Steve Lein

Well, let's do some case studies. In 2014, Kris Bryant (my definition of "elite" above) had 22 HR's in AA after 68 games when he was promoted. He also hit .355/.458/.702 with a 25.9% K-rate and 14.5% BB rate. Joey Gallo (also an "elite") had 21 HR's in A+ after 58 games when he was promoted. He also hit .323/.463/.735 with a 26% K-rate and 20.7% BB rate. Matt Olson (not quite an elite, much more like Walker) had 37 HR's in 138 games in A+, and was not promoted. He also hit .262/.404/.543 with a 21.6% K-rate and 18.5% BB-rate. In 2013: Joey Gallo hit 38 HR's in Low-A ball to lead all of MiLB, in 106 games, and was NOT promoted (So there is your answer). He also hit .245/.334/.610 with a 37% K-rate and 10.8% BB-rate. For fun Miguel Sano hit 16 HR's in A+ ball in 56 games when he was promoted. He also hit .330/.424/.655 with a 25.1% K-rate and 11.9% BB-rate. So now that I've answered your question (and it didn't take me long), here is ABWII this year: 26 HR's in 91 games, and has not been promoted. He has also hit .262/.317/.563 with a 37.6% K-rate and 7.9% BB-rate. You compare all those slash lines, it should be pretty obvious as to why those guys have, and have not, been promoted during the season. Walker is far and away the worst line of the ones that were not promoted in season. I don't care about RBI, and neither should you. One guys 35 HR's and 90 RBI, might be the same guy's 35 HR's and 120 RBI on another team. RBI depend too much on those around them. And face it, Walker has been on some pretty talented teams with a bunch of guys who get on base for him. There's a reason the Lookouts have 5 regulars in the top 16 of the Southern League for runs scored, including Buxton at #16 who hasn't played there in over a month, and Sano at #1 who hasn't played for them in two weeks. Now I think Walker will be promoted at some point this year, but this is line of thinking you have shouldn't be the reasoning for it.

It actually probably isn't as hard as you think to hit it over the scoreboard there, as it's basically even with the fence. But around 450 is probably accurate, and that's still a "monster blast."

The answer to most of this comment, is all prospects are different. There is not a cookie cutter approach. This is also why your third paragraph is nothing but hearsay. You would have a very hard time proving anything in relation. The reason why this might stick out to you, is because a lot of guys who get promoted mid-season, are big-time, well known, well scouted, and consensus top level guys. It's as simple as "elite prospects move faster because they are elite prospects." We all love Walker's power, and Kepler is certainly having a breakout season. But you'd be hard pressed to find them on any Top 50's, or even Top 100 lists right now. Walker especially because his questions are still so pronounced despite the big power numbers. One-trick pony's rarely have staying power. Now, Wilkin Ramirez just got injured for Rochester, so someone might move up now, but I'd move Kepler up before Walker, and there's not even a sliver of a debate about that to me between the two.

Yup, definitely looking forward with that. Won't help their push for playoff's this year, but would keep them on the path of the future.

How about Arcia for Trevor Story, instead of Pursuing Tulowitzki? But I'm in the boat of some others. Tulowitzki would be a major boost. You're getting a proven, elite commodity (when healthy) at the expense of probably prospects who haven't done anything yet. It's not like Tulo would be a rental either. There are certainly trade scenarios where everything makes perfect sense. And to those that are so afraid of Tulo's home/road splits for reasons I don't understand, I have to point out that his away OPS is still elite for a SS. Now do I think this would be in their best interest? That's debatable. But, in the right scenario this could help in both the short and long term. I'd certainly prefer to do other types of deals first, like the one I suggest up top, but I'd have a hard time being mad about bringing in a player of Tulowitzki's caliber, unless he continues to miss 1/2 the games every year.

To be quite honest, if there's talks happening with the Rockies about a SS, I might have more interest in Trevor Story than Troy Tulowitzki. I don't really think the Rockies want or will move Tulo, which blocks Story, and he'd certainly be a lot cheaper on what is sent to Colorado. Definite questions about Story's bat, but he brings some thump and might be better defensively than Tulo in the long term as well.

I agree with that, but look where they already are now with May on the outside of the rotation looking in. That situation doesn't change much in the future. Someone in this situation is likely to be worth more to another team than the Twins in the future. It's called maximizing your assets.

I wouldn't really "like" any deal that brought Tulo here if it means sending Gibson or Berrios off, along with whatever else they needed to get it done (absolutely "NO WAY" on Buxton or Sano), but this is kind of a problem that was created the last few seasons using Free Agency to fix the rotation. They have Ricky Nolasco at $12MIL/year through 2017. Phil Hughes at basically $13MIL/year through 2019. Ervin Santana at 13.4MIL/year through 2018. Then Gibson under team control through 2019, Milone under control through 2018, and May under control through 2020. Add in names like Meyer and Berrios, and suddenly you have way too many pitchers for not enough spots through the next three seasons. Would anyone else consider this a surplus? We probably should, so theoretically the best thing the Twins can do for their short and long term future is use this surplus to improve other areas. Shortstop certainly is a good spot to start. If they would take Berrios or Gibson, then Arcia, Nolasco, and perhaps Polanco or another fringe top 10 guy, I think you'd have to do it. Is that a deal they would want? Not so sure about that, but that's about as much as I would want the Twins to spend. Maybe Meyer's name gets thrown in, and I'd certainly want Hundley or a RP's name from their side too.

Exactly what Seth is saying is what I mean by "necessary or warranted."

Don't disagree, but they are certainly organizational guys. You set a very bad example for the rest of your MiLB players by just dumping those types when it's not necessary or warranted, and this suggested move is not necessary or warranted in my view.

Rochester still has a full outfield I think. Arcia, Ortiz, and Farris are all getting pretty much full playing time, with Farris playing all over. Rodriguez plays about a quarter of his games in RF too. Even with the Ramirez DL stint, you would probably have to release someone to get ABW constant playing time there right now like he has in AA.

The Twins had the day off on Monday as they travel down the West Coast of California from Oakland to Los Angeles to face the Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson will make the start and look to get Minnesota back in the win column after the drubbing yesterday. But in the minors on Monday, it was a full slate of games with each affiliate in action. There were several strong starting pitching performances including a late bid for a combined-no-hitter, a big home run from a familiar name in these reports, and a couple of blowouts in the lower levels.To see if the Twins’ affiliates came out on top in those games, read on! TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, a few quick transaction updates: Wilkin Ramirez was sent to the disabled list for the Rochester Red Wings, and they activated Nate Hanson in his place. Pitcher Keaton Steele was also activated from the disabled list for Cedar Rapids, and started Monday's game for the Kernels. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 6, Rochester 3 Box Score Lefthander Taylor Rogers kept the Rochester Red Wings in the game for most of it, but was unable to finish his day on high note. Rochester got out to an early 1-0 lead in the second, when Reynaldo Rodriguez led off the inning with his ninth home run of the season. In the top of the third the lead was handed to the Braves when they got to Rogers for three singles, resulting in two runs. The score remained that way through the sixth, with Rogers finishing that inning with only the two runs allowed on four hits and a walk, along with three strikeouts, but it unraveled for him in the seventh. Consecutive singles, a sac bunt, and intentional walk to load the bases started the inning, then two more singles and a sac fly brought in four runs to make it 6-1 before Cole Johnson came on in relief and escaped the jam. The Red Wings tried to get back in the game in the bottom half of the seventh, as Rodriguez and Bernier drew walks to put runners on with two outs, and Eric Farris delivered his first triple of the season to drive them in and make the score 6-3. Johnson recorded one out in the eighth before his own troubles brought in Mark Hamburger to wiggle out his jam with runners on second and third. Hamburger came back out for the ninth to pitch a scoreless inning, allowing a single and striking out two, but the Red Wings went down one-two-three in the ninth. Rochester was outhit 11-5 on the game, and didn’t get many chances as they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. Rodriguez was the only Red Wings player with multiple hits, going 2-3 with two runs scored and the solo home run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 1, Chattanooga 4 Box Score The Lookouts were rained out yesterday, but continued their slight turnaround from a rough start to the month. After starting July 3-9 in their first twelve games, they are 5-1 over their last six. Starter David Hurlbut did much of the work for Chattanooga, pitching six shut out frames. He scattered five hits and two walks, while striking out two to improve to 6-4 on the season. He left the game with a 3-0 lead thanks to a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth from the home team. Travis Harrison scored the first run of the game in the fifth, when he led off the inning with a walk and scored on a Stuart Turner double. In the sixth, Max Kepler drew a walk and trotted home on Adam Brett Walker’s twenty-fifth home run of the season to make it 3-0. J.T. Chargois relieved Hurlbut for the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Mississippi got their only run of the game in the eighth off reliever Alex Muren, when consecutive errors from Muren and Kennys Vargas allowed the leadoff man to circle home-to-home in just those two batters. Niko Goodrum added an insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run, his third of the season with the Lookouts and seventh total. Stuart Turner had two hits on the night including the RBI double. Walker had a typical day with the big home run, but also struck out twice. Kepler (1-3, R, BB) and Vargas (1-3, BB) each reached base twice in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Jupiter 1, Fort Myers 2 Box Score It was a pitcher’s duel at Hammond Stadium on Monday night, with the Miracle’s Aaron Slegers facing off against the rehabbing Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins. Slegers got the best of him with seven strong innings. He walked none and allowed just five hits and one run while striking out five. Fort Myers got to Alvarez in the third inning, and ended his night with two unearned runs after Alex Swim reached base on an error to start the inning. Swim moved to second on a passed ball, and a single from Mitch Garver and a walk to Brett Doe loaded the bases for consecutive sacrifice flies from Ryan Walker and T.J. White. Those two runs would be just enough, as the Hammerhead’s Drew Steckenrider held the Miracle lineup at bay for the rest of the game. Todd Van Steensel picked up his twelfth save with Fort Myers with two innings of relief to finish the game. He allowed one hit and struck out one. White was the only batter with multiple hits for the Miracle, going 2-3 with an RBI, and Swim added a double to the effort. The Miracle improved to 14-11 in the second half of the FSL season, and 52-43 overall. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 14 Box Score Things got ugly early in this one for the Kernels and if it were a Minnesota Baseball Association Town Team game, would have ended a bit early in the eighth inning due to the mercy rule. Starting pitcher Keaton Steele, fresh off the DL, got through the first two innings unscathed, but recorded just one out in the third as the first four men reached base via single or walk, scoring the first two runs of the game in the process. They tacked on three more to Steele’s line before Jared Wilson escaped later with the bases still loaded. The River Bandits continued to fill the scoreboard against Wilson in the fourth (two runs), Michael Theofanopoulos in the fifth (four runs) and Cameron Booser in the sixth (one run), before they finally got a damage free and one-two-three seventh from Randy LeBlanc. He was not immune either though, as they’d get him for two more runs in the eighth, both unearned, as Kernels shortstop Sean Miller committed errors on consecutive ground balls to bring the score to 14-4 and the mercy conditions. Cedar Rapids scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning, as Zack Larson singled in Tanner English who had led off the inning with a walk. In the seventh, a triple from Austin Diemer and a double from Miller brought a little bit of life to the game, but three runs on the Kernels scoreboard weren’t much help. They added a fifth run in the top of the ninth, when English connected for his third home run of the season, making the final score of 14-5. Edgar Corcino (2-4, BB) and Miller (2-4, R, 2B) each had two hits to lead Cedar Rapids, and as team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 12, Burlington 1 Box Score The Elizabethton lineup scored early often and late often on Monday, leading to a 12-1 blowout of the Burlington Royals. They were aided by another stellar performance from starter Dereck Rodriguez, who continues to impress early in his transition to a pitcher with Elizabethton. The Twins racked up nineteen hits, and went a combined 8-21 with runners in scoring position. Though normally you might see fourteen men left on base as a bad thing, combined with the twelve runs on the scoreboard you can see how many chances they gave themselves. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning, primarily due to the bat of newly signed first baseman Zander Wiel of Vanderbilt. His first professional home run was a two-run shot to make it 3-0 and Elizabethton would need no other insurance, though they took out a pretty large policy the rest of the game. They added two more in the second inning, and single runs in each of the third and fourth. They were held in check for the next two innings, before adding three to board in the seventh, and single runs again in each of the eighth and ninth. Rodriguez retired the first eleven Royals of the game before a single in the fourth with two outs finally got a runner on base for the home team. They got just one more single off Rodriguez in the fifth, and he faced the minimum over his final three innings, including retiring the final seven Royals he faced. He didn’t walk a single batter, and picked up three strikeouts along the way to improve his Appalachian League record to 3-0 in five starts. Alex Robinson came on in relief to finish the final two innings, allowing one run on one hit, a double in the ninth and two walks. Rainis Silva was 4-4 in the game and got on base in all five plate appearances for Elizabethton, scoring three runs in the process as he doubled and homered to drive in three. Kamran Young was 2-5 with a double, run scored and a walk. Leftfielder Chris Paul had three hits including a double, scored three runs and drove in one. Weil was 2-4 with three RBI’s and a walk to go along with his first pro home run. Travis Blankenhorn notched three hits and a walk, scoring one and driving in one. Ariel Montesino also joined the multiple-hit parade, going 2-4 with a walk, double, run scored and RBI. All nine starters for the Twins had at least one hit and Amaurys Minier was the only starter not to score a run. The win brought Elizabethton’s record to 12-13, and they shoot for .500 at home against the Princeton Rays tomorrow. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 0, Elizabethton 1 Box Score Pitching was again the name of the game here, and Twins pitchers had a combined no-hitter through the first seven innings. Eduardo Del Rosario went the first five to get it started, walking two and striking out five. Max Cordy walked one and struck out two in the sixth, and Stephen Pryor struck out two in a perfect seventh. Next up in the eighth was John Curtiss, who got the first batter on a ground out to bring the team to 7.1 no-hit innings, but a walk to the next batter would be as far as he could bring them. The Orioles Jack Graham was up next, and was the first to get lucky, sneaking a ground ball through the right side for a base hit and putting a runner in scoring position. Obviously disappointed and perhaps angry the hit got through, Curtiss proceeded to strike out the next two hitters and keep the 1-0 Twins lead. The Twins got that run in the second inning, as singles from Jermaine Palacios, Ruar Verkerk and Kerby Camacho brought Palacios around to score with two outs. Johan Quezada was brought in for the save opportunity, and fared much like Curtiss. He got a groundout to start the inning, but then a walk and single put the game-tying runner on second base again. After a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter substitution, Quezada got a ground ball to third to end the game and pick up the save. Rosario improved to 2-0 in the Gulf Coast League in five starts and lowered his ERA to 1.96 with the five no-hit frames. On offense, the Twins got multiple hits from Luis Arraez (2-3, BB), Palacios (2-3, R) and Verkerk (2-3) and eight hits as a team. Because they were all singles however, they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (W, 7.0 IP, 2 H’s, 0 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Rainis Silva, Elizabethton Twins (4-4, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnet @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey (4-4, 2.24 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – TBD Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu (5-2, 2.20 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) –RHP Felix Jorge (4-3, 2.06 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.95 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins had the day off on Monday as they travel down the west coast of California from Oakland to Los Angeles to face the Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson will make the start and look to get Minnesota back in the win column after the drubbing yesterday. But in the minors on Monday, it was a full slate of games with each affiliate in action. There were several strong starting pitching performances including a late bid for a combined-no-hitter, a big home run from a familiar name in these reports, and a couple blowouts in the lower levels. To see if the Twins’ affiliates came out on top in those games, read on! TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, a few quick transaction updates: Wilkin Ramirez was sent to the disabled list for the Rochester Red Wings, and they activated Nate Hanson in his place. Pitcher Keaton Steele was also activated from the disabled list for Cedar Rapids, and started tonight’s game for the Kernels. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 6, Rochester 3 Box Score Lefthander Taylor Rogers kept the Rochester Red Wings in the game for most of it, but was unable to finish his day on high note. Rochester got out to an early 1-0 lead in the second, when Reynaldo Rodriguez led off the inning with his ninth home run of the season. In the top of the third the lead was handed to the Braves when they got to Rogers with three singles, resulting in two runs. The score would remain that way through the sixth, with Rogers finishing that inning with only the two runs allowed on four hits and a walk, along with three strikeouts, but it unraveled for him in the seventh. Consecutive singles, a sac bunt, and intentional walk to load the bases started the inning, then two more singles and a sac fly brought in four runs to make it 6-1 before Cole Johnson came on in relief and escaped the jam. The Red Wings would try to get back in the game in the bottom half of the seventh, as Rodriguez and Bernier drew walks to put runners on with two outs, and Eric Farris delivered his first triple of the season to drive them in and make the score 6-3. Johnson recorded one out in the eighth before his own troubles summoned Mark Hamburger to wiggle out his jam with runners on second and third. Hamburger would come back out for the ninth and pitch a scoreless inning, allowing a single and striking out two, but the Red Wings went down one-two-three in the ninth. Rochester was outhit 11-5 on the game, and didn’t get many chances as they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. Rodriguez was the only Red Wings player with multiple hits, going 2-3 with two runs scored and the solo home run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 1, Chattanooga 4 Box Score The Lookouts were rained out yesterday, but continued their slight turnaround from a rough start to the month despite missing a day of action. After starting July 3-9 in their first twelve games, they are 5-1 over their last six. Starter David Hurlbut did much of the work for Chattanooga, pitching six shutout frames. He scattered five hits and two walks, while striking out two to improve to 6-4 on the season. He left the game with a 3-0 lead thanks to a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth from the home team. Travis Harrison scored the first run of the game in the fifth, when he led off the inning with a walk and scored on a Stuart Turner double. In the sixth, Max Kepler drew a walk and trotted home on Adam Brett Walker II’s twenty-fifth home run of the season to make it 3-0. J.T. Chargois relieved Hurlbut for the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Mississippi got their only run of the game in the eighth off reliever Alex Muren, when consecutive errors from Muren and Kennys Vargas allowed the leadoff man to circle home-to-home in just those two batters. Niko Goodrum added an insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run, his third of the season with the Lookouts and seventh total. Stuart Turner had two hits on the night including the RBI double. Walker had a typical day with the big home run, but also struck out twice. Kepler (1-3, R, BB) and Vargas (1-3, BB) each reached base twice in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Jupiter 1, Fort Myers 2 Box Score It was a pitcher’s duel at Hammond Stadium on Monday night, with the Miracle’s Aaron Slegers facing off against the rehabbing Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins. Slegers got the best of him with seven strong innings. He walked none and allowed just five hits and one run, while striking out five. Fort Myers got to Alvarez in the third inning, and would end his night with two unearned runs after Alex Swim reached base on an error to start the inning. Swim would move to second on a passed ball, and a single from Mitch Garver and a walk to Brett Doe would load the bases for consecutive sacrifice flies from Ryan Walker and T.J. White. Those two runs would be just enough, as the HammerHead’s Drew Steckenrider would hold the Miracle lineup at bay for the rest of the game. Todd Van Steensel picked up his twelfth save with Fort Myers with two innings of relief to finish the game. He allowed one hit and struck out one. White was the only batter with multiple hits for the Miracle going 2-3 with an RBI, and Swim added a double to the effort. The Miracle improved to 14-11 in the second half of the FSL season, and 52-43 overall. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 14 Box Score Things got ugly early in this one for the Kernels, and if it were a Minnesota Baseball Association Town Team game, would have ended a bit early in the eighth inning due to the mercy rule. Starting pitcher Keaton Steel, fresh off the disabled list, got through the first two innings unscathed, but recorded just one out in the third as the first four men reached base via single or walk, scoring the first two runs of the game in the process, and they would tack on three more to Steele’s line before Jared Wilson would escape later with the bases still loaded. The River Bandits would continue to fill the scoreboard against Wilson in the fourth (two runs), Michael Theofanopoulos in the fifth (four runs) and Cameron Booser in the sixth (one run), before they finally got a damage free and one-two-three seventh from Randy LeBlanc. He was not immune either though, as they’d get him for two more runs in the eighth, both unearned, as Kernels shortstop Sean Miller committed errors on consecutive ground balls to bring the score to 14-4 and the mercy conditions. Cedar Rapids scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning, as Zack Larson singled in Tanner English who had led off the inning with a walk. In the seventh, a triple from Austin Diemer and a double from Miller brought a little bit of life to the game, but three runs on the Kernels scoreboard weren’t much help. They added a fifth run in the top of the ninth, when English connected for his third home run of the season, making the final score of 14-5. Edgar Corcino (2-4, BB) and Miller (2-4, R, 2B) each had two hits to lead Cedar Rapids, and as team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 12, Burlington 1 Box Score The Elizabethton lineup scored early often and late often on Monday, leading to a 12-1 blowout of the Burlington Royals, and were aided by another stellar performance from starter Derek Rodriguez, who continues to impress early in his transition to a pitcher with Elizabethton. The Twins racked up nineteen hits, and went a combined 8-21 with runners in scoring position. Though normally you might see fourteen men left on base as a bad thing, combined with the twelve runs on the scoreboard this tells you how many chances they gave themselves. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning, primarily due to the bat of newly signed first baseman Zander Wiel of Vanderbilt. His first professional home run was a two-run shot to make it 3-0 and Elizabethton would need no other insurance, though they took out a pretty large policy the rest of the game. They added two more in the second inning, and single runs in each of the third and fourth. They were held in check for the next two innings, before adding three to board in the seventh, and single runs again in each of the eighth and ninth. Rodriguez retired the first eleven Royals of the game, before a single in the fourth with two outs finally got a runner on base for the home team. They would get just one more single off Rodriguez in the fifth, and he faced the minimum over his final three innings, including retiring the final seven Royals he faced. He didn’t walk a single batter, and picked up three strikeouts along the way to improve his Appalachian League record to 3-0 in five starts. Alex Robinson came on in relief to finish the final two innings, allowing one run on one hit, a double in the ninth, and two walks. Rainis Silva was 4-4 in the game and got on base in all five plate appearances for Elizabethton, scoring three runs in the process as he doubled and homered to drive in three. Kamran Young was 2-5 with a double, run scored, and a walk. Leftfielder Chris Paul had three hits including a double, scored three runs, and drove in one. Weil was 2-4 with three RBI’s and a walk to go along with his first pro home run. Travis Blankenhorn notched three hits and a walk, scoring one and driving in one. Ariel Montesino also joined the multiple-hit parade, going 2-4 with a walk, double, run scored and RBI. All nine starters for the Twins had at least one hit, and Amaurys Minier was the only starter not to score a run. The win brought Elizabethton’s record to 12-13, and they shoot for .500 at home against the Princeton Rays tomorrow. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 0, Elizabethton 1 Box Score Pitching was again the name of the game in this one, and Twins pitchers had a combined no-hitter through the first seven innings. Eduardo Del Rosario went the first five to get it started, walking two and striking out five. Max Cordy walked one and struck out two in the sixth, and Stephen Pryor struck out two in a perfect seventh. Next up in the eighth was John Curtiss, who got the first batter on a ground out to bring the team to 7.1 no-hit innings, but a walk to the next batter would be as far as he could bring them. The Orioles Jack Graham was up next, and was the first to get lucky, sneaking a ground ball through the right side for a base hit and putting a runner in scoring position. Obviously disappointed and perhaps angry the hit got through, Curtiss proceeded to strikeout the next two hitters and keep the 1-0 Twins lead. The Twins got that run in the second inning, as singles from Jermaine Palacios, Ruar Verkerk, and Kerby Camacho brought Palacios around to score with two outs. Johan Quezada was brought in for the save opportunity, and fared much like Curtiss. He got a ground out to start the inning, but then a walk and single put the game tying runner on second base again. After a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter substitution, Quezada got a ground ball to third to end the game and pick up the save. Rosario improved to 2-0 in the Gulf Coast League in five starts, and lowered his ERA to 1.96 with the five no-hit frames. On offense, the Twins got multiple hits from Luis Arraez (2-3, BB), Palacios (2-3, R) and Verkerk (2-3) and eight hits as a team. Because they were all singles however, they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Derek Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (W, 7.0 IP, 2 H’s, 0 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Rainis Silva, Elizabethton Twins (4-4, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnet @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey (4-4, 2.24 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – TBD Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu (5-2, 2.20 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) –RHP Felix Jorge (4-3, 2.06 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.95 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

Again, he wasn't going to, nor has he to this point, taken any valuable at bats away from deserving youngsters. That's what I was getting at. It wouldn't be an issue at this point if the Twins weren't competitive, either. The guys who should be playing and have earned it, are.

He's actually pretty much been the definition of average. He has been saved only by the HR's. And the injuries are a concern, not a reason for hope.

Never understood the vitriol around the Hunter signing, and the comment "it's played out better than anyone could have imagined" hits the wrong buttons for me. I'd argue it's played out exactly how the Twins, and others like myself, imagined it. It was a one-year deal and none of the "prospects" we had in the system for the outfield were "ready" at the time. They complained he would be blocking these guys, but that was not even close to true. Add in the fact that his .765 OPS the year before, would have been bested on an already pretty good offense by only two players, and those two players were Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas, who I think we all would agree, played above their skill level at the time. The belief that Hunter's production was going to fall off a cliff never was rooted in reality to me. He had maintained his production as he aged for five plus years already. Also, myself being such a big fan of his from the teams in the 2000's, I kept up with what he was doing elsewhere after leaving the Twins. There never should have been a doubt he was going to have a highly positive clubhouse influence. We don't like to monetize that aspect, but it'd be pretty hard to argue that this hasn't been worth quite a bit to this point. I guess what I'm saying is, I told you so... Haha q;) On the whole though, good summary, it's amazing what competent starting pitching can accomplish!

Kyle Gibson continued his breakout campaign against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon, helping the Twins complete a series win against their division rival heading into the All-Star break. Miguel Sano also delivered his second career home run, avoiding the silent treatment in the dugout for the first of many more times. Oh, and news flash: The Twins Have the Second Best Record (!) in the American League. In the minors on Sunday, there was one game that had a ton of offense, and a bunch more with not so much. One former first-round pick (supplemental round) had a big day, the guy batting behind him added to his home run totals, and a converted outfielder continued to shine in Elizabethton’s starting rotation.Read on to find out what happened and where! TRANSACTIONS First, there were a slew of transactions in Chattanooga before the games on Sunday. In Chattanooga, Travis Harrison was activated from the disabled list and had a big impact on their game. Zach Jones was also sent down to Fort Myers after his recent struggles, with Matt Summers being called up in his place. First baseman Mike Gonzales was also released by the Twins from the Lookouts roster. He is twenty-seven years old and had spent seven years in the Twins organization, reaching as high as AA. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Syracuse 4 Box Score Greg Peavey was on the mound for the Red Wings and dueled with the Chiefs’ Taylor Jordan for much of the early going. It was still tied at zero into the fourth inning, before the home team struck first against Peavey. A two out double put a runner in scoring position and the following single brought him home for the 1-0 lead. The Chiefs added two more in the fifth, when the first three hitters all singled to score one, and a later double scored the second. Peavey escaped that inning without any more damage, and finished his day with a one-two-three sixth. He allowed the three runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out two. Rochester was unable to get on the board until the eighth inning, when Jorge Polanco led off with a double, and scored later on a Chris Herrmann sacrifice fly. Polanco was a stud on Sunday afternoon, going 4-4 on the day with a double and a run scored, raising his average with the Red Wings to .366. He didn’t get much help from the rest of the offense however, as they were unable to string enough hits together behind him to make a difference on the scoreboard. As a team they were 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Caleb Thielbar threw a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. Aaron Thompson pitched the bottom of the eighth, allowing one run on two hits to make the score 4-1. Danny Ortiz led off the ninth with a double, and Jose Martinez moved him to third with a single that brought the tying run to the plate with nobody out. But Wilkin Ramirez flew out to old friend Darin Mastroianni in center field, and Argenis Diaz grounded into a double play to end the game. With the loss, Rochester finishes the first half of their International League season with a record of 49-42, and they sit in first place in the North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 11, Chattanooga 10 Box Score The game in Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon was a roller coaster for each side, as they combined for twenty-one runs on twenty-nine hits, and exchanged leads four times. Mississippi put a crooked number up in the first, as three singles and a wild pitch combined to plate two runs off Lookout’s starter Jason Wheeler. They got both those runs back in the bottom of the second as Travis Harrison led off with a walk, and Stephen Wickens, Marcus Knecht and Stuart Turner all singled to make it 2-2. Wheeler settled down after the first inning and finished seven innings, scattering a total of nine hits. He allowed three runs (two earned), did not walk a batter, and struck out three. Mississippi took back the lead 3-2 in the sixth when the Braves got a double and single in succession, but they handed the lead to Chattanooga in the bottom of the inning. Wickens drew a walk and was followed by a Knecht single,before Stuart Turner greeted the bullpen with a 2-RBI double to make it 4-3. They tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning as Harrison (2-run HR) and Adam Brett Walker (solo HR) connected for back to back blasts. They were Harrison’s fourth of the season and Walker’s twenty-fourth. Brandon Peterson was summoned from the bullpen for the top of the eighth inning, having not allowed a run since his promotion to AA, and in 26.0 innings overall since May 5th. The streak was not to continue as a single and triple quickly put an end to it. A later double scored a second run to make the score 7-5. The Lookouts got back those runs and more again in the bottom of the frame, as two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and Harrison cleared them with a double to make it 10-5 going into the ninth. J.T. Chargois recorded the first two outs quickly, but then all hell broke loose against the reliever and home team. A walk, single and a double scored two before another single and two walks scored a third and left the bases loaded for Matt Summers. Mississippi brought in pinch hitter Rio Ruiz, drew an RBI walk to make it 10-9, then a double from Sean Godfrey would put the Braves ahead 11-10. Deflated by the bullpen implosion, Chattanooga’s offense went down one-two-three in the bottom of the inning to take the loss, as they look to avoid a five-game home series sweep by Mississippi on Monday. MIRACLE MATTERS Clearwater 4, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Left-hander Stephen Gonsalves was on the mound for the Miracle, making his fifth Florida State League start. He wasn’t his greatest, but also wasn’t helped much by his defense, as two of his three runs allowed were unearned after a throwing error Alex Swim in the fourth. Gonsalves’s day came to an end in the sixth inning, as a throwing error from T.J. White after two singles to start the inning loaded the bases. Nick Burdi came into the game and shut down the threat with two strikeouts and an infield pop out. Overall on the day Gonsalves pitched five innings, allowing the three runs (one earned) on eight hits and four walks. He struck out two. The Miracle offense closed the score to 3-1 in the fourth, when a Mitch Garver double scored Ryan Walker, who had singled to lead off the inning, but that is as close as they would get. Burdi also came out for the seventh, and set the Threshers down one-two-three while adding another strikeout. It was then Tyler Jay’s turn in the eighth, and he struck out all three hitters he faced. Todd Van Steensel came on in the ninth and promptly loaded the bases with two walks and single. He allowed one run on a single before managing to wiggle out of the jam by inducing a 1-to-2-to-3 double-play. Fort Myers went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to hand Gonsalves his first loss in the FSL, though he did lower his ERA to 2.61. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 3 Box Score Despite each team collecting ten hits, there wasn’t much in the run columns on the scoreboard for either team, as they combined for just one extra-base hit on the day. The Cougars took the lead 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth off Kernels starter Sam Gibbons, as a double from Marty Herum led off the inning, and a sac bunt and sac fly brought him home. It remained that way until the eighth inning, as Gibbons scattered seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings while striking out three, and reliever Luke Bard added 2.2 scoreless frames, striking out two. Cougars starter Markus Solbach (former Twins prospect) scattered nine hits over seven innings of his own, striking out four. In the eighth inning the Kernels finally got to him, as a Nick Gordon single brought home Sean Miller from second to tie the game. Miller had led off the inning with a single of his own, and was moved into scoring position on a Tanner English sacrifice bunt. With a tie game heading into the bottom of the ninth in Kane County, the Kernels went to left-hander Brandon Bixler, who had allowed at least one run in each of his past four outings. He got two outs, but the trend continued and sent the Kernels into the dugout with a loss, as pinch-hitter Ildemaro Vargas blasted a two-run home run just over wall in the gap in left-center for the 3-1 walk-off victory. The win pushed Kane County’s (15-3) second half Western Division lead to four games over the Kernels (11-7). E-TOWN E-NOTES Johnson City 3, Elizabethton 2 Box Score Elizabethton’s game on Sunday was also easy on the scoreboard operators, as they got another fantastic pitching performance from Dereck Rodriguez. The Cardinals got on the board early with a run in the first inning as a single and stolen base put a runner in scoring position. A fielding error from first baseman Amaurys Minier would then allow that run to scamper home. From there on Rodriguez was in control. He finished six innings, allowing just the one unearned run on four hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out six and his ERA in four starts in the Appalachian League sits at 1.61. Elizabethton took the lead in the second inning, when Nelson Molina launched his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field making the score 2-1. Anthony Mciver added two scoreless innings in relief of Rodriguez to keep it that way until the ninth inning for Jose Abreu. With one out and a runner on second, Johnson City’s Luke Doyle sent a liner into center field for a single. The runner was waved around third but the throw beat him home to keep the lead with two outs. The next hitter grounded to third, but the throw was misplayed by Tyler Kuresa for an error on the first baseman, and the tying run came around to score before Abreu got the third out. Elizabethtons lineup was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Abreu came out for another inning, but did not record an out, and the three singles surrendered brought home the go-ahead run for the Cardinals. Logan Lombana came in to replace Abreu with two runners on an escaped any more damage by retiring all three hitters he faced. Down 3-2 in the tenth, the Twins got the tying run on base after a Kamran Young single, but pinch hitter A.J. Murray grounded into a double play to end the game. Murray was pinch hitting for Wade, who was 2-4 in the game before that at-bat. Molina also added two hits, including the home run to lead the offense. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They host the GCL Rays on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (6.0 IP, 4 H’s, 0 ER’s, BB, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Travis Harrison, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 5 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – International League All-Star Break. Mississippi @ Chattanooga (6:15 PM CST) – LHP David Hurlbut (4-4, 5.57 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (6-4, 3.07 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:35 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (1-1, 4.50 ERA) Johnson City @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.76 ERA) GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. 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Kyle Gibson continued his breakout campaign against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon, helping the Twins complete a series win against their division rival heading into the All Star Break. Miguel Sano also delivered his second career home run, avoiding the silent treatment in the dugout for the first of many more times. Oh, and news flash: The Twins Have the Second Best Record in the American League! In the minors on Sunday, there was one game that had a ton of offense, and a bunch more with not so much. One former first round pick (supplemental round) had a big day, the guy batting behind him added to his home run totals, and a converted outfielder continued to shine in Elizabethton’s starting rotation. Read on to find out what happened and where! TRANSACTIONS First, there were a slew of transactions in Chattanooga before the games on Sunday. In Chattanooga, Travis Harrison was activated from the disabled list and had a big impact on their game. Zach Jones was also sent down to Fort Myers after his recent struggles, with Matt Summers being called up in his place. First baseman Mike Gonzales was also released by the Twins from the Lookouts roster. He is twenty-seven years old and had spent seven years in the Twins organization, reaching as high as AA. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Syracuse 4 Box Score Greg Peavey was on the mound for the Red Wings, and dueled with the Chiefs’ Taylor Jordan for much of the early going. It was still tied at zero into the fourth inning, before the home team struck first against Peavey. A two out double put a runner in scoring position, and the following single brought him home for the 1-0 lead. The Chiefs would add two more in the fifth, when the first three hitters all singled to score one, and a later double would score the second. Peavey would escape that inning without any more damage, and finished his day with a one-two-three sixth. He allowed the three runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out two. Rochester was unable to get on the board until the eighth inning, when Jorge Polanco led off with a double, and scored later on a Chris Herrmann sacrifice fly. Polanco was a stud on Sunday afternoon, going 4-4 on the day with a double and a run scored, raising his average with the Red Wings to .366. He didn’t get much help from the rest of the offense however, as they were unable to string enough hits together behind him to make a difference on the scoreboard. As a team they were 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Caleb Thielbar threw a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two; while Aaron Thompson pitched the bottom of the eighth, allowing one run on two hits to make the score 4-1. Danny Ortiz led off the ninth with a double, and Jose Martinez moved him to third with a single that brought the tying run to the plate with nobody out. But Wilkin Ramirez flew out to old friend Darin Mastroianni in center field, and Argenias Diaz grounded into a double play to end the game. With the loss, Rochester finishes the first half of their International League season with a record of 49-42, and sit in first place in the North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 11, Chattanooga 10 Box Score The game in Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon was a roller coaster for each side, as they combined for twenty-one runs on twenty-nine hits, and changed leads four times. Mississippi put a crooked number up in the first, as three singles and a wild pitch combined to plate two runs off Lookout’s starter Jason Wheeler. They got both those runs back in the bottom of the second as Travis Harrison led off with a walk, and Stephen Wickens, Marcus Knecht, and Stuart Turner all singled to make it 2-2. Wheeler settled down after the first inning and finished seven innings, scattering a total of nine hits. He allowed three runs (two earned), did not walk a batter, and struck out three. Mississippi took back the lead 3-2 in the sixth when the Braves got a double and single in succession, but they handed the lead to Chattanooga in the bottom of the inning. Wickens drew a walk and was followed by a Knecht single, before Stuart Turner greeted the bullpen with a 2-RBI double to make it 4-3. They tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning as Harrison (2-R HR) and Adam Brett Walker (solo HR) connected for back to back blasts. They were Harrison’s fourth of the season, and Walker’s twenty-fourth. Brandon Peterson was summoned from the bullpen for the top of the eighth inning, having not allowed a run since his promotion to AA, and in 26.0 innings overall since May 5th. The streak was not to continue any further, as a single and triple quickly put an end to it. A later double would score a second run to make the score 7-5. The Lookouts got back those runs and more again in the bottom of the frame, as two singles and a walk would load the bases, and Harrison would clear them with a double to make it 10-5 going into the ninth. J.T. Chargois recorded the first two outs quickly, but then all hell broke loose against the reliever and home team. A walk, single, and a double would score two, before another single, and two walks would score a third and leave the bases loaded for Matt Summers. Mississippi brought in Pinch Hitter Rio Ruiz, who drew an RBI walk to make it 10-9, then a double from Sean Godfrey would put the Braves ahead 11-10. Deflated by the bullpen implosion, Chattanooga’s offense went down one-two-three in the bottom of the inning to take the loss, and look to avoid a five-game home-series sweep byMississippi on Monday. MIRACLE MATTERS Clearwater 4, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Lefthander Stephen Gonsalves was on the mound for the Miracle, making his fifth Florida State League start. He wasn’t his greatest, but also wasn’t helped much by his defense, as two of his three runs allowed were unearned after a throwing error from Alex Swim in the fourth. Gonsalves’s day would come to an end in the sixth inning, as a throwing error from T.J. White after two singles to start the inning would load the bases. Nick Burdi came into the game and shut down the threat with two strikeouts and an infield pop out. Overall on the day Gonsalves pitched five innings, allowing the three runs (one earned) on eight hits and four walks. He struck out two. The Miracle offense closed the score to 3-1 in the fourth, when a Mitch Garver double scored Ryan Walker, who had singled to lead off the inning, but that is as close as they would get. Burdi also came out for the seventh, and set the Threshers down one-two-three while adding another strikeout. It was then Tyler Jay’s turn in the eighth, and he struck out all three hitters he faced. Todd Van Steensel came on in the ninth and promptly loaded the bases with two walks and single. He allowed one run on a single before managing to wiggle out of the jam by inducing a 1-2-3 double-play. Fort Myers would go down in order in the bottom of the ninth to hand Gonsalves his first loss in the FSL, though he did lower his ERA to 2.61. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 3 Box Score Despite each team collecting ten hits, there wasn’t much in the run columns on the scoreboard for either team, as they combined for just one extra-base hit on the day. The Cougars took the lead 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth off Kernels starter Sam Gibbons, as a double from Marty Herum led off the inning, and a sac bunt and sac fly brought him home. It would remain that way until the eighth inning, as Gibbons scattered seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings while striking out three, and reliever Luke Bard added 2.2 scoreless frames, striking out two. Cougars starter Markus Solbach scattered nine hits over seven innings of his own, striking out four. In the eighth inning the Kernels finally got to him, as a Nick Gordon single brought home Sean Miller from second to tie the game. Miller had led off the inning with a single of his own, and was moved into scoring position on a Tanner English sacrifice bunt. With a tie-game heading into the bottom of the ninth in Kane County, the Kernels went to lefthander Brandon Bixler, who had allowed at least one run in each of his past four outings. He got two outs, but that trend continued and sent the Kernels into the dugout with a loss, as pinch-hitter Ildemaro Vargas blasted a two-run home run just over wall in the gap in left center for the 3-1 walk-off victory. The win pushed Kane County’s (15-3) second half Western Division lead to four games over the Kernels (11-7). E-TOWN E-NOTES Johnson City 3, Elizabethton 2 Box Score Elizabethton’s game on Sunday was also easy on the scoreboard operators, as they got another fantastic pitching performance from Derek Rodriguez. The Cardinals got on the board early with a run in the first inning as a single and stolen base put a runner in scoring position. A fielding error from first baseman Amaurys Minier would then allow that run to scamper home. From there on Rodriguez was in control. He finished six innings, allowing just the one unearned run on four hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out six and his ERA in four starts in the Appalachian League sits at 1.61. Elizabethton took the lead in the second inning, when Nelson Molina launched his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field making the score 2-1. Anthony Mciver added two scoreless innings in relief of Rodriguez to keep it that way until the ninth inning for Jose Abreu. With one out and a runner on second, Johnson City’s Luke Doyle sent a liner into centerfield for a single. The runner was waved around third but the throw beat him home to keep the lead with two outs. The next hitter grounded to third, but the throw was misplayed by Tyler Kuresa for an error on the first baseman, and the tying run came around to score before Abreau got the third out. Elizabethtons lineup was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Abreu came out for another inning, but did not record an out, and the three singles surrendered brought home the go-ahead run for the Cardinals. Logan Lombana came in to replace Abreu with two runners on an escaped any more damage by retiring all three hitters he faced. Down 3-2 in the tenth, the Twins got the tying run on base after a Kamran Young single, but pinch hitter A.J. Murray would ground into a double play to end the game. Murray was pinch hitting for Wade, who was 2-4 in the game before that at-bat. Molina also added two hits, including the home run to lead the offense. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They host the GCL Rays on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Derek Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (6.0 IP, 4 H’s, 0 ER’s, BB, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Travis Harrison, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 5 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – International League All-Star Break. Mississippi @ Chattanooga (6:15 PM CST) – LHP David Hurlbut (4-4, 5.57 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (6-4, 3.07 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:35 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (1-1, 4.50 ERA) Johnson City @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.76 ERA) GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

The 54 minute 35 second mark is important podcast information and discussion... q; )

I was actually worried about that in titling the article. I couldn't find anything else very thematic for the day, so here we are, haha!

What Darin says. People are quick to forget, that despite his young age, he has yet to earn full-time play (on bad teams over the past three years) and will have burned all his options after this season (and he was given a fourth option year in 2015). He'll be back this year, but I think he's pretty low on the OF totem pole right now and he isn't going to be handed anything.

Who knows if he's here to stay, but I agree with you on a lot! He's MLB-ready as a hitter. There's more than a few people, including coaches in the minors (Dougie), that know and/or have said he was more ready than Buxton as a hitter. I hope to see his first MLB home run tonight at Target Field!