Steve Lein

While Alex Meyer was making his first start in the Majors with the Twins on Tuesday night, three of their four full season affiliates were in action in the Minors including another former top prospect taking the hill. That pitching prospect wasn’t the one who stole the headlines on this night however, and a hitter in the Midwest League did all the heavy lifting in a Kernels win. To find out who did what and where in the minors on Tuesday, read on!TRANSACTIONS Trevor Plouffe’s recall to the Twins and Jorge Polanco’s option back to AAA were made official on Tuesday. Plouffe was in action at 3B for the Twins, while Polanco did not play for the Red Wings. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Syracuse 8 Box Score Syracuse starter A.J. Cole’s bid for a no-hit shutout lasted exactly two pitches on Tuesday evening, as Byron Buxton sent his 0-1 pitch into the left-field stands to lead off the game. It was Buxton’s first homerun of the year and his second in a Red Wings uniform. The 1-0 lead didn’t last long however, as a wild pitch from Rochester’s Logan Darnell allowed a run to score in the bottom of the first and tie the game at one. It would only get worse for Darnell, as the Chiefs took the lead 2-1 in the second after a leadoff double, single, and sac fly, then exploded for five more runs in the third with four of them charged to the starter, and a 7-1 lead they would not relinquish. Darnell lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing the six runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out none. Rochester put two more runs on the board in the fifth courtesy of a Juan Centeno home run, his first of the year, and an RBI single from James Beresford that scored Buxton, who drew a walk earlier. Taylor Rogers came on in relief Darnell and worked the next 3.1 innings, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits and two walks while striking out for. Alex Wimmers made his second AAA appearance after him, and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out two. Dan Runzler worked the eighth and gave up one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out one. Buxton and Centeno led the offense with two hits each, including their home runs. Buxton also scored two runs and stole his first base of the year in AAA. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER The Lookouts had a scheduled off day on Tuesday, and open a five game road series with the Mobile BayBears on Wednesday night. D.J. Baxendale is scheduled to open the series on the mound for Chattanooga. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Palm Beach 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart was on the mound for the Miracle looking to continue his newfound level of success in the Florida State League early on in the 2016 season. He wasn’t nearly as electric on this night as he had been to this point, but still managed to pick up his second win of the season. In five innings, he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks, while striking out three. Of his 83 pitches, just 43 of them went for strikes. Fort Myers tied the game at two in the top of the third inning thanks to a two-run home run from Edgar Corcino, his second of the year. They’d take the lead for good in the fourth thanks to a two-out rally. Chad Christensen got the rally started with a walk and stole his fourth base of the season. He was followed by Kevin Garcia who was hit by a pitch, then singles from Ryan Walker and Corcino would result in three runs and a 5-2 lead. Brian Gilbert came on for the sixth inning in relief of Stewart and surrendered an RBI double to make the final score of 5-3. John Curtiss pitched two scoreless innings to earn a hold, and Yorman Landa was summoned for the ninth inning and picked up his first save with the Miracle, allowing one hit and striking out one. Logan Wade (3-4) and Corcino (2-4, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB) led the offense with multiple hits. If you’re keeping track, that makes consecutive days where Corcino has homered and driven in four. Alex Swim added a double and Ryan Walker scored two runs, walked twice, and collected the fifth RBI. Another story coming out of this game, was the result of Stewart’s final out of the fifth inning, as he wasn’t the only player who’s night ended on that play. Nick Gordon made the play on a shallow pop fly to right field, but he collided with Chad Christensen in the process. Both players had to the leave the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Lansing 0 Box Score Randy LeBlanc took the mound for Cedar Rapids Tuesday afternoon looking to continue his early 2016 success as he started the day with a 2-2 record and sparkling 1.50 ERA. The Lugnuts loaded the bases with three singles in the bottom of the first, but LeBlanc got the final two batters of the inning to line and ground out to Jermaine Palacios at short to end their only real threat of the night. LeBlanc would go on to retire the next eight hitters after that point, and scattered just four more singles over the next six innings to record his third win of the year. In his seven total innings, he allowed seven hits and zero walks while striking out five and lowering his ERA on the year to 1.16. LeBlanc was matched for the first half of the game by Lansing starter Conor Fisk, who held the Kernels lineup at bay with just two hits and one walk allowed in five innings. Cedar Rapids was finally able to break the 0-0 tie on the scoreboard in the seventh inning, as A.J. Murray slugged his third home run of the season to put them out front. They added two insurance runs in the ninth on a LaMonte Wade solo home run, his second of the season, and Murray added an RBI single to score Zander Wiel who had followed Wade’s home run with a single of his own. Reliever Nick Anderson worked the final two innings for the Kernels, retiring every batter he faced including three strikeouts to pick up his first save of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 7IP, 0 R’s, 7H’s, 0 BB’s, 5 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Fort Myers Miracle (2-4, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (9:35AM CST) – LHP Pat Dean (0-3, 3.00 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mobile (6:35PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (1-3, 3.41 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) – TBD, but Tyler Jay (1-2, 5.12 ERA) has followed Stewart so far on the year. Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05PM CST) – RHP Andro Cutura (2-1, 6.30 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

If they're not going to put May in the rotation, I'd definitely prefer him as a closer to Jepsen. He might be more crucial as the 'pen's firestopper, but he's the obvious choice to supplant Jepsen in the closer role right now.

While Alex Meyer was making his first start in the Majors with the Twins on Tuesday night, three of their four full season affiliates were in action in the Minors including another former top prospect taking the hill. That pitching prospect wasn’t the one who stole the headlines on this night however, and a hitter in the Midwest League did all the heavy lifting in a Kernels win. To find out who did what and where in the minors on Tuesday, read on! TRANSACTIONS Trevor Plouffe’s recall to the Twins and Jorge Polanco’s option back to AAA were made official on Tuesday. Plouffe was in action at 3B for the Twins, while Polanco did not play for the Red Wings. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Syracuse 8 Box Score Syracuse starter A.J. Cole’s bid for a no-hit shutout lasted exactly two pitches on Tuesday evening, as Byron Buxton sent his 0-1 pitch into the left-field stands to lead off the game. It was Buxton’s first home run of the year and his second in a Red Wings uniform. The 1-0 lead didn’t last long however, as a wild pitch from Rochester’s Logan Darnell allowed a run to score in the bottom of the first and tie the game at one. It would only get worse for Darnell, as the Chiefs took the lead 2-1 in the second after a leadoff double, single, and sac fly, then exploded for five more runs in the third with four of them charged to the starter, and a 7-1 lead they would not relinquish. Darnell lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing the six runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out none. Rochester put two more runs on the board in the fifth courtesy of a Juan Centeno home run, his first of the year, and an RBI single from James Beresford that scored Buxton, who drew a walk earlier. Taylor Rogers came on in relief Darnell and worked the next 3.1 innings, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits and two walks while striking out for. Alex Wimmers made his second AAA appearance after him, and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out two. Dan Runzler worked the eighth and gave up one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out one. Buxton and Centeno led the offense with two hits each, including their home runs. Buxton also scored two runs and stole his first base of the year in AAA. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER The Lookouts had a scheduled off day on Tuesday, and open a five game road series with the Mobile BayBears on Wednesday night. D.J. Baxendale is scheduled to open the series on the mound for Chattanooga. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Palm Beach 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart was on the mound for the Miracle looking to continue his newfound level of success in the Florida State League early on in the 2016 season. He wasn’t nearly as electric on this night as he had been to this point, but still managed to pick up his second win of the season. In five innings, he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks, while striking out three. Of his 83 pitches, just 43 of them went for strikes. Fort Myers tied the game at two in the top of the third inning thanks to a two-run home run from Edgar Corcino, his second of the year. They’d take the lead for good in the fourth thanks to a two-out rally. Chad Christensen got the rally started with a walk and stole his fourth base of the season. He was followed by Kevin Garcia who was hit by a pitch, then singles from Ryan Walker and Corcino would result in three runs and a 5-2 lead. Brian Gilbert came on for the sixth inning in relief of Stewart and surrendered an RBI double to make the final score of 5-3. John Curtiss pitched two scoreless innings to earn a hold, and Yorman Landa was summoned for the ninth inning and picked up his first save with the Miracle, allowing one hit and striking out one. Logan Wade (3-4) and Corcino (2-4, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB) led the offense with multiple hits. If you’re keeping track, that makes consecutive days where Corcino has homered and driven in four. Alex Swim added a double and Ryan Walker scored two runs, walked twice, and collected the fifth RBI. Another story coming out of this game, was the result of Stewart’s final out of the fifth inning, as he wasn’t the only player who’s night ended on that play. Nick Gordon made the play on a shallow pop fly to right field, but he collided with Chad Christensen in the process. Both players had to the leave the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Lansing 0 Box Score Randy LeBlanc took the mound for Cedar Rapids Tuesday afternoon looking to continue his early 2016 success as he started the day with a 2-2 record and sparkling 1.50 ERA. The Lugnuts loaded the bases with three singles in the bottom of the first, but LeBlanc got the final two batters of the inning to line and ground out to Jermaine Palacios at short to end their only real threat of the night. LeBlanc would go on to retire the next eight hitters after that point, and scattered just four more singles over the next six innings to record his third win of the year. In his seven total innings, he allowed seven hits and zero walks while striking out five and lowering his ERA on the year to 1.16. LeBlanc was matched for the first half of the game by Lansing starter Conor Fisk, who held the Kernels lineup at bay with just two hits and one walk allowed in five innings. Cedar Rapids was finally able to break the 0-0 tie on the scoreboard in the seventh inning, as A.J. Murray slugged his third home run of the season to put them out front. They added two insurance runs in the ninth on a LaMonte Wade solo home run, his second of the season, and Murray added an RBI single to score Zander Wiel who had followed Wade’s home run with a single of his own. Reliever Nick Anderson worked the final two innings for the Kernels, retiring every batter he faced including three strikeouts to pick up his first save of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 7IP, 0 R’s, 7H’s, 0 BB’s, 5 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Fort Myers Miracle (2-4, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (9:35AM CST) – LHP Pat Dean (0-3, 3.00 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mobile (6:35PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (1-3, 3.41 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) – TBD, but Tyler Jay (1-2, 5.12 ERA) has followed Stewart so far on the year. Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05PM CST) – RHP Andro Cutura (2-1, 6.30 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

So much this...

While I'm with Seth and would love to see Beresford in the big leagues, not so sure this would be the right time for it. Mastro does nothing for me. I kind of like the idea of Levi Michael, however. But that's also something the Twins would never do given their ultra-conservative history with guys like him. When he's healthy, he gets on base at a very solid clip and now has a ~.800 OPS in his career in almost a full season of AA ball.

As their parent club was playing nearly two games in one day, all four affiliates of the Minnesota Twins were in action on Sunday afternoon. Three of those teams got strong starting pitching performances in wins, including a couple of shutouts, while another put up nearly as much offense as the other three combined, but came out on the losing end of back and forth slugfest. To find out where and how it all went down in Sunday’s games, keep reading! RED WINGS REPORT Buffalo 3, Rochester 6 Box Score Left-hander Pat Dean squared off against fellow lefty and old friend Scott Diamond at Frontier Field in Rochester, New York Sunday afternoon, and both were fantastic for most of the game. Diamond shut out the Red Wings for six innings, while Dean held the Bisons to just one run on four hits in seven innings. He struck out two. Rochester tied the game in the seventh after Diamond’s night was done, as Adam Brett Walker led off the inning with a single, and promptly stole second base for his first steal of the 2016 season. He was moved to third on a Darin Mastroianni ground out, and then scored on a Wilfredo Tovar single to knot the game. Brandon Kintzler was brought in to relieve Dean for the top of the eighth, and retired the side in order to bring Rochester up to bat. They would break the game open by sending nine men to the plate. Jorge Polanco and Reynaldo Rodriguez started the inning with consecutive singles, but a bunt attempt by Juan Centeno would erase Polanco at third. David Murphy picked up the slack by delivering an RBI single to put Rochester up. Later in the inning with two outs and the bases loaded, Tovar would deliver a ground ball single to third base, and Centeno and Murphy would scamper home after the throw was air-mailed to first for an error. A James Beresford triple to left field would finish the scoring at five for the inning, and a comfortable 6-1 lead for Rochester. J.R Graham was summoned for the ninth inning and made it somewhat interesting by allowing two runs on two hits and two walks, but did finish out the game to improve the Red Wings to 7-10 on the season. As a team Rochester pounded out thirteen hits on the day and were 4-12 with runners in scoring position. Beresford (3-5, 3B, 2 RBI), Polanco (2-3, BB), Rodriguez (2-4, R), Murphy (2-4, R, 2B, RBI), and Tovar (2-4, R, 2 RBI) led the offense with multiple hits on the day. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Birmingham 14, Chattanooga 13 Box Score In Chattanooga Sunday afternoon, it was an absolute slugfest as the teams combined for twenty-seven runs on thirty-two hits in a nine-inning game. Both starters failed to pitch more than four innings, and for the Twins that starter was lefty David Hurlburt. The first three innings were not bad, as he allowed two hits including a run-scoring triple in the first, but struck out the side; faced the minimum in the second aided by a caught stealing attempt with Stuart Turner behind the plate; and just a single in the third. In the bottom half of those innings, the Lookouts offense put up three, one, and one respectively to put them out front early 5-1. The fourth is where Hurlburt ran into his trouble. A leadoff home run led into a walk, three singles and a triple to put the Barons out front 6-5 before Hurlburt was able to finish the inning. On the game Hurlburt threw four innings, allowing the six runs on eight hits and a walk, with six strikeouts. Chattanooga was quick to take back another big lead in the bottom half however, as they sent ten men up to bat before Engelb Vielma was erased at second-base on a steal attempt for the third out. Daniel Palk started the scoring with a single to plate D.J. Hicks, who had doubled earlier. A bases loaded 2-run double from Stuart Turner was followed by a 2-run double from Joe Maloney, and Vielma’s single before the caught stealing attempt brought in Maloney for six runs on the board in the frame and an 11-6 lead. Brett Lee came on in relief of Hurlburt for the fifth, and gave three of those runs back on a single, RBI double, a walk, and wild pitch, and was also aided by a throwing error from third-baseman T.J. White. Only one of those runs was earned. A bases-loaded ground out from White would make the score 12-9 heading into the sixth, which was the only clean inning (no runs) of the game. Birmingham would tie it the seventh against Corey Williams out for his second inning of work. A single, hit-by-pitch, and walk around a strikeout would load the bases and bring in Brandon Peterson. He got two strikeouts to finish the three outs, but they were around a bases clearing double for the tying three runs and were charged to Williams. A solo-home run against Peterson would put the Barons out front for good in the eighth, and they added a needed insurance run in the ninth against J.T. Chargois, who had come into the day having pitched five perfect innings to start his season. He was greeted by a leadoff double to surrender his first baserunner, and a sacrifice bunt and groundout would lead to his first run allowed. A single and groundout later would mark his first appearance without a strikeout, and Chattanooga down 14-12 heading into the bottom of the ninth. As could be expected, the Red Wings did all they could to keep the game going, or end it with one swing. A two-out double from Palka would score Hicks who had singled earlier, and brought in Mitch Garver as a pinch-hitter with the tying run in scoring position. On a 2-2 pitch he struck out swinging to end the game with a loss for the home team, but it was an exciting game all the way through for the three-thousand-plus fans in attendance at AT&T Field. Palka and Harrison each hit their second home runs of the season for the Lookouts and were 4-4 and 3-5 respectively on the day driving in six runs between them. Palka added two doubles and two walks, reaching base in all six of his plate appearances. Vielma (2-6, R, 3B, RBI), Levi Michael (2-5, 2 R’s, 2BB), and Hicks (2-6, 2 R’s, 2B) each had multiple hits at the top of the order, and Turner and Maloney each had 2 RBI in the offensive explosion for the Lookouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 0, Fort Myers 2 Box Score While there was a ton of offense in Chattanooga, Fort Myers saw another dominating pitching performance from one of their starters. On this day, it was left-hander Randy Rosario dominating an opposing lineup for the Miracle. Rosario allowed baserunners in each of his six-plus innings except the fifth, but would strand all of them as Charlotte was 0-6 with runners in scoring position against him, leaving seven men on base for the game in the process. Luke Bard came on to finish the seventh and added a scoreless eighth for the bullpen. And Todd Van Steensel was summoned for the ninth and his second save opportunity on the year. He retired the Stone Crabs in order for his second save, and helped improve Rosario to 2-1 on the season along with a 1.02 ERA that is good for second on the team behind Felix Jorge at 0.92. The Miracle’s two runs came on a home run from the rehabbing Danny Santana, and he also scored the other on a single from Alex Real. Santana was 2-4 on the game for his first two hits of his assignment. The only other hit was a single from Chad Christensen, who also drew the only walk on the day for the Miracle. It was more than enough to support the Miracle pitchers and however, who have gotten outstanding starting pitching to begin the year and improved to 10-8. In total, each of the Miracle’s six starters have now stared three games. This includes Stephen Gonsalves (1-1, 1.89 ERA), Kohl Stewart (1-0, 2.60 ERA), Tyler Jay (1-1, 3.60 ERA), Jorge (1-1, 0.92 ERA), Keaton Steele (0-2, 3.24 ERA), and Rosario (2-1, 1.02 ERA). Collectively they’ve thrown 105.1 innings, and allowed just 25 earned runs on 72 hits and 26 walks, with 98 K’s that’s good for a spectacular 2.14 ERA so far. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Clinton 0 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels imitated the good parts of each of the Chattanooga and Fort Myers games, as they also exploded for sixteen hits on offense and shutout their opponent on pitching and defense. The Kernels put crooked numbers on the scoreboard in each of the second, third, and eighth innings that included seven singles, a double, and triple for eight of their nine runs. They added a single run in the fifth on an RBI knock from Rafael Valera. Three wild pitches in the eighth inning aided in putting the Kernels finals on the board. Cedar Rapids got production throughout the lineup as seven of the nine hitters collected multiple hits, with A.J. Murray and Max Murphy in the three and four spots as the only ones without them, but Murray did have an RBI and Murphy scored two runs. Valera led the team with two RBI’s and the extra base hits came from Zander Wiel who was 4-5 with double, triple, RBI, and two runs scored. Taking the mound for away team was Cody Stashak, and he scattered four hits and two walks in his six innings, striking out four along the way. Michael Theofanopoulos pitched a scoreless seventh, walking one and striking out one. Miles Nordgren finished the final two innings, allowing just one hit with one strikeout. The LumberKings lineup was a combined 5-30 on the game, were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded just six. In comparison, Cedar Rapids was 7-19 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine. Stashak improved to 2-0, winning both of his starts so far, and sports a 1.13 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in his sixteen total innings for the Kernels. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – 3-way tie: Cody Stashak, Cedar Rapids Kernels (6.0 IP, 0 R’s, 4 H’s, 2 BB, 4 K’s) Randy Rosario, Fort Myers Miracle (6.1 IP, 0 R’s, 6 H’s, 2 K’s) Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H’s, 2 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Danial Palka, Chattanooga Lookouts (4-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB’s) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Scheduled day off. Chattanooga @ Mississippi (7:00PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (1-1, 3.27 ERA) Fort Myers – Scheduled day off. Cedar Rapids – Scheduled day off. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

I'd move Duffey out of the conversation and put him in the pen if we're making choices about which starters to call up and how to improve the team as much as possible. Berrios, Meyer, Duffey would be my pecking order. Knowing the Twins though, theirs is Duffey, Meyer, Berrios until they actually go through with it and it doesn't work, so they end up fixing it in July (at the earliest) when that will already be far too late.

I would see Burdi being the next multi-year guy once Perkins is done, but if the Twins are dead set against keeping May out of the rotation, he could be that guy too.

Pretty sure that will be Trevor May if that happens.

Personally, I think it's a great sign that he's crushing breaking balls. He will learn to catch velocity (if that's even really a problem yet) as he see's more of it. Plus, fastballs are easier to hit most of the time, right? I think this bodes well for his future. He may never have a high average, but I think they've definitely got something here. And as the graph shows above, he's a 'complete' hitter in that he takes the pitches where they're thrown, and is capable of putting them out everywhere as we've now seen.

If Joe is really back, and continues to be his old self and avoid the injury bug, this is probably moot, but Mauer's entire HOF case right now is built on what he did offensively (and defensively to an extent) as a catcher. Guys like him just don't exist at that position. Unfortunately, he's not a catcher anymore, and when it's all said and done he's going to end up having played other positions more than he ever caught. At that point I think any "catcher" argument for the HOF loses all it's credibility and most of it's relevance. Like KGB says, he just didn't play the position enough in comparison to his potential HOF peers.

I actually think there's plenty of room on the 40-man for the guys that will need to be there eventually. Three of them on this list didn't even need protecting in my opinion (Landa, Rosario, Melotakis), yet they got put there. O'Rourke is an interchangeable name as well. But you are probably right, some of them are only going to get there in the case of an injury to free up a spot without outrighting someone. I have to believe the Twins are also hoping that someone shows an interest in one of their starters (preferably Nolasco) that could free up a spot as well. On the position player side, trade candidates would include Plouffe, Vargas, Arcia, and honestly Dozier as well (not that I would trade him, but there would be interest). Two of those have to build some value just like Nolasco does, but the replacements for all those names are already in the system. If it comes down to everybody is performing and nothing happens, I won't complain though, because that will mean the team is likely doing pretty well. The turnaround has started, lets see how long they can keep it up, and they'll be pretty dangerous as soon as Sano starts hitting.

Don’t look now, but the Minnesota Twins are streaking! While the big league club was finishing a sweep on Sunday afternoon, all four affiliates were in action in the minors. While two of the lineups were only able to manage two and four hits respectively in losses, another exploded for twelve hits in a blowout victory that supported a dominating effort from their starting pitcher. Twins affiliates went 2-2 on the day.To find out who did what in Sunday’s games in the minors, keep reading! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score Rochester’s game on Sunday was a pitcher’s duel throughout the first six innings. On the hill for the Red Wings was lefty Logan Darnell, and in those first six innings he was fantastic, allowing just three singles in the game until a two-out triple gave the Iron Pigs their first scoring chance in the sixth. Darnell escaped the inning with the game still tied 0-0 but would run into further trouble in the seventh. With two outs and a man on, Darnell served up a home-run ball to put the Red Wings down 2-0 on the scoreboard and put an end to his night. David Martinez came on for the final out of the frame and remained in for the eighth inning, where he gave up a run of his own after a leadoff double, error and wild pitch put the insurance across the plate. There was little to no offense in this game as Rochester sent more than three hitters up to the plate in a single inning in only their first and last opportunities. Lehigh Valley starter Zach Eflin allowed just two hits in eight innings, while striking out five. As a team, Rochester was just 0-3 with runners in scoring position, and left only two men on base for the game. James Beresford and Jorge Polanco each collected a single. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mississippi 3 Box Score The Lookouts took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after lead off man Zach Granite ended up on third after a fielding error from the right fielder. Mitch Garver brought him home with a sacrifice fly. The game remained 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning, as Chattanooga starter Jason Wheeler was in control of the game until that point. He went one-two-three in each of the first, fourth, and fifth innings before a lead off walk got him in trouble in the sixth. The next batter tripled to tie the game at 1, and the Braves took the lead 2-1 on a wild pitch before Wheeler recovered to finish the inning. Chattanooga again tied the game in the top of the seventh, as a Granite single brought in Leonardo Reginatto from second base after singling himself and moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Levi Michael. Mason Melotakis was summoned from the bullpen for the bottom half, and faced just three hitters, getting the first out on a single that was attempted, unsuccessfully, to be stretched into a double on left fielder Travis Harrison, and two punch outs. Chattanooga took the lead 4-2 in the top of the eight behind the bats Reginatto who drove in Carlos Paulino with a double, and Michael who singled with a line drive that deflected off the pitcher toward third base, who also committed a throwing error on the play to bring in Reginatto with the fourth run. Alex Wimmers came on for the eighth inning, and a triple led to a run for the Braves to make it 4-3, but they got no closer as J.T. Chargois shut the door in the ninth for his second save of the season. He struck out one, and that makes four appearances and four perfect innings for the right-hander in 2016. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Daytona 0 Box Score Fort Myers broke the game open in the third inning, as they batted through the lineup and sent five across home plate to take the lead. The floodgates were opened by a Brian Navarreto single and Edgar Corcino triple for the game’s first run, and singles from Austin Diemer, Alex Swim, Nick Gordon, a Chris Paul walk, and another single from Logan Wade followed to make it 5-0. Gordon also stole second base for his third swiped bag of the young season. The Miracle added three more runs in the fourth inning as Corcino tripled again to lead it off, scored on another single from Diemer, and he and Gordon (who also singled again) would come home on a triple from Paul to make it 8-0. The final run came in the eighth inning as a throwing error on a double-play turn allowed Navarreto to scamper home from second after reaching base with a single. Felix Jorge was on the mound for the Miracle, and he stifled Tortuga’s bats for 6.2 innings. He had allowed just three singles and one walk to the Daytona lineup, while striking out eight to pick up his first win of 2016. Jorge threw 96 pitches, with 74 going for strikes in the dominating effort. Raul Fernandez relieved him after he recorded the first two outs in the seventh, and finished the final 2.1 innings and the shutout. He allowed just one hit. En-route to scoring their nine runs, the Miracle got multiple hit efforts from Diemer (2-5, 2 R’s, 2 RBIs), Gordon (3-5, 2 R’s, RBIs) batting in the three-hole, Navarreto (2-4, 2 R's), and Corcino (2-3, 2 R’s, 2 triples, RBI, BB). Paul and Wade joined Diemer with 2 RBIs on the day. If you're keeping track, the Miracle rotation collectively sports a 5-3 record with a 1.98 ERA, 66 K's in 63.1 IP, and a 0.86 WHIP so far on the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 7, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score The Clinton LumberKings split the four game series in Cedar Rapids by outhitting the home team 12-4 in this game. They took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a solo home run from the second batter of the game against Kernels starter Dereck Rodriguez. Rodriguez recovered pretty well, putting up zeroes for the next five innings, including retiring eleven in a row at one point. Cedar Rapids tied the game at one in the bottom of the fourth, as a single off the bat of Bryant Hayman scored Zander Wiel who had led off the inning with a single and reached third on two wild-pitches. Rodriguez finally ran into some trouble with one out in the seventh, as a walk followed by consecutive singles put the go-ahead run on the board for Clinton and put an end to his day. C.K. Irby came on and allowed the inherited runner to score on a wild pitch. Rodriguez’s final line of the day was 6.1 innings pitched, with four runs (three earned) allowed on seven hits and two walks, with three strikeouts. Irby finished the seventh inning for the Kernels, and they pushed one run across thanks to a couple of errors in the bottom half of the inning to make the score 4-2, but they would get no closer than that. Irby was relieved by Miles Nordgren for the final two innings, and he was greeted by back-to-back singles, an error on a bunt attempt to load the bases, and a two-run single to make it 6-2 after the eighth, and a wild pitch allowed the seventh run for Clinton in the ninth. In total, Nordgren allowed three runs on five hits and one walk in his two innings. As a team, the Kernels were just 4-33 on the day (.121), with all four hits being singles. They were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Fort Myers Miracle (W, 6.2 IP, 0 R’s, 3 H’s, 1 BB, 8 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Fort Myers Miracle (2-3, 2 R’s, 2 3B’s, RBI, BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (5:35PM CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey (0-0, 2.08 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mississippi(7:00PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (1-1, 3.27 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dayton (6:05PM CST) – LHP Randy Rosario (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 PM CST) – RHP Cody Stashak (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Don’t look now, but the Minnesota Twins are streaking! While the big league club was finishing a sweep on Sunday afternoon, all four affiliates were in action in the Minors. While two of the lineups were only able to manage two and four hits respectively in losses, another exploded for twelve hits in a blowout victory that supported a dominating effort from their starting pitcher. In total, Twins affiliates went 2-2 on the day. To find out who did what in Sunday’s games in the minors, keep reading! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score Rochester’s game on Sunday was a pitcher’s duel throughout the first six innings. On the hill for the Red Wings was lefty Logan Darnell, and in those first six innings he was fantastic, allowing just three singles in the game until a two-out triple gave the Iron Pigs their first scoring chance of the game in the sixth. Darnell escaped the inning with the game still tied 0-0 but would run into further trouble in the seventh. With two-outs and a man on, Darnell served up a home-run ball to put the Red Wings down 2-0 on the scoreboard, and an end to his night. David Martinez came on for the final out of the frame and remained in for the eighth inning, where he gave up a run of his own after a leadoff double, error, and wild pitch put the insurance across the plate. There was little to no offense in this game as Rochester sent more than three hitters up to the plate in a single inning in only their first and last opportunities. Lehigh Valley starter Zach Eflin allowed just two hits in eight innings, while striking out five Red Wings. As a team, Rochester was just 0-3 with runners in scoring position, and left only two men on base for the game. James Beresford and Jorge Polanco each collected only a single. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mississippi 3 Box Score The Lookouts took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after leadoff man Zach Granite ended up on third after a fielding error from the right fielder. Mitch Garver brought him home with a sacrifice fly. The game would remain 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning, as Chattanooga starter Jason Wheeler was in control of the game until that point. He went one-two-three in each of the first, fourth, and fifth innings before a leadoff walk got him in trouble in the sixth. The next batter would triple to tie the game at 1, and the Braves would take the lead 2-1 on a wild pitch before Wheeler recovered to finish the inning. Chattanooga would again tie the game in the top of the seventh, as a Granite single brought in Leonardo Reginatto from second base after singling himself and moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Levi Michael. Mason Melotakis was summoned from the bullpen for the bottom half, and faced just three hitters, getting the first out on a single that was attempted to be stretched into a double on left fielder Travis Harrison, and two punchouts. Chattanooga took the lead 4-2 in the top of the eight behind the bats Reginatto who drove in Carlos Paulino with a double, and Michael who singled with a line drive that deflected off the pitcher toward third base, who also committed a throwing error on the play to bring in Reginatto with the fourth run. Alex Wimmers came on for the eighth inning, and a triple led to a run for the Braves to make it 4-3, but they would get no closer as J.T. Chargois shut the door in the ninth for his second save of the season. He struck out one and that makes four appearances and four perfect innings for the right-hander in 2016. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Daytona 0 Box Score Fort Myers broke the game open in the third inning, as they batted through the lineup and sent five across home plate to take the lead. The floodgates were opened by a Brian Navarreto single and Edgar Corcino triple for the game’s first run, and singles from Austin Diemer, Alex Swim, Nick Gordon, a Chris Paul walk, and another single from Logan Wade would follow to make it 5-0 on the scoreboard. Gordon also stole second base for his third swiped bag of the young season. The Miracle would add three more runs in the fourth inning as Corcino would triple again to lead it off, scored on another single from Diemer, and he and Gordon (who also singled again) would come home on a triple from Paul to make it 8-0. The final run came in the eighth inning as a throwing error on a double-play turn would allow Navarreto to scamper home from second after reaching base with a single. Felix Jorge was on the mound for the Miracle, and stifled the Tortuga’s bats for 6.2 innings. He had allowed just three singles and one walk to the Daytona lineup, while striking out eight to pick up his first win of 2016. Jorge threw 96 pitches, with 74 going for strikes in the dominating effort. Raul Fernandez relieved him after recording the first two outs in the seventh, and finished the final 2.1 innings and the shutout. He allowed just one hit. En-route to scoring their nine runs, the Miracle got multiple hit efforts from Diemer (2-5, 2 R’s, 2 RBI), Gordon (3-5, 2 R’s, RBI) batting in the three-hole, Navarreto (2-4, 2 R’s), and Corcino (2-3, 2 R’s, 2 3B’s, RBI, BB). Paul and Wade joined Diemer with 2 RBI’s on the day. If you're keeping track, the Miracle rotation collectively sports a 5-3 record with a 1.98 ERA, 66 K's in 63.1 IP, and a 0.86 WHIP so far on the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 7, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score The Clinton LumberKings split the four game series in Cedar Rapids by outhitting the home team 12-4 in this game. They took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a solo home run from the second batter of the game against Kernels starter Dereck Rodriguez. Rodriguez would recover pretty well, putting up zeroes for the next five innings, including retiring eleven in a row at one point. Cedar Rapids tied the game at one in the bottom of the fourth, as a single off the bat of Bryant Hayman scored Zander Wiel who had led off the inning with a single and reached third on two wild-pitches. Rodriguez finally ran into some trouble with one out in the seventh, as a walk followed by consecutive singles put the go-ahead run on the board for Clinton and put an end to his day. C.K. Irby came on and allowed the inherited runner to score on a wild pitch. Rodriguez’s final line of the day was 6.1 innings pitched, with four runs (three earned) allowed on seven hits and two walks, with three strikeouts. Irby finished the seventh inning for the Kernels, and they would push one run across thanks to a couple of errors in the bottom half of the inning to make the score 4-2, but they would get no closer than that. Irby was relieved by Miles Nordgren for the final two innings, and he was greeted by back-to-back singles, an error on a bunt attempt to load the bases, and a two run single to make it 6-2 after the eighth, and a wild pitch allowed the seventh run on the board for Clinton in the ninth. In total, Nordgren allowed three runs on five hits and one walk in his two innings. As a team, the Kernels were just 4-33 on the day (.121), with all four hits being singles. They were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Fort Myers Miracle (W, 6.2 IP, 0 R’s, 3 H’s, 1 BB, 8 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Fort Myers Miracle (2-3, 2 R’s, 2 3B’s, RBI, BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (5:35PM CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey (0-0, 2.08 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mississippi(7:00PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (1-1, 3.27 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dayton (6:05PM CST) – LHP Randy Rosario (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 PM CST) – RHP Cody Stashak (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

The 2015 season was deemed “the year of the prospect” across all of the Major Leagues, as young prospects made their presence felt throughout year. The Chicago Cubs made the early waves, keeping stud power hitter Kris Bryant down for two weeks to avoid Super 2 conditions, and also saw Top 100 players Addison Russell, Jorge Soler, and Kyle Schwarber make their MLB debuts en-route to a Wild Card finish. Shortstop Carlos Correa exploded onto the scene in Houston and helped propel the Astros to their first playoff appearance in ten years. The New York Mets had Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz pitching for them in the postseason, and Michael Conforto hit two home runs in game 4 of the World Series. Corey Seager and Joc Pederson made their debuts with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Francisco Lindor with Cleveland, Joey Gallo with the Rangers… Sorry, I’m out of breath and I haven’t even got to the Twins yet. Needless to say, they were well represented as well as anybody in the “year of the prospect.” Players who made their Major League debut for the Twins in 2015 included starting pitcher Tyler Duffey; relievers J.R. Graham and Ryan O’Rourke; and position players Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, and Max Kepler. From that list Sano, Buxton, and Rosario are locks to be on the 2016 roster, while all the pitchers were in Spring Training camp battling for the final spots in the rotation and bullpen. Max Kepler is destined to begin the year in Rochester, a phone call away (that has already come) Sano was without a doubt the crowning achievement in their 2015 class, slashing .269/.385/.530 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI in 80 total games after his debut on July 2nd. Rosario was called up to be a brief “fill-in” for injury, but never left because all he did was collect extra base hits (18 2B’s, 15 3B’s, and 13 HR’s) and throw runners out from left field (16 assists, 2nd in majors) in 122 games. He introduced himself to all of us by hitting a home run on the first pitch he saw in the majors. In a twist of fate for a devout prospect follower like me, I was sitting in a suite of Globe Life Park watching the Twins lose to the Rangers when the news came down that Byron Buxton was on a plane to Texas for his debut the next day. The logistics didn’t work to stay around another night to catch his debut, but we were in St. Louis the next night to catch his first career hit. You will all remember it was a triple (obviously), but the most (not-so) fascinating thing about it to me was what my ‘stopwatch’ said as he strolled into third ( ). Duffey started ten games down the stretch and went 5-1 with a 3.10 ERA to help keep the Twins in the playoff picture until the final weekend. As we look to a new season, it will be hard to match the string of debuts from Twins farmhands of last year. But whereas 2015 was the year of the position prospect, 2016 is likely to be the year of the pitcher for the home team. And those arms I’m about to discuss are going to bring some straight fire to an organization infamous for its “throw it over the plate and let ‘em hit it” philosophies that had led to four straight ninety-plus loss seasons. So let’s take a look at some players that could make (or have already made) their MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins in 2016: Byung Ho-Park Park was the Twins only splash move of the offseason, coming over from the NBO in Korea after laying waste to the league for the past three seasons. He brings legitimate power for a foreign league hitter and was not overwhelmed by increased velocity in Spring Training. As the MLB season has gotten underway, it’s been apparent that the adjustment period the Twins brass suggested would be needed is indeed the case, as to this point he has struck out twelve times in twenty-three plate appearances. But he also has shown his power with a 441 foot blast in Kansas City for his first Major League home run. If and when he gets it going, he is going to be fun to watch. Jose Berrios (TD’s #2 Twins prospect) Terry Ryan was in Rochester, NY last August to watch Berrios (and granted, others) in action for the Red Wings as MLB rosters were soon to expand for September. Berrios went 7 innings in both of the starts Ryan was on hand for, allowing just one earned run on eight total hits and a single walk, while striking out ten and twelve hitters respectively. Apparently, it didn’t matter if Ryan had saw Cy Young himself in those games as word came down soon after that Berrios was going to be shut down for the year, and not be called up to help the Twins in their push for the postseason. Berrios struggled some in Major League camp this spring, and was unspectacular (besides the 9 K’s) in his season debut with the Red Wings in cold weather, but as soon as a need arises in the Twins rotation and they open up a 40-man roster spot, he should be in the majors to stay. If that comes as soon as May or June, he is a popular pick to be on leader ballots for Rookie of the Year. Tyler Duffey is likely ahead in the pecking order at this point, but performance can change that on a start-to-start basis. Nick Burdi (TD’s #10 Twins prospect) I was able to catch Burdi in Cedar Rapids two years ago (http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/color-me-and-joe-mauer-impressed-r2962), and he is as exciting of relief prospect to watch throw as you will find. Some bad news came down at the end of Spring Training where he held his own in the big league camp, when he was shut down with some “forearm tightness.” Anything injury related to the pitching arm of Twins hurler’s rightfully should have one concerned, but to this point there have been no indications something worse is going on. That’s the good news. The bad news is the injury has delayed Burdi’s 2016 debut, but when he is back on the mound he’ll likely find himself in AA to start, with a quick promotion to AAA in the cards if he performs as he had in the Arizona Fall League and this Spring. We hear all the talk about the big arms coming up in the Twins system, and Burdi’s is the cream of the crop. I have little doubts he’ll be closing games for the Twins in the future and I can’t wait to see three digits on the gun at Target Field. J.T. Chargois (TD’s #15 Twins prospect) Chargois was also impressive in Spring camp with the Twins, pitching four innings and allowing just one hit. Like Burdi, Shaggy brings big velocity in the mid-90’s and a swing-and-miss breaking ball that has allowed him to rack up 75 strikeouts in 64 career innings in the minors before the start of this season, a rate of 10.5 K’s/9IP. In Chattanooga to start the year, he’s made two appearances and has been just about as dominant as possible, striking out five of the six hitters he’s faced and allowing no baserunners. He could also be a quick call up to AAA, and then the doorstep of the majors and is already on the 40-man roster so his path to an MLB debut is easier than some others on this list. Taylor Rogers (TD’s #16 Twins prospect) With Glen Perkins hitting the disabled list, lefty Rogers is on his way to Minnesota as I write this. While he doesn’t bring as big of an arm as others on this list, he has displayed one skill throughout his minor league career that is more than intriguing, and that’s his sheer dominance of same-handed hitters. Up to this point, they’ve managed just a .499 OPS against him in the minors and he’s struck out a whopping 30% of them. Obviously he hasn’t been as good vs. right-handers, but unlike some other lefty specialists he is able to get them out and a good enough clip to have remained a starter throughout his MiLB progression. He’ll likely work the middle innings out of the Twins bullpen and be brought in for the tough lefty assignments in later innings. Jake Reed (TD’s #20 Twins prospect) Another reliever with a mid-90’s arm, Reed made a name for himself in 2014 after being drafted in the 5th round by allowing just one earned run in 31 IP between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids. Reed had some struggles at AA in 2015 that saw him earn a demotion back to Fort Myers (so did Burdi), but earned his way back to AA after a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League for the second season in a row. Torii Hunter was a big fan of his work in Spring Training, calling him “nasty” during an interview on one of the television broadcasts, and this is helped by his somewhat unorthodox looking delivery (low arm slot). Brad Brach of the Orioles reminded me of him a little bit while I was out in Baltimore for the Season opener, to give you an idea of what I’ve seen in Reed. Adam Brett Walker (TD’s #11 Twins prospect) Walker is perhaps the most divisive prospect in the Twins system, as he brings Miguel Sano level power and production despite striking out at an alarming rate in his MiLB career. He’s led every league he’s ever played at in home runs in the minors, and in 2015 at Chattanooga, his 31 homers led the league by 14 in that category. His 105 RBI’s in the Southern League were also 31 more than the next player on the list. The large caveat there is his 195 strikeouts in 133 games led the league by 57 as well. He hasn’t had a great walk rate to go along with the HR’s and K’s that might make him somewhat of a poor man’s Jim Thome, but it has been on the uptick since he’s been in the system, posting a rate mark of 9.1% in 2015. If he can get on base at a clip around .300 when he makes it to the majors, his power should play enough to be a useful bat in the lineup. That is the key thing he needs to work on in AAA this year. He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, so at a minimum we should see him in September if he’s still crushing bombs at Frontier Field in Rochester. Other Notable Names: Pat Dean – Was protected on the 40-man roster after a 2015 season that saw him lead the International League in Innings Pitched with a sub 3.00 ERA. There’s not an upside beyond a back-of-the rotation starter here, but Dean shares several similarities to one of the guys in front of him on the starting pitching pecking order. Like Tommy Milone, Dean is left-handed and doesn’t throw hard, but consistency still speaks volumes to the Twins, and that’s what Dean has brought already in AAA. James Beresford Beresford has spent his past 3 seasons in AAA playing primarily second base for the Red Wings, but has played all around the diamond during his spring training experiences with the Major League club. He has hit for a solid average in each season at AAA, though it comes with little to no pop in his bat. With the defensive chops to field multiple infield positions and be consistent if not spectacular at all of them, a utility role with the Twins is not out of the question if the need arises. If nothing else, I would love to finally see him get a small cup of coffee in September. Yorman Landa Landa was quite a surprise addition to the 40-man roster this offseason as he had made just fifteen appearances with the Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2015 after returning from season ending shoulder surgery the year prior. Those appearances did include a 1.67 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning, but it’s hard to see a scenario where Landa jumps from single-A ball to the majors in his first full season back, let alone stick with another MLB team’s bullpen for an entire season. Like several of the other’s on this list, he brings mid-90’s or higher velocity but has yet to ratchet in his control, walking 5.2 per 9IP in his MiLB career thus far. Mason Melotakis Like Landa, Melotakis was also somewhat surprisingly added to the 40-man roster, was in big-league camp with the Twins, and is also returning from a missed season due to injury. In his case it was Tommy John surgery that had him sit out all of 2015, but he’s ready to go at the outset of 2015. The Twins drafted him in the second round of the 2012 draft as a big relief arm from a small school, Northwestern State (Lousiana). They tried him as a starter in Cedar Rapids, but quickly discovered that what made him an attractive pick in the 2nd round didn’t quite come through in a starting role. Before his surgery, Melotakis was back in a relief role throwing his mid-90’s fastball from the left-side and had earned a mid-season jump to AA. Randy Rosario (TD’s #19 Twins prospect) The third surprise add to the 40-man roster front this offseason, was the addition of another lefty in Rosario who has yet to pitch above A-ball. At 21 years old Rosario still holds some projection and the name Francisco Liriano is thrown around as a comparison from coaches, but he’s hardly an asset that required protection at this point of his career. It’s hard to envision Rosario in the Florida State League to start the year, but a quick bump is not out of the question if he’s performing due to his 10 starts already in the Midwest League from 2015. Tyler Jay (TD’s #5 Twins prospect) With the Twins transitioning Jay to a starting role that he only a few times took in college at the University of Illinois, it’s highly unlikely Jay will work his way onto the MLB roster. However, there are many that believe he could be the first 2015 draft pick to make it that far due to the quality of his stuff and his advanced command. He was fantastic in his first start of the 2016 season in Fort Myers, working five innings and scattering three hits and three walks with seven K’s. Due to his collegiate career, a dominating first half will have him in AA after the All-Star break, and who knows, if the Twins are in a pennant race near the end of the year, his lefty-arm might be too enticing to keep out of the bullpen in a push. IF Levi Michael One of the forgotten first round draft picks of the Twins, Michael has fought the injury bug ever since he’s gotten into the system, playing in only 65 and 63 games each of the past two seasons. When on the field in Chattanooga last year, Michael showed some life with a batting line of .267/.369/.434, good for an OPS basically the same as Adam Brett Walker. He’s back in AA to start 2016 and looking to make the jump to AAA at some point during the season. He is another option for a utility role down the line if he’s performing. SP/RP Alex Wimmers The second of the forgotten first round picks is pitcher Alex Wimmers who showed a ton of promise in Fort Myers after being drafted, but quickly fell off the face of the earth the next year. He’s been solid if not spectacular since, working as both a starter and reliever at times. He’s currently working out of the bullpen at AA, where he had a 2.91 ERA and struck out 23 in 21.2 IP in 2015. He doesn’t have the velocity of the other names on this list, but does still have the pedigree of a first round talent looking to come full circle in his development. I would view him as a strong candidate for a September call-up if he posts strong numbers out of the bullpen again. So there you have it, my picks for Twins who you could see at Target Field in 2016 making their Major League debut. Hopefully for all of them, it goes a little bit like Eddie Rosario’s did last year once they get there!

Harrison's timeline to this point has reminded me a lot of Trevor Plouffe's time in the minors. He wasn't necessarily wowing anyone with his stat lines, but the Twins were seeing other things and continued to move him up the ladder. I've loved Harrison's approach at the plate, and his strikeout numbers aren't even in a realm of concern for me, especially when you consider other player's in the organization.

Haha, no worries! All the MiLB writers here do a great job, and we know you guys love it! Thanks for reading! It was definitely the K's for me on the Pitcher of the day pick. It was between Clay and Berrios for me. If it's close on a couple starting pitchers, I try to use the "game score" in the MiLB boxscores as a tie-breaker. Nobody's stood out in comparison so I took the K's. I can't complain if you guys disagree. A lot of pretty good pitching performances yesterday!

Ricky Nolasco was on the mound for the Twins on Sunday afternoon and gave them arguably his best start in a Minnesota uniform, going seven innings and allowing just one run against the defending World Champions. Unfortunately for the visiting team, those pesky Royals wouldn’t go down without a fight. Glen Perkins blew his first save opportunity of the 2016 season and in extra innings an errant pickoff throw and wild pitch from Trevor May brought home the winning run. The Twins head north for their home opener tomorrow against the Chicago White Sox and will send Kyle Gibson to the mound, still looking for their first win of 2016. In the minors on Sunday afternoon all four Twins affiliates were in action. Rochester got standout pitching performances from one current top pitching prospect and one (relatively) former one in a victory, Chattanooga and Fort Myers held late leads but fared much like the Twins in the final scores, and Cedar Rapids looked to remain undefeated on the young season. To find out how it all went down, keep reading!RED WINGS REPORT Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 1, Rochester 4 Box Score Jose Berrios took the mound for the Red Wings in their home opener at Frontier Field for his first start of the 2016 season. He was opposed as a starter by old friend Anthony Swarzak for the RailRiders. Berrios was effectively wild as he finished five innings and picked up the win, allowing one run on three hits, four walks and two hit batters while striking out nine. He threw 90 pitches with 53 going for strikes. The one run allowed came in the second inning after a leadoff single was followed by a double for an early 1-0 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lead. Berrios then issued his first walk of the game to another old friend, Chris Parmelee, before getting a strikeout and two fly outs around another walk to escape with limited damage. Berrios would strike out two in the third, three more in the fourth, and two in the fifth around a few more walks before his day was done. Rochester took the lead for good in the third inning after loading the bases with nobody out. Buck Britton delivered a two-run single and Jorge Polanco followed with a run-scoring single of his own to make it 3-1. They added an insurance run in the sixth inning as Wilfredo Tovar singled in Adam Brett Walker, who led off the inning with a single of his own. The Red Wings wound up not needing that run though as Alex Meyer came on in relief of Berrios and finished the game’s final four innings picking up the rare three-plus inning save in the process. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out four including the final hitter of the game for the home opener exclamation point. Walker led the offense on the day going 3-4 with a run scored and a double out of the sixth spot in the lineup. Tovar was 2-3 with a run scored and the RBI. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Biloxi 8 Box Score Down 2-1 going into the seventh inning, Chattanooga took the lead after a bases- clearing double off the bat of Danial Palka to make the score 5-2. An errant throw from the shortstop on the play ended up in the Lookouts dugout, sending Palka across the plate for the fourth run on the play. Left-handed reliever Mike Strong, who was in the running for the final bullpen spot on the Twins in spring training, came on to protect a two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth, but was greeted by back-to-back-to-back doubles that tied the game at five. He was able to get two outs after that before a walk and a single to make the score 6-5 ended his day. Brandon Peterson came on for the final out, but a double brought in the two inherited runners before he got out of the inning. Aaron Slegers made the start for Chattanooga and put in a quality effort. In six innings, he allowed two-earned runs on six hits and three walks, with three strikeouts. The two runs allowed came in the second inning after two doubles and two singles from four straight batters. Slegers’ line was helped by inducing double plays in each of his innings except the first, for a total of five on the day. The Lookouts offense got multiple-hit efforts form Zach Granite (3-5, R), Palka (2-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI), Travis Harrison (2-2, R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB’s), and Engelb Vielma (2-4, R). MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 4 (10 innings) Box Score The Miracle took the early lead in the first inning after Tanner English led off the game with a single and later scored on a single from Alex Real. English was moved into scoring position on a double by Nick Gordon. They went up 2-0 in the fifth inning behind the bats of the same players. Gordon smacked his second double of the game to start the frame, and scored on a Real sac fly. Unfortunately they also ended the inning with the bases loaded, unable to do any more damage. Right-hander Keaton Steele was on the mound for Fort Myers in his first start of the 2016 season and was fantastic through the first five innings. He retired the first eight hitters of the game before issuing a walk, and went 1-2-3 in each of the first, second and fifth innings. It was the sixth inning before the Marauders were able to muster any threats, and it came after Steele had retired the first two hitters of that inning. A single and double made the score 2-1 and Steele was lifted for Raul Fernandez who struck out the final hitter of the inning to keep the lead intact. Fort Myers went up 3-1 in the top of the seventh after a one-out bases-loaded walk to Chad Christensen, but a double-play ball ended their efforts. Fernandez remained in the game and allowed one run in the bottom half to make the score 3-2 heading into the eighth. The score remained 3-2 despite opportunities for the Miracle in each of their eighth and ninth inning at-bats, and the failure to capitalize again would come back to haunt them. Trevor Hildenberger was brought on for the save opportunity in the ninth, but a relay throw from Gordon into third on a triple sailed past the third baseman allowing the tying run to score and sent the game to extra innings. Hildenberger stayed in the game for the 10th, but another error from his defense put the game-winning run in scoring position and Bradenton did not fail with the opportunity they were handed. A single off the bat of Connor Joe brought home the come-from-behind,walk-off winner for the Marauders and evened each team’s record in the Florida State League at 2-2. Steele finished 5.2 innings in the game, allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks, while striking out two. Yorman Landa pitched a scoreless inning of relief, allowing one hit and striking out two. The blown save and loss were Hildenberger’s first of each on the year. The Miracle offense got a standout game from top prospect Nick Gordon, who finished 4-6 with a run scored and three doubles. Real was 3-3 with 2 RBI and a walk. Ryan Walker also added two hits to the effort. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad City 2 Box Score Like their high-A brothers, Cedar Rapids went into the tenth inning on Sunday afternoon after blowing a late lead, and needed some heroics to remain undefeated on the season. The Kernels got a strong start from Sam Clay who finished six innings. He allowed one unearned run on five hits and two walks. He struck out seven including the side in the first inning. Cedar Rapids took the lead 1-0 in the top of the sixth when Rafael Valera led off the frame with a double. He scored on a single from Max Murphy. An error on a pick-off throw from Clay allowed the unearned run to score in the bottom half of the sixth and the game remained tied until the ninth as C.K. Irby pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts of his own. Two errors by the River Bandits defense brought in the go-ahead run for the Kernels in the top-half and Nick Anderson was summoned from the bullpen for the save opportunity. He was greeted by a triple that all but guaranteed free baseball. A batter later that guarantee was cashed in with a game-tying single. Anderson escaped with the game tied after a ground ball and two fly outs. In the top of the tenth, a Lamonte Wade walk and a Murphy hit-by-pitch put the go-ahead run in scoring position, and Chris Paul knocked it in with a two-out single to center field. Anderson stayed in the game looking to pick up the win, and after allowing two singles to start the inning got a double play ball for the first two outs and struck out the final batter with the tying run on third to preserve the zero in the loss column. Paul went 4-5 on the day with a run scored and an RBI, and Wade added two hits and two walks, including a triple to pace the Kernels offense. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Rochester Red Wings (W, 5.0IP, 3 H’s, 1 ER, 4 BB’s, 9 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Fort Myers Miracle (4-6, R, 3 2B’s) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (5:35PM CST) – LHP Logan Darnell (0-0, -.-- ERA) Chattanooga @ Biloxi (6:40PM CST) – RHP Ryan Eades (0-0, -.-- ERA) Brevard County @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – LHP Randy Rosario (0-0, -.-- ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 PM CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez (0-0, -.-- ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. 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Ricky Nolasco was on the mound for the Twins on Sunday afternoon and gave them arguably his best start in a Minnesota uniform, going seven innings and allowing just one run against the defending World Champions. Unfortunately for the visiting team, those pesky Royals wouldn’t go down without a fight. Glen Perkins blew his first save opportunity of the 2016 season and in extra innings an errant pickoff throw and wild pitch from Trevor May brought home the winning run. The Twins head north for their home opener tomorrow against the Chicago White Sox and will send Kyle Gibson to the mound still looking for their first win of 2016. In the minors on Sunday afternoon all four Twins affiliates were in action. Rochester got standout pitching performances from one current top pitching prospect and one (relatively) former one in a victory, Chattanooga and Fort Myers held late leads but fared much like the Twins in the final scores, and Cedar Rapids looked to remain undefeated on the young season. To find out how it all went down, keep reading! RED WINGS REPORT Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 1, Rochester 4 Box Score Jose Berrios took the mound for the Red Wings in their home opener at Frontier Field for his first start of the 2016 season. He was opposed as a starter by old friend Anthony Swarzak for the RailRiders. Berrios was effectively wild as he finished five innings and picked up the win, allowing one run on three hits, four walks and two hit-batters while striking out nine. He threw ninety pitches with fifty-three going for strikes. The one run allowed came in the second inning after a leadoff single was followed by a double for an early 1-0 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lead. Berrios would then issue his first walk of the game to another old friend, Chris Parmelee, before getting a strikeout and two flyouts around another walk to escape with limited damage. Berrios would strike out two in third, three more in the fourth, and two in the fifth around a few more walks before his day was done. Rochester took the lead for good in the third inning after loading the bases with nobody out. Buck Britton delivered a two run single and Jorge Polanco followed with a run-scoring single of his own to make it 3-1. They would add an insurance run in the sixth inning as Wilfredo Tovar singled in Adam Brett Walker, who led off the inning with a single of his own. The Red Wings wouldn’t end up needing that run though as Alex Meyer came on in relief of Berrios and finished the game’s final four innings picking up the rare three-plus inning save in the process. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out four including the final hitter of the game for the home opener exclamation point. Walker led the offense on the day going 3-4 with a run scored and a double out of the sixth spot in the lineup. Tovar was 2-3 with a run scored and the RBI. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Biloxi 8 Box Score Down 2-1 going into the seventh inning, Chattanooga took the lead after a bases clearing double off the bat of Danial Palka to make the score 5-2. An errant throw from the shortstop on the play ended up in the Lookouts dugout, sending Palka across the plate for the fourth run on the play. Left-handed reliever Mike Strong, who was in the running for the final bullpen spot on the Twins in Spring Training, came on to protect a two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth, but was greeted by back-to-back-back doubles that tied the game at five. He was able to get two outs after that before a walk and a single to make the score 6-5 ended his day. Brandon Peterson came on for the final out, but a double brought in the two inherited runners before he got out of the inning. Aaron Slegers made the start for Chattanooga and put in a quality effort. In six innings, he allowed two-earned runs on six hits and three walks, with three strikeouts. The two runs allowed came in the second inning after two-doubles and two-singles in four straight batters. Slegers’ line was helped by inducing double plays in each of his innings except the first, for a total of five on the day. The Lookouts offense got multiple hit efforts form Zach Granite (3-5, R), Palka (2-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI), Travis Harrison (2-2, R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB’s), and Engelb Vielma (2-4, R). MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 4 (10 innings) Box Score The Miracle took the early lead in the first inning after Tanner English led off the game with a single and later scored on a single from Alex Real. English was moved into scoring position on a double by Nick Gordon. They would go up 2-0 in the fifth inning behind the bats of the same players. Gordon smacked his second double of the game to start the frame, and scored on a Real sac fly. Unfortunately they also ended the inning with the bases loaded, unable to do any more damage. Right-hander Keaton Steele was on the mound for Fort Myers in his first start of the 2016 season and was fantastic through the first five innings. He retired the first eight hitters of the game before issuing a walk, and went 1-2-3 in each of the first, second, and fifth innings. It was the sixth inning before the Marauders were able to muster any threats, and it came after Steele had retired the first two-hitters of that inning. A single and double made the score 2-1 and Steele was lifted for Raul Fernandez who struck out the final hitter of the inning to keep the lead intact. Fort Myers went up 3-1 in the top of the seventh after a one-out bases loaded walk to Chad Christensen, but a double-play ball ended their efforts. Fernandez remained in the game and allowed one run in the bottom half to make the score 3-2 heading into the eighth. The score would remain 3-2 despite opportunities for the Miracle in each of their eighth and ninth inning at-bats, and the failure to capitalize again would come back to haunt them. Trevor Hildenberger was brought on for the save opportunity in the ninth, but a relay throw from Gordon into third on a triple sailed past the third baseman allowing the tying run to score and sent the game to extra innings. Hildenberger stayed in the game for the 10th, but another error from his defense put the game-winning run in scoring position and Bradenton wouldn’t fail with the opportunity they were handed. A single off the bat of Connor Joe brought home the come-from-behind-walk-off winner for the Marauders and evened each team’s record in the Florida State League at 2-2. Steele finished 5.2 innings in the game, allowing one earned-run on two hits and two walks, while striking out two. Yorman Landa pitched a scoreless inning of relief, allowing one hit and striking out two. The blown save and loss were Hildenberger’s first of each on the year. The Miracle offense got a standout game from top prospect Nick Gordon, who finished 4-6 with a run scored and three doubles. Real was 3-3 with 2 RBI and a walk. Ryan Walker also added two hits to the effort. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad City 2 Box Score Like their high-A brothers, Cedar Rapids went into the tenth inning on Sunday afternoon after blowing a late lead, and would need some heroics to remain undefeated on the season. The Kernels got a strong start from Sam Clay who finished six innings. He allowed one unearned run on five hits and two walks. He struck out seven including the side in the first inning. Cedar Rapids took the lead 1-0 in the top of the sixth when Rafael Valera led off the frame with a double. He would score on a single from Max Murphy. An error on a pickoff throw from Clay would allow the unearned run to score in the bottom half of the sixth and the game would remain tied until the ninth as C.K. Irby pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts of his own. Two errors by the River Bandits defense would bring in the go-ahead run for the Kernels in top-half and Nick Anderson was summoned from the bullpen for the save opportunity. He was greeted by a triple that all but guaranteed free baseball. A batter later that guarantee was cashed in with a game-tying single. Anderson would escape with the game tied after a ground ball and two flyouts. In the top of the tenth, a Lamonte Wade walk and Murphy hit-by-pitch put the go-ahead run in scoring position, and Chris Paul knocked it in with a two-out single to center field. Anderson stayed in the game looking to pick up the win, and after allowing two singles to start the inning got a double play ball for the first two outs and struck out the final batter with the tying run on third to preserve the zero in the loss column. Paul went 4-5 on the day with a run scored and an RBI, and Wade added two hits and two walks, including a triple to pace the Kernels offense. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Rochester Red Wings (W, 5.0IP, 3 H’s, 1 ER, 4 BB’s, 9 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Fort Myers Miracle (4-6, R, 3 2B’s) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (5:35PM CST) – LHP Logan Darnell (0-0, -.-- ERA) Chattanooga @ Biloxi (6:40PM CST) – RHP Ryan Eades (0-0, -.-- ERA) Brevard County @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – LHP Randy Rosario (0-0, -.-- ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 PM CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez (0-0, -.-- ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

Kepler has been my favorite prospect for years and had given him the "breakout" prospect moniker for multiple years. Finally all came together last year. The eye-test with him improved my overall opinion more than it ever has for anyone else, and that eye-test came from Spring Training in 2012 when he was playing with the Snappers roster that included Sano, Rosario, and Vargas. Kepler was the best player on the team in the multiple games I watched, and it wasn't particularly close. Don't remember if he had injuries that season, but I was astonished he didn't play any in the MWL that year. The results didn't match up for a few more seasons, but I'm hoping he's a fixture in the lineup by the end of this season, and if so see him as the #3 hitter at some point next year. Can't wait for Max to be up for good!

Yup. Like Danny Santana of last year, Duffey would be far and away #1 on my list of regression candidates for the Twins this year. He's without a doubt been the best RP to SP conversion from the draft the Twins have accomplished, but I think if it were a true competition, Nolasco and Milone would be winning it. If Duffey did lose a rotation spot, I wouldn't hesitate to pull a Trevor May on him, though.