Steve Lein

Stealing my list from another thread that was before the rosters were announced: "Names I'd be looking at include the following: -Royce Lewis (performing there makes it more likely he starts 2019 in AA, or is promoted to AAA quicker than usual) -Alex Kirilloff (same ^, and can make up some development time) -Brent Rooker (his opening day or early season 2019 viability could be influenced) -Lewis Thorpe (get more innings under his belt and push his name up the food chain as I think he deserves) -Jorge Alcala (more innings, pushing for AAA) -Luis Arreaz (make up some development time, pushing for AAA) -Ben Rortvedt (good environment for catcher development, and many are needed) -Kohl Stewart (let him rip out of the bullpen to see what he may have there) -Nick Gordon (might be good for him to try and get some confidence for 2019) -Cody Stashak (solid numbers in bullpen this year, a lot like Reed/Curtiss/Vasquez's of the past) -Ryne Harper (same ^) -Tyler Wells -Griffin Jax -Jovani Moran (push this guy, and he might top my list of those I think should go there)" It's not that they "aren't eligible," they would just have to get a waiver from their winter league team, which if my memory serves me correct would usually be granted if requested (merits of doing this could be argued). Eddie Rosario needed one from his PRWL team, for example, when he played in the AFL in 2013.

It's certainly possible as it is with everybody, but he's got much more of a starter type profile than the usual type of guys that thought comes out for, in my opinion. Honestly, I think the RP risk is higher for Fernando Romero than it is Thorpe. Thorpe has a full pitch repertoire, misses a lot of bats as a starter already, and really the only issue I think that would bring that up is he didn't pitch for two years.

Good call! Totally missed him as I wasn't even considering the New York-Penn League!

Yes, I've also made the point several times that the overall talent level of players the new Front Office has been sending to the AFL has been...disappointing. Can be plenty of reasons, but the first year I thought was a chance anomaly, this second year is a coincidence, and a third year along these lines would be a pattern. As a note, there were some changes to the AFL roster rules. Both last year and now this year the Twins have sent 4 players out of Single-A levels. So maybe that's part of the difference in philosophy.

Differences of opinion are always out there and I understand the viewpoints of everything you explained, but not everything you pointed out says the same things to me and I don't necessarily see some of the things you do. I still see a good amount of inconsistency. I see a fastball that's way ahead of any of his other pitches. I also see the very high ceiling, but for me that's also attached to a high risk profile. For me that means his rating is somewhere in the middle. He was not at all dominant with Kane County, and was actually not very good for a stretch of 8 starts before being traded to the Twins. He was better when he got here but you still got really good or meh. No in between. No type of prolonged consistency and nothing even remotely resembling a track record yet. He is still very young with potential for a lot more in the future, but not top 10 for me at this point yet. Very easily could get there but I want to see more and too early for me on someone with his profile.

Yeah I'm with you on Thorpe. I may be a little biased because I interviewed him in Cedar Rapids after a stellar start before he missed all that time, but his numbers and peripherals are better than Fernando Romero's, in my opinion (he's always been better at missing bats, as an example), but Romero got way more love. It's too high for Duran for me at this point, he'd be outside my top 10. Thorpe would be in front of Gonsalves.

What a difference a week can make in the small sample size of the Arizona Fall League as the Salt River Rafters followed up their string of blowouts in week 4 with a bunch of close one-run games in week five. They finished the week with a record of 2-3, but remained on top of the East Division standings heading into a final push for a Championship Game appearance.(This report includes the games played through 11/11) The standout of the week was a pitcher hailing from the Air Force Academy, who may have earned an “Ace” moniker for his start on Friday if striking out opposing hitters in a baseball game was treated the same as downing enemy fighter jets in dogfights. The Minnesota Twins pitching prospects in the AFL combined for a 3.96 ERA and 1.65 WHIP on the week while allowing four earned runs on eight hits and seven walks allowed and striking out twelve. Their two hitters finished just 3-for-18, slashing .167/.286/.222 with two RBI, but reversing a trend by walking more times (3) than they struck out (2) on the week. Keep reading to discover how each of the Twins prospects performed in the penultimate week of the AFL season! (links provided to each player’s overall AFL stats by clicking their name) Griffin Jax: 1 start, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 5 K; 3.71 ERA, 1.35 WHIP (overall). Jax got the starting nod for his team on Friday as they faced off against the Mesa Solar Sox on the road and it was all about how he finished this one, putting together his longest and most impressive start of the AFL season. Mesa got their first at-bat against Jax started with a single from Detroit Tigers top prospect Daz Cameron who promptly stole second base to put himself in scoring position. A double a few batters later brought him in to tie the game at one, but that would be all the Solar Sox would muster against Jax on the game. He retired the next seven hitters in a row and 14 of the final 17 in his game after giving up that double, going hitless along the way with only two walks and a hit-by-pitch allowed. On the game he finished five innings, exiting the game with Salt River up 2-1. He threw 78 pitches in the outing with 44 going for strikes. 12 of those were of the swinging variety and he struck out five on the game, including Cameron twice and as his final out of the day to get some revenge. Unfortunately, Salt River went on to lose this one 5-4 after his solid outing. The next night during the AFL’s Military Appreciation Game, Jax was interviewed about what has gone on in his minor league career as he was an active duty member of the Air Force after he was drafted. Listening to the full interview (7 ½ minutes long) is worth it! Travis Blankenhorn: 3 games, 0-for-11, 2 BB, K, SB; .196/.317/.236 (overall). The infielder played in three games on the week with his first two starts coming at second base, and his final one coming in the outfield. In Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Scottsdale Scorpions Blankenhorn batted seventh in the lineup and finished 0-for-3. In the seventh inning with the score tied at two he drew a one-out walk and got into scoring position by stealing his third base of the year. He got as far as third base, but his teammates weren’t able to bring him all the way home to take the lead. In the eighth inning he helped do so in a different way, by being in the batter’s box when a wild pitch brought in the go-ahead run. The next day in an 8-7 loss to Peoria, Blankenhorn was slotted fifth in Tommy Watkin’s lineup, but it was just one of those days. He finished 0-for-5 with four of those outs coming on ground balls and was the only Rafters starter not to pick up a hit on the game. To end his week on Saturday he batted sixth and found himself playing left field for the second time in the AFL in a 7-2 loss to Mesa. He finished this one 0-for-3 with a strikeout but did draw a walk in the sixth inning when Salt River finally got on the scoreboard (he reached third base). The notable thing in this one, was Blankenhorn flashing some leather out in left: Along with any further experience in the outfield, he’ll look to get back to his hitting ways in the season’s final week! Hector Lujan: 2 appearances, 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 3 K; 7.04 ERA, 1.96 WHIP (overall). Lujan’s first appearance of week five came in Monday’s 4-3 extra-inning victory against the Surprise Saguaros. He got the extra-inning and made it a little interesting, loading the bases with nobody out after a couple of walks, but buckled down and got the next three hitters without allowing a run to put his team in position to walk it off. When they did in the bottom half of the tenth, Lujan was credited with his first AFL win (1-0). His fastest pitch of the outing registered at 95.5 MPH per the Gameday gun. He wouldn’t pitch again until Friday when he and Adam Bray backed up Jax’s start against the Solar Sox. He came on for the bottom of the seventh with the score now tied at two, and he left with his team down by a pair. A leadoff double was followed by a single before he picked up a strikeout (Cameron’s third of the game), but a wild pitch play that also included a throwing error on Lujan allowed both runners to score. Perhaps a little ticked off, he got back to business and struck out the next two hitters to end his game. In total he was charged with two runs (one earned) along with picking up three K’s. Jaylin Davis: 2 games, 3-for-7, R, 2B (1), 2 RBI, BB, K; .283/.321/.302 (overall). The outfielder played in two games on the week, manning right field in Monday’s win versus Surprise and Wednesday’s loss against Peoria. In their extra-inning affair with the Saguaros, Davis picked up a sharp groundout in the bottom of the second to get the Rafters on the scoreboard and added another RBI with his first AFL double in the fourth when they were able to tie the game at three. He added a single to lead off the seventh to finish the game 2-for-4. On Wednesday Salt River scored first and led 7-5 going into the eighth inning with Davis doing his part, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead in the loss. Davis led off the fourth with a single and scored on a double from the next hitter that made it 5-4 Javelinas and followed that up by reaching base on a throwing error by the shortstop that allowed a run to score and gave the Rafters the lead in the fifth. In his final at-bat in the seventh he drew a two-out walk before Peoria took the game in the final two innings. Devin Smeltzer: 1 appearance, 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 earned) 2 BB; 3.80 ERA, 1.97 WHIP (overall). After appearing in the Fall Stars Game last week, Smeltzer got in only one appearance, with it coming in Wednesday’s loss to Peoria. It was a bummer for him as well, as he contributed to his team losing their late two-run lead. Out front 7-5 going into the eighth, Smeltzer came on and promptly allowed a home run to the leadoff man. That was followed by a single, a sacrifice bunt, and two walks to load the bases before he was pulled. The Javelina’s went on to tie the game on an error a few batters later and ultimately took the lead in the ninth. Adam Bray: 2 appearances, 2.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K; 1.64 ERA, 1.18 WHIP (overall). The Minnesota native got in on two games on the week, partnering with Lujan out of the bullpen on both Monday and Friday. In the win against Surprise he was the first reliever summoned to start the sixth with the game tied at three and made quick work of the Saguaros hitters. He retired them one-two-three, punctuating his outing with a strikeout on a full count fastball up in the zone. On Friday Bray relieved Jax for the sixth inning with the score 2-1 Rafters but left his starter with a no-decision after the first batter he faced doubled into center field and came around to score on a single a few batters later. He would be charged with his second blown save in the AFL but on the positive side, he recorded all three of his outs via strikeout and 19 of his 28 pitches went for strikes. Other AFL and Minor League Links: - Baseball America released their Top 10 Twins Prospect list for 2019 on Monday with former Pioneer Press beat writer Mike Berardino again taking the reins and chatting about it yesterday. His full article is behind their paywall, but you can also see how he ranked them and join the discussion about it here on Twins Daily. - Also included in Berardino’s chat, was an update on the status of outfielder Luke Raley. He left the game in the sixth inning way back on October 15th, and we now know that was due to a strained throwing shoulder (his left). - Another of the Twins M.I.A. prospects also had quite a big week, but it obviously wasn’t on a baseball field. Brent Rooker got married to his longtime girlfriend on Saturday, so as someone who just recently got engaged himself, congratulations to the happy couple! https://www.instagra.../p/Bp5tAFuBu1-/ - Along with their Top 10 list, Baseball America has also been unveiling their Top 20 prospects in each league of the minors. Again, you’ll run into paywall blockades if you attempt to go further into each specific list but Royce Lewis is highlighted as the number one guy in each of the Midwest and Florida State League entries, and I’d imagine Alex Kirilloff isn’t far behind. Ryan Pressly trade acquisition Gilberto Celestino also tops the list for the New York-Penn League. Please feel free to ask questions about the AFL and the players who are there! Click here to view the article

The guy I'd prefer to any of these didnt even make your list. Give me Marwin Gonzalez.

The Salt River Rafters offense exploded in week four of the Arizona Fall League season as they took a commanding lead in the East division standings with two weeks left to play. They went 4-1 in their five games, scoring 12 or more runs three times and combining to outscore their opponents 54-25. Both Twins hitters still playing had a solid week and will look to continue trending upward as the season comes to a close, a starting pitcher picked up his first win, and a reliever made an appearance in the Fall Stars Game on Saturday.(This report includes the games played through 11/4) The Minnesota Twins group of pitching prospects combined to pitch eight innings on the week and allowed four earned on seven hits and seven walks, good for a 4.50 ERA and 1.75 WHIP. The hitters combined to go 9-for-22 with six runs scored and six RBIs, slashing .409/.458/.409 overall. To find out how all the prospects fared in week 4 of the AFL season, keep reading! (links provided to each player’s overall AFL stats by clicking their name) Griffin Jax: 1 start, W, 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 3 ER, 3 K; 4.50 ERA, 1.58 WHIP (overall). Jax again made one start on the week, with his turn coming in Thursday’s 14-3 win over Glendale on the road. He finished four innings and was credited with his first AFL win, but it wasn’t a dominant effort by any means as he struggled a little with his command. He walked the first hitter of the game for the Desert Dogs, and that runner and another would come around to score in the first inning. He picked up a K to end any further threat. In the second frame he got another K for the first out, then walked another batter before getting the next two. In the third he allowed another run after the leadoff man singled, stole second base, then came around on another single. Jax finished his day by allowing a walk in the fourth, but no other runner reached base. In total he allowed the three earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three. Of his 76 pitches in the outing, 45 went for strikes including six swinging. Travis Blankenhorn: 2 games, 4-for-8, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB, 2 K; .250/.361/.300 (overall). Playing second base in two games on the week, Blankenhorn made an impact in both contests as his team won those games by a combined score of 22-7. In Tuesday’s 14-4 throttling of the Mesa Solar Sox, Blankenhorn batted sixth and made the most of his opportunities to drive runners in. In the second inning he got his team on the board with an RBI single and would score later as the Rafters jumped out to a 3-0 lead. In the third his sacrifice fly made it 4-3 and he added an RBI single in the fifth as Salt River started to pour it on. In addition to starting the Rafter’s scoring on the day, he also ended it with an RBI single in the eighth for the final tally of 14 runs on the game. In total he finished this one 3-for-4 with a run scored and four RBIs. Back in action on Friday for their 8-3 win over the Surprise Saguaros, Blankenhorn batted leadoff and made the most of his opportunities to score runs. He drew a walk to lead off the top of the third inning and would score a few batters later on a home run as Salt River took the early 2-0 lead. He singled in the top of the sixth and would trot home on a sacrifice fly for their eighth and final run of that game. He went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and two K’s to finish off his week. Hector Lujan: 1 appearance, 1.0 IP, BB, K; 7.94 ERA, 1.94 WHIP (overall). With the week shortened by one game due to the Fall Stars game on Saturday, Lujan and the rest of the pitching staff only appeared in one league game each on the week. His opportunity came after Jax’s start and another Twins reliever’s appearance in Thursday’s win over Glendale. Out for the seventh inning with a 12-3 lead, Lujan got a couple of fly outs around a walk, then ended his inning with a swinging strikeout for a scoreless inning of work. He threw 19 pitches, with 12 going for strikes (two swinging). Jaylin Davis: 3 games, 5-for-14, 3 R, RBI, 4 K; .261/.292/.261 (overall). Among Twins prospects in week four, Davis saw the most action as he played in three games including right field twice and left field once. In Monday’s 12-3 blowout of the Mesa Solar Sox Davis had his best game of the AFL season, finishing 4-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI. In the bottom of the first his two-out single scored the second run of the game for the Rafters, before the next batter made it 5-0 with a home run. In the third inning Davis beat out an infield single and then stole second base before scoring on a single that made it a 7-0 lead. He was left stranded after a single in the fifth but would score his third run of the game in the seventh inning after yet another single. On defense in the sixth, Davis ran down a ground ball single in right field and threw a strike back into second base to cut down the runner trying to stretch it into a double for another outfield assist. After a day off on Tuesday, Davis was in left field for the Rafters 12-6 loss on Wednesday to Glendale in extra innings. He was 1-for-4 with a strikeout, and his hit came in the bottom of the 10th inning after the Desert Dogs had scored six in the top half. He was also hit by a pitch in the game, so he reached base multiple times. Davis played in back-to-back games to end his week, going 0-for-5 in Salt River’s win over Glendale on Thursday. He struck out twice but also hit a couple of hard balls that turned into outs. Devin Smeltzer: 1 appearance, 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 earned) 0 BB, K; 2.57 ERA, 1.43 WHIP (overall). Smeltzer’s lone appearance with the Rafters came on Wednesday, and he was charged with a blown save before his team ended up losing in extra innings. He came on for the top of the eighth, with the Rafters up 5-4 at the time. He got the first man on a strikeout and a fly out for two quick outs, but consecutive doubles and an error on his defense led to a 6-5 lead for the Desert Dogs. He got a groundball to keep his team within one, and they would tie it in the bottom of the ninth, but extra innings didn’t go so well for his team. Of his 21 pitches, 16 went for strikes in the outing, including two swinging. He did make one other appearance on the week however, as he was the Twins lone representative in the Fall Stars Game on Saturday. He pitched 2/3 of an inning in the East squads 7-6 loss to the West. He came on to start the sixth inning and struck out the first two hitters he faced before issuing a walk and being removed from the game. The pitcher who followed proceeded to give up a single and a triple so Smeltzer ended up being charged with a run. Of his 16 pitches, eight went for strikes including four swinging. If not for the walk, it was a solid showing in the game for him with a lot of eyes watching. Adam Bray: 1 appearance, 2.0 IP, H, 2 BB, K; 1.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP (overall). After Jax went four innings in Wednesday’s win against the Desert Dogs, Bray came on for the fifth and pitched the next two frames. He allowed a single in the fifth, and two walks in the sixth, but was able to work around them, including ending his game with a strikeout to keep his team ahead 7-3. He threw 38 pitches total with 24 going for strikes (1 swinging). Also, this is pretty cool and shows that it’s not just all baseball for the prospects out in Arizona (or during the season, either): Other AFL and Minor League Links: - With the Fall Stars game likely be the biggest attraction of the AFL season, MLB.com went through their list of best tools appearing in the game. The Twins Devin Smeltzer got an honorable mention in the Best Control category. - Also in reference to that game, were MLB.com’s guide to all the player’s appearing from each team (Smeltzer’s AFL season so far briefly recapped) and their gamer on how it was won in walk-off fashion. There were multiple prospects to hit 100 MPH on pitches (including one at 104 from Nate Pearson of the Blue Jays), and Vlad Jr. also hits the ball really hard (if you didn’t know that, already). Oh, here’s the Mets’ Peter Alonso taking a Pearson 100+MPH fastball deep, as well: Please feel free to ask questions about the AFL and the players who are there! Click here to view the article

You guys gave me some good laughs seeing this stuff this morning!!

No.

No, no, you miss the difference between the two that I could have clarified. 1. I'd venture the most common double is one that gets past a LF or RF into the gap, thus balls hit 'toward' that vicinity are more likely to be doubles than any other balls in play. 2. Then to attack the idea of the a LF or RF cutting a ball off hit 'toward' the gap, that throw is shorter. And I wouldn't lose sleep either, but I would have this preference. I've always thought Rosie and Max should be swapped too, like others have said here.

Actually, no...And the reason is because balls in the gap are more likely to be doubles anyway, and/or fielded by the center fielder. I won't get into it, but there's statistical probability stuff on this out there if you look for it. Edit: And I could actually put it this way too -> A ball hit 'toward' the gap that the RF or LF cuts off, is a much shorter throw into 2B to prevent a double.

As a righty-thrower playing left field is also how I tore my ACL, because I made a backhand catch and didn't allow my momentum to slow down enough before trying to pivot around as Thrylos mentions here to make the throw toward home. My knee crackled, leg bowed, and I ended up flinging the ball as best as I could toward our shortstop as I crumpled to the ground in the fetal position.

I think it can matter for sure. I would prefer a righty-throwing outfielder in RF, and lefty-throwing one in LF, for instance. To add onto Thrylos description, it's also in the physics of making the throw back into the infield. As a right-fielder, if I throw right handed that means I can cut a ball off toward the line, plant a foot to spin and uncork a throw into second base using that motions momentum to put something behind it. Same idea as a lefty in left field. The other hand can't do that action. They have to backhand the ball, stop their momentum, and then step into the throw back toward the infield. I can't remember the link, but I've seen a sports science like thing on this. The release time difference was significant, and that can play as big of a part as throwing velocity in the timing making throws. That's the whole reason the "crow hop" throw isn't actually sound throwing mechanics.

Man, what got into this guy in the past year? Always a decent OBP guy, but avg. jump really spiked everything in 2018. That's a Kirilloff level OPS at AA/AAA (much higher IsoD than Alex). Hoping for lightning in a bottle?

The money quote (referring to rebuilding): "I’m more curious if it ever truly started in the first place." In my opinion, it never truly did. Always doing things down the middle hoping things all broke right at the same time to be a contender.

Thank you, it's still fun to pay attention to and write about! I've done stuff like this about the AFL since before Twins Daily was around. I love to follow it during this time of year. In relation to your "bust" statement, a criticism I would have of the new Front Office is how they've used the AFL the past two years. Granted, it's really tough when two of your players, including the top prospect you were trying to send, are unable to play; but the talent level they have sent has been considerably less than in the past, in my opinion. Plenty of reasons this could be, but the first year I maybe thought was a chance anomaly, this second year is a coincidence, and a third year like this would be a pattern. Could be they just don't see as much value in the league as others do or the Twins have in the past.

Week 3 of the Arizona Fall League season saw the Salt River Rafters climb into first place in the East Division as they went 4-2 in their six games. Travis Blankenhorn filled the runs scored category on the stat sheet in four games, including a game in which he crossed home plate for over half his teams total on the scoreboard. Griffin Jax put in a fine starting effort in another game his team ended up losing, and a reliever picked up his first save in the AFL.(This report includes the games played through 10/28) The Minnesota Twins’ group pitching prospects put up a combined 3.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP on the week in 10 innings pitched, while the two remaining hitting prospects combined to go just 5-for-24 with 10 strikeouts, but all the players had their moments on the week. Keep reading to find out just how much Blankenhorn had to run, and how all the other Twins prospects fared in Week 3 of the AFL season! (links provided to each player’s overall AFL stats by clicking their name) Brent Rooker: Will not play in AFL (ankle injury). As updated in last week’s AFL report, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com had an update on Rooker’s status as part of an interview with Travis Blankenhorn and updates on all the Twins prospects participating in the AFL. They’ve decided to shut him down due to his ankle injury rather send him out to Arizona for an abbreviated stay. Guess that means we will just have to wait until Spring Training to see him back in action! Griffin Jax: 1 start, 4.0 IP, 3 H, BB, 1 ER, 3 K; 3.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP (overall). In their 6-5 loss to the Scottsdale on Thursday, Jax got the starting nod and did his part with four strong innings. He allowed one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out three in the outing. He sent the Scorpions down in order in the third and his run allowed came with two outs in the second inning after his only walk was followed by a triple. The leadoff man for Scottsdale also started the game with a single, but Jax picked him off at first base later in the frame. He threw 53 pitches (31 for strikes), including six swinging strikes and recorded four groundouts compared to two flyouts on the game. When he was done the Rafters held a 4-1 lead, but their bullpen would implode in the seventh inning, allowing the Scorpions to score five runs and take the lead for good. Luke Raley: Did not play, removed from roster; .214/.333/.357 (overall). In the same article from Jonathan Mayo above, news first came out that Luke Raley had been removed from the Rafters roster. He was removed to start the bottom of the sixth inning in Salt River’s 13-4 loss against Peoria on 10/15, and that appears it will be it for the outfielder in the AFL. If I’m able to find any updates on the reason why he was removed (I’d assume an injury of some sort at this point), I’ll be sure to update you all! Hector Lujan: 2 appearances, 1 Hold, 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 2 K; 9.64 ERA, 2.14 WHIP (overall). Lujan and the rest of the Minnesota Twins reliever prospects made their first appearances of the week in Tuesday’s 7-5 win at home against the Surprise Saguaros. Lujan would come on for the eighth inning with the score 7-3 in favor of Salt River, but a single, ground-rule double, and an RBI groundout put closed that gap to three before he escaped further damage. Of his just 10 pitches in the inning, eight went for strikes as Saguaros hitters were aggressive, including top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who swung at the first pitch he saw and flew out to center field. Lujan topped out at 95.8 MPH on the Surprise gun in this one (it seems to be random which game of the day will log pitch speeds in the Gameday logs). His second appearance of the week came in Friday’s 9-2 win over Peoria and he was the first reliever summoned in this one with Salt River out front 3-1 through five innings. He was credited with a hold as he kept his team in front but did allow the second of the Javelina’s runs on the day. It came courtesy of a solo home run on his first pitch of the inning, but he responded well by retiring the next three hitters, including two strikeouts. Of his twelve pitches in this one, eight went for strikes including four swinging. Travis Blankenhorn: 4 games, 3-for-12, 6 R, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, SB; .188/.316/.250 (overall). The infielder was very active again this week, as he appeared in four of his teams six games, starting it off with a bang on Tuesday against Surprise. Blankenhorn scored four of his team’s seven runs in the victory batting second in the lineup and playing second base. He had two hits in three at-bats along with drawing two walks that led to all that running. He scored all the way from first base on triples from Rockies prospect Tyler Nevin in both the first and fourth innings. In between he led off the third with a walk, stole second base, and then scored on a single. In the sixth he led off the inning with a single and would score two batters later. His two hits on the day also gave him a four-game hitting streak. His second game of the week was notable for other reasons than his hitting line, as he would finish 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Rafters loss to Scottsdale on Thursday. It was noteworthy because he played the entire game in left field. This outfield exposure in the AFL comes after he logged 36 innings there for Fort Myers this past season. It will be interesting to see if his movement outside the infield diamond continues this fall and into next season. In Friday’s 9-2 win over Peoria Blankenhorn would again cross home plate multiple times despite a 0-for-3 game at the plate. Batting eight and back to playing second base, he led off the seventh by drawing a walk and would later score on a single. Then in the eighth he hit a grounder that was turned into a force out at second before a single brought him and another runner in for the Rafter’s final tally of nine runs. He would end his week by entering Saturday’s 11-5 loss to Peoria as a defensive replacement in the middle of the sixth inning. He would get a couple of at-bats in and made the most of his first one by delivering an RBI double into left field that gave Salt River the last of their five runs on the day. He reached first on another fielder’s choice in the eighth to finish 1-for-2. Devin Smeltzer: 2 appearances, 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K; 1.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP (overall). Smeltzer was the first of the Twins three relievers to appear in Tuesday win over the Saguaros, coming in for the seventh inning with the score 7-2 in favor of the Rafters. He struck out the first hitter he faced and got a ground ball for the first two outs, but consecutive doubles would score a run before his catcher caught the runner attempting to steal third for the final out. In his inning of work, he threw 18 total pitches with 12 going for strikes. He worked around 90 MPH with his fastball in this one. In Friday’s win against the Javelina’s, Smeltzer was the next man up after Lujan and pitched the seventh inning with the game now well in hand 7-2. He again struck out the first batter of the inning before allowing a single to the next batter. But he quickly erased the possibility of further threat by inducing a double-play ball to end the inning and his appearance after just 11 pitches (8 for strikes, 1 swinging). Jaylin Davis: 3 games, 2-for-12, R, BB, 7 K; .219/.242/.219 (overall). Davis had another quiet week, picking up two singles and a walk in his three games, but those also came with seven strikeouts including a golden sombrero effort in one of them. He was the only Twins prospect to appear in Monday’s 8-5 win versus the Saguaros, playing left field and batting eighth in the lineup. He would lead off the eighth inning with a single to finish 1-for-4 on the day, before being erased on a double-play to the next hitter. In the first inning of this one, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a ball to Davis in left, and regretted trying to stretch it into a double on him: Playing right field and batting sixth in Wednesday’s 10-9 win over the Scorpions, Davis finished 1-for-3 and scored a run in the sixth inning after drawing a walk that made it 7-5 Rafters. He struck out twice in this one. Friday’s effort as the DH batting fifth in the lineup is one he’d like to put behind him as quickly as possible even though his team was victorious in blowout fashion. In five trips to the plate he went down on strikes four times, including three swinging. Over the past two weeks Davis has struck out in 12 of his 23 at-bats so I’m sure he’ll be trying to cut those down and close out his AFL season on a positive note. Adam Bray: 2 appearances, 1 Save, 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 earned), 2 K; 1.29 ERA, 1.00 WHIP (overall). Bray was the final of the three Twins relievers to appear in Tuesday’s win over the Saguaros and tasked with closing out a three-run lead in the ninth inning. The leadoff man singled to start a rally, but a pop-out and a K got him one out away from picking up his first save in the AFL. Before he was able to coax a groundout to finish that off, a throwing error on a steal attempt and wild pitch resulted in an unearned run, but it was a Save all the same. Of his 14 pitches in this one, 10 went for strikes (2 swinging) and he sat around 90 MPH with his fastball on the day with his strikeout coming on a curveball toward the dirt. In Friday’s drumming of the Javelinas, Smeltzer again was summoned to finish the game, but no save would be in line as his team led by seven runs. He struck out the first hitter of the inning before giving up a single, but that would be it for his opponent as he quickly retired the next two hitters. Other AFL and Minor League Links: - The AFL’s Fall Stars Game rosters were announced on Monday, and the Twins Devin Smeltzer will be their lone representative on the East squad. It’s not really an “all-star” game in the sense of the league’s performers, but it’s always fun to see the level of prospect talent represented. Top hitting prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley highlight each roster and the game on Saturday in Surprise will include 13 of MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects. - MiLB.com’s fun “MiLBY Awards” are being handed out this week, and the Twins own Alex Kirilloff took home the honor as the staff pick for 2018’s Breakout Prospect. There’s a lot of good information in that link so definitely take a look, but the spray chart that reminds me of a Rorschach inkblot test is the best part in my opinion (behold the symmetry!). Please feel free to ask questions about the AFL and the players who are there! Click here to view the article

Yeah but Matt Belisle and Joe Mauer shouldn't be on it... Use the official MLB site(s) for roster stuff...

In my "offseason blueprint" I've been casually working on, I'm currently clearing 11 spots on the 40-man, filling 4 or 5 of them with FA big league signings, then filling the rest with Gordon, Wade, and Triple-A/Double-A pitchers. 11 seems like a lot of spots but I'm not concerned about any of the names I included. Yeah, literally no one of consequence has been selected in the minor league phase of the rule 5 drafts history. Baseball America answered a question I submitted about this a few years ago referring to Max Kepler. The baseball america link doesn't appear to work anymore, but there is this thread: http://twinsdaily.com/topic/8429-ask-baseball-america-the-rule-5-draft-and-max-kepler/ But in that article they talked about protection of players in the minors. There's "reserve" rosters (which aren't published to the masses) at Triple-A and Double-A. Literally all of a team's top prospects will be on the Triple-A version of this roster, even if they're at Low-A while eligible. That means they could only be selected in the MLB phase. Same thing for the double-A version of the roster, players on it can only be selected in the MLB or Triple-A phase. These total rosters amount to around 115 players, so you're buying from the bottom of a system's barrel in the minor league phase.

Yeah, he didn't say anything about how they performed, it was about the talent level they went into the year with. All your stats are doing here is proving his point.