeback. Engelb Vielma led off the inning with a walk, then a Chad Christensen single and Mitch Garver walk loaded the bases. Third baseman Bryan Haar then cleared the bases with a triple and would score on a Jason Kanzler single, but that would be as close as the Kernels could get. Vielma and Christensen each went 2-4 in the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Trevor May, Rochester Red Wigns (7.0 IP, 4 H’s, 2 BB’s, 4 K’s) Hitter – Danny Ortiz, New Britain Rock Cats (2-4, 2B, R) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester – Yohan Pino (6-1, 1.73 ERA), 12:05PM CST Binghamton @ New Britain – Pat Dean (2-2, 5.15 ERA), 12:35PM CST Tampa @ Fort Myers (Game 1) – Jose Berrios (4-2, 2.55 ERA), 2:05PM CST Tampa @ Fort Myers (Game 2) – Matthew Tomshaw (4-1, 1.88 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids – Kohl Stewart (1-2, 2.93 ERA), 2:05PM CST

I agree with you on 2 of 3 points, those being his skill level and stubborness. I think any "dumbness" is a result of that stubborness. He is not a dumb hitter, the approach has served him very well. But yeah, I have an issue with the stubborness. Why? Because often times you are getting multiple at-bats against the starting pitcher in a game and Mauer brings the same exact approach to every at-bat. You absolutely want to get a good look at the guys pitches in your first at-bat, and Joe is great at this. He'll often wait until he has 2 strikes and isn't afraid of this, allowing him to see a lot of pitches right away. Now, in the next at-bat, Joe has potentially already seen 4+ pitches, and likely all of that pitchers arsenal at that point. And he still takes that grooved first pitch fastball 90% of the time because he uses the same approach in all his at-bats. The problem with this is, that this pitch is almost universally going to be the best pitch to hit that Mauer see's in an at-bat, so he's shortchanging himself by doing this. What is he waiting for? Now I'm not saying he needs to overhaul anything as this has still worked pretty well for him, but I think he could benefit even more by being a bit more aggressive (like league average aggressive on 1st pitches instead of significantly below) if he's seen a bunch of pitches in the game already. It's nearly every game I watch where he takes one of these pitches and I cringe, because I know he'd crush it if he'd just swing the bat.

^ What he said!

I don't have any problem with this line of thinking, provided they've earned it at that pace. I would argue Vargas has earned it at the exact rate he has been promoted. And he may turn 24 soon, but he is also younger than the average player for the league he's in.

Just to further counter this idea: by the logic you're implying the Twins don't use, there should be several other players around the minor leagues on other teams that have been promoted due to performance by now, yes? Well, taking into account top 10 OPS leaders in each league of the minors as a reference point, here is the complete list of those players that have been promoted: Chris Parmelee (to MLB) Jesus Aguilar (to MLB) Kevin Pillar (to MLB) Jemile Weeks (to MLB) Nick Franklin (to MLB) Eric Campbell (to MLB) Ryan Schimpf (to AAA) Travis Shaw (to AAA ) Micah Johnson (to AAA) Zach Wilson (to AA) Patrick Valaika (to A+) Based on whom was deemed ready for their first promotion to the next league on performance so far this season, and are a relevant prospect, there are 5 total players out of that list of 11 players, and 5 out of 100 from the OPS leaderboards I sampled. That percentage would go far more toward zero if I surveyed the entirety of the minors, so I don't know where you get this idea that all other teams promote significantly faster, or in a somehow more meaningful way, than the Twins do. Also keep in mind, that among these top 10 OPS leaders are many players more highly regarded than Vargas and/or performing even better than he has thus far, such as Mookie Betts, Joey Gallo, Courtney Hawkins, and Brandom Nimmo and none of them has been promoted yet.

Oh...

This is how it works in every organization. They all spell out goals and milestones for players. Yes, there are cases where players push those timetables (Buxton did last year), but this is not the norm. I also think you vastly overestimate the power an agent has for a Minor League player in influencing when these things happen (literally zero).

Yes it is, and I'm not trying to use it in the way you're thinking! Could he be ready for AAA? Sure. Do they [ever?] know this for sure? I don't think so. Therefore you're not harming anything by being deliberate with and sticking to your process for promotions.

Thanks for stopping by! As others have said, there should be no rush with Vargas right now. He's going to get promoted at this rate, and I'm sure New Britain would appreciate having him around a little while longer!

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/3016-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(5-25)-Vargas-and-Berrios-Continue-Their-Strong-Months

The Minnesota Twins finished their five game road trip vs. the National League on Sunday, with a defeat at the hands of Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants to finish off a sweep. The Twins return home tomorrow to face the Texas Rangers on Memorial Day, looking to get their record on the season back to .500. Down on the farm, the Twins affiliates received some strong pitching performances, including another one from a top prospect, on their way to a 3-1 day at the ballpark. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Sranton/Wilkes-Barre 2 Box Score Kris Johnson took the mound for the Red Wings, and put in his best effort of the year, in which he has had many. On the season Johnson now sports a 4-2 record with a 2.11 ERA. In this game the lefty worked eight innings, allowing a single run in both the first and second innings, before settling in to face the minimum over the next six frames. He retired eighteen in a row at one point, before issuing a walk in the eighth inning, which he followed up by inducing an inning ending double play. Overall on the night Johnson allowed four hits and three walks with the two earned runs, and five strikeouts. A.J. Achter came in for the ninth inning and allowed only a walk. The offense struck for three runs in the fifth inning to take the lead, and added two insurance runs in the sixth. Almost all of the offense came from the number 5, 6, and 7 hitters in the Red Wings lineup: Wilkin Ramirez, Dan Rohlfing, and Doug Bernier, respectively. Ramirez was 2-4 with a double and 2 runs scored; Rohlfing was 2-3 with two doubles, a walk, RBI, and two runs scored; and Bernier was 3-5 with a run scored, two RBI, and a stolen base. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 1, Binghamton 3 Box Score New Britain got the scoring started early, courtesy of an RBI double in the first inning off the bat the red hot slugger Kennys Vargas. Unfortunately for them, this would be the only non-goose egg they would put up on the scoreboard all night. They left six runners on-base, and were 0-6 with RISP in the game. Vargas would add two more hits to finish 3-4, and increased his batting average on the year to .331. Danny Ortiz and A.J. Petterson each added a double. On the mound, the Rock Cats got a quality start effort from Sean Gilmartin, but it was not enough to overcome the lack of offense. Gilmartin went six innings, allowing seven hits, two walks, and a hit batter, while striking out five. Jim Fuller came on for the seventh inning and loaded the bases with two walks and a single, before escaping with no damage after a flyout to centerfield. He also struck out two in between the baserunners. Matthew Summers would finish the game, allowing only one walk. The switch-hitting Vargas deserves further mention. After starting the year (relatively) slow, with a .278/.363/.443 line in April, he has taken off in the month of May. In his last ten games, Vargas' batting line is .412/.500/.588, and over the entire month he has hit .381/.454/.643 with seven doubles, five home runs, and 20 RBI. He has also walked just as often as he has struck out (12 times). We were all disappointed when Miguel Sano went down for the year with an elbow injury, but Vargas is more than filling in the organizational power-void that many envisioned. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Jupiter 1 Box Score Starter Jose Berrios was looking to build off his ten strikeout performance his last time out, and he didn’t disappoint. On this night, the righty threw six fantastic innings, allowing only one earned on seven hits and a walk, while striking out seven. In his last four turns through the rotation, Twins Daily’s number six prospect has pitched 24.1 innings, allowing 17 hits and 10 walks, with 32 strikeouts and only 3 earned runs (1.11 ERA). Mason Melotakis and Tyler Jones would finish off the win for the Miracle, combining for three shutout innings. Jones picked up his fourth save. Dalton Hicks, Max Kepler, and Stuart Turner all collected two hits in the game. Travis Harrison and Kepler each had a double, with Kepler’s being of the bases-clearing variety to add three runs to scoreboard in the eighth inning. While Harrison’s current home run total on the season doesn’t reflect his power potential, his double was his fifteenth on the season and he now ranks third in the FSL in that category. This also extended Harrison’s hitting streak to fifteen games, a period during which he is batting .385 with seven doubles. Niko Goodrum was the only hitter in the Miracle lineup that did not record a hit, but he did draw a walk and scored a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 5 Box Score The leadoff man for the Kernels, J.D. Williams, started the team off on the right foot, by doubling to start the game and coming around to score on a Chad Christensen single. Williams wasn’t done after that either, as he would finish the game 3-5 with an RBI, the double, and two runs scored. Tanner Vavra and Jason Kanzler each had two hits on the night, with Kanzler slugging a solo home run in the second inning, his fifth of the year. The Kernels were forced to make a comeback late in the game, and the final tally would come off the bat of Bryan Haar, who hit his seventh home run in the top of the eighth to put the Kernels out front. Josue Montanez got the start, and went five innings. He left the game down 5-4, before the Kernels were able to make their comeback and leave him with a no-decision. All five of the runs were earned, and were courtesy of six hits and four walks. Jared Wilson came in to pitch the sixth and seventh innings, allowing only one walk and striking out two. Todd Van Steensel would finish the game with two shutout innings, and picked up his third save. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 H’s, 1 BB, 7 K’s) Hitter – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats (3-4, 2B, RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester – Trevor May (3-3, 3.35 ERA), 12:05PM CST New Britain @ Binghamton – TBD, 12:05PM CST Fort Myers – Scheduled off day Cedar Rapids @ Beloit – Kohl Stewart (1-1, 2.21 ERA), 2:00PM CST

I'm surprised you didn't mention the most interesting nugget of information about Beede I've seen, considering your own interests. His rapper name is "Young Beedah," haha!

I think these "terms" are pretty well defined, actually: 50=average 60=plus 70=plus-plus 80=elite from Kevin Goldstein: (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4860) "A score of 50 is major-league average, 60 is above-average (also referred to as "plus"), and 70 is among the best ("plus-plus"). 80 is top of the charts, and not a score that gets thrown around liberally. 80s in any category are rare..." cmb0252's list is exactly how I use it. A 55 is "above average."

That's why discussions like this are so great. I've read a ton on both players, and the consensus I've seen is definitely that Gordon's bat has more potential. That doesn't mean that will happen, of course.

That is certainly a factor! I have plenty to say about your other comments, but I'd rather not write a majority of what would be included in his upcoming profile in a comment!

Because I chose to write the profile for Gordon, haha! (coming in a few weeks)

Gordon ranks ahead of Turner (right now) for his bat and intangibles. Everything I've seen points to Turner being a bottom-of-the-order offensive contributor, while Gordon gets above-average marks in that regard (better swing, better contact ability, room for power to develop). Gordon gets higher marks for his arm and instincts on defense as well. Turner has him in the speed category, but Gordon rates as "Plus" there too.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/2983-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(5-17)-Pitching-is-Punished

The Minnesota Twins won their third game in a row on Saturday to push their record to over .500 on the season. Starting pitcher Samuel Deduno gave a quality start effort, and Brian Dozier continued to provide the thump in the lineup, slugging his eleventh home run of the season. It was a 3-run shot in the fifth inning that gave the Twins just enough cushion. There was plenty offense for a few of the Twins affiliate’s lineups on Saturday, but their pitching didn’t provide them with the same help collectively as Deduno did for the Twins. RED WINGS REPORT Toledo 2, Rochester 9 Box Score Logan Darnell made his second start for the Red Wings since returning from his one game cup of coffee with the Twins. He didn’t quite qualify for the “quality start” moniker, but might as well have. Darnell lasted 5.2 innings, scattering six hits and two walks, while striking out eight. He was charged with two runs (one earned). When he ran into trouble in the sixth after a Diebinson Romero error, Matt Hoffman came on in relief and shut the door on the threat. He would pitch the final 3.1 innings, striking out three while lowering his ERA on the season to 1.56. The Rochester lineup pushed two runs across in each of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings on their way to the blowout. Eric Farris and Romero each slugged a two-run homer, and Romero also added a triple and led the Red Wings with three RBI’s on the night. Farris, Romero, Dan Rohlfing, Eric Fryer, and Josh Willingham each had two hits. Oswaldo Arcia was hit by a pitch and walked twice, scoring two runs. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain played a double-header Saturday, making up their second of two postponed games with Harrisburg from the end of April. Game 1: New Britain 0, Harrisburg 5 Box Score In Game 1, the Rock Cats ran into the Washington Nationals #2 rated prospect by MLB.com, A.J. Cole. He would throw the seven inning complete game, allowing only four hits and zero walks, while striking out eight. Corey Wimberly had the only extra-base hit for New Britain, a double, and Brad Boyer stole two bases after his first inning single. Virgil Vasquez started for the Rock Cats, and allowed five earned runs on eight hits and two walks, though he did strike out nine in his 4.2 innings. Jim Fuller would finish the game with a perfect 1.1 innings. Game 2: New Britain 3, Harrisburg 9 Box Score In Game 2, starter Matthew Summers had many of the same problems as Vasquez in the first. He would finish five innings, but allowed all nine Senators runs on nine hits and three walks, with three K’s. He also allowed three home runs. Ryan O’Rourke pitched the final inning, allowing only a walk. Unlike the first game, New Britain did manage to send a few runners across home plate in this one. Kennys Vargas was 2-3 with an RBI and run scored, and Mike Kvasnicka was 2-2 with a walk and RBI. Reynaldo Rodriguez, Matt Koch, and Nate Hanson added doubles for the Rock Cats. MIRACLE MATTERS Daytona 11, Fort Myers 9 Box Score The Miracle made a valiant effort in the bottom of the ninth, but a bases clearing double by Adam Brett Walker II to score Jorge Polanco, Dalton Hicks, and Max Kepler would be their final runs before Daytona shut the door on the comeback. The offense for the Miracle was led by Walker II and Kepler, who each had three hits, including the aforementioned double by Walker II in the ninth, and a triple from Kepler in the second. Hicks also collected three RBI’s with a home run in the fifth inning, his second of the year. As a team, the Miracle had thirteen hits, including six extra base hits, but even that was not enough to keep pace with the Cubs. Daytona knocked around starter Jason Wheeler to the tune of six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks, including three doubles before he left the game after 2.2 innings. Relievers Tim Shibuya, Mason Melotakis, Brandon Peterson, and Madison Boer didn’t fare much better. Collectively they allowed the other five runs on ten hits and three walks in their 6.1 innings. Melotakis and Peterson each struck out three in two innings apiece. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 7 Box Score The Kernels struck first, scoring a run in the opening two frames of the game, but Burlington was quick to strike back at starter Ryan Eades. After getting one run back in the bottom of the second, the Bees added three in the third after three consecutive hitters slugged extra base hits (double-triple-double). Eades did recover to record the next five outs with strike outs, but the extra base hit bug would come back to bite Eades in the fifth and end his night. Overall in five innings, he allowed all seven of Burlington’s runs on nine hits, with two walks and seven K’s. Brandon Bixler pitched the sixth and seventh innings, striking out two and walking two, while Hudson Boyd finished the game for the Kernels. The Kernels managed only six hits in the game and were led by Chad Christensen and Bo Altobelli whom each had two. Altobelli had the only extra-base hit with a double in the seventh inning. Mitch Garver and Bryan Santy knocked in the runs for Cedar Rapids. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Logan Darnell, Rochester Red Wings (5.2IP, 1ER, 8K’s) Hitter – Diebinson Romero, Rochester Red Wings (2-5, 3B, HR, 2 R’s, 3 RBI) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester – Kris Johnson (2-2, 2.45 ERA), 12:05PM CST New Britain @ Harrisburg – TBD, 1:00PM CST Daytona @ Fort Myers – Brett Lee (3-1, 2.84 ERA), 3:05PM CST Cedar Rapids @ Burlington – Ethan Mildren (0-2, 3.72 ERA), 2:00PM CST

I love Parmelee in the OF. Obviously not flashy and doesn't have the speed for good UZR numbers and such, but was awesome playing the Target Field wall and never made a mistake, which is unlike every other one of our corner OF options.

And that's fair. I suppose it is not the best wording, but I did need a headline...

Reports I've read on Stewart about his first few starts mentioned that he didn't throw a single slider, which means his best pitch has been left out of the equation so far, as well. Though I can't say if that has still been the case as it's warmed up a bit now.

0 runs allowed in 10 innings with only 6 hits allowed and 13K's between them is okay for that billing on those guys for me (I don't include May in this category). They are both 19 years old playing in full season leagues. Sure, I'd like to see less walks, but did any of them score? No, and that's because they were dominant enough to shut down any of their own mistakes.