Steve Lein

And it's now been revealed that Kohl Stewart is coming off the DL to start tonight, so the "tentative" mark was accurate q; )

I understand the idea behind the "can't hit enough for a corner OF" argument, but I also think it's a fundamentally flawed one. Outfielders aren't the only position that make up a roster. You can get power from wherever it shows up on the diamond. A corner OF-er doesn't NEED to hit for a bunch of power if you're getting it from somewhere else. Plouffe, Vargas, Hunter, Dozier, and Arcia can provide power. How many spots in the lineup do you think have to have it?! If I'm looking to the future, There's Buxton, Arcia, Vargas, Plouffe, Dozier, Sano... Why do you think Hicks has to be a masher to stick? Personally, I love the Idea of a Rosario, Buxton, Hicks outfield of the future (I've advocated trading Arcia for three years now, love his bat, but he doesn't belong in an OF so just isn't a good fit here), along with a lineup that also has Mauer, Plouffe, Sano, Vargas, Dozier, and Santana/Polanco in it. Why on earth would we "require" power from Hicks in a corner outfield spot with that lineup? That's a potentially very powerful lineup that would also provide incredible outfield defense.

Definitely flying under the radar, but then again, a lot of guys are on that roster. Polanco was my pre-season pick for MiLB Hitter of the Year, partly based on the fact he's in this lineup. He's too good of a hitter for pitchers to ignore, but that ends up being a byproduct of pitchers when facing this lineup. He's taking advantage of it, leading the team in hits and showing some surprising pop.

No injury, just no official listing of the starter at this point, so he's our best guess.

Only two of the Minnesota Twins four full-season affiliates were in action on Sunday afternoon, but there was enough offense provided for all of them by the lineup in Chattanooga as they won their fourth straight game with general manager Terry Ryan in attendance. There was also a league ERA leader on the mound looking for his third win of the season.Read on to find out how it all happened! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Louisville 3 Box Score A Rochester lineup without outfielders Eddie Rosario and Aaron Hicks was unable to muster much offense in Louisville, as Bats starter Jon Moscot shut them down to the tune of just three hits and one run in eight innings. The damage came from the bat of Reynaldo Rodriguez, who slugged his second home run of the year in the fourth inning. He also singled in the first inning, accounting for two of the team’s three hits. Wilkin Ramirez had the other, a single, and also drew a walk. That was it for the Red Wings offense as they did not have a single at-bat with runners in scoring position on the day, and left only two men on base. Left-hander Jason Wheeler made the start for the Red Wings, and he did his best to match Moscot, pitching into the eighth inning. He finished 7.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out three. It was back-to-back home runs to start the fifth inning that put the game ultimately out of reach, 3-1. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 3, Chattanooga 16 Box Score Starter D.J. Baxendale entered the day as the Southern League ERA leader, with a mark of 0.86. On the year, he had started five games for the Lookouts and pitched six or more innings each game, totaling 31.1 innings while striking out 29. He ended the day no longer leading the league in ERA, nor did he pitch six innings, but did pick up his third win. His pitch count got up there pretty fast in this one, as it took 107 pitches to finish five innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits, one a solo home run, and two walks. He struck out five. With the game in hand at that point already, at 8-0, Cole Johnson came in and pitched the next two innings. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out two. Nick Burdi then came on and lowered his ERA to 7.50, pitching two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out three. The Lookouts offense exploded early and often in this one as general manager Terry Ryan looked on. They hung crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the first (2), third (3), and fourth (2) innings, and added another in the fifth to build an 8-2 lead. Jorge Polanco scored Byron Buxton with a sac fly after he had been hit by a pitch to lead off the game and found his way to third on a Stephan Wickens single. Miguel Sano followed with a double that scored Wickens. Sano added his first RBI sac fly of the day in the third inning, and this was followed by Adam Brett Walker II’s league- leading eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot. Buxton drew a walk in the fourth inning, went to third on a Wickens single, and scored on a Polanco single before Sano added his second run-scoring sac fly to make the score 7-2. Max Kepler led off the fifth inning with a double and came around to score on a Buxton single to get them to eight runs. The next inning, Chattanooga brought 13 men to the plate and extended their lead to 15-3. Harrison, Walker, Kepler clubbed doubles after a single from Polanco, then Stuart Turner walked and Heiker Meneses added the fourth double of the inning to give the Lookouts their first four runs of the inning. Buxton then, with a single, brought Turner home and sent Meneses to third. Wickens reached second on a two-base error which plated Meneses and sent Buxton to third. To end the inning's scoring Sano singled, driving in Buxton. Another crooked number. Polanco added an RBI triple in the eighth inning to finish the scoring in the game. Six hitters had a multiple-hit game, including Buxton (2-4, 3 R’s, 2 RBI, BB), Wickens (3-5, 4 R’s), Polanco (4-5, R, 3B, 3 RBI), Sano (2-4, 2B, 4 RBI), Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), and Kepler (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, RBI). Harrison was 1-3 with a double and drew three walks, and Meneses added a double and an RBI to the effort. Catcher Stuart Turner was the only batter without a hit on the day, but drew a walk and scored a run. Quite the day for several players with the GM in attendance! MIRACLE MATTERS The Fort Myers Miracle had the day off on Sunday and will resume their homestand with a four-game series against the Dunedin Blue Jays Monday Night. KERNELS NUGGETS It was a scheduled day off for the Cedar Rapids Kernels as well, as they returned home from a 6-0 road trip against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Snappers. They will host the Peoria Chiefs. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nick Burdi, Chattanooga Lookouts (2.0 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, BB, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Entire Chattanooga Lookouts lineup (18 H’s, 6 2B’s, 3B, HR, 15 RBI, 5 BB). Okay, if I have to pick one, it’s Adam Brett Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBIs). MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean (2-2, 2.45 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers (0-0, 6.43 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (Return from DL) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jared Wilson (3-0, 2.42 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. Click here to view the article

Only two of the Minnesota Twins four full-season affiliates were in action on Sunday afternoon, but there was enough offense provided for all of them by the lineup in Chattanooga lineup as they won their fourth straight game with General Manager Terry Ryan in attendance. There was also a League ERA leader on the mound looking for his third win of the season. Read on to find out how it all happened! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Louisville 3 Box Score A Rochester lineup without outfielders Eddie Rosario and Aaron Hicks was unable to muster much offense in Louseville, as Bats starter Jon Moscot shut them down to the tune of just three hits and one run in eight innings. The damage came from the bat of Reynaldo Rodriguez, who slugged his second home run of the year in the fourth inning. He also singled in the first inning, accounting for two of the team’s three hits. Wilkin Ramirez had the other, a single, and also drew a walk. That was it for the Red Wings offense as they did not have a single at-bat with runners in scoring position on the day, and left only two men on base. Left-hander Jason Wheeler made the start for the Red Wings, and did his best to match Moscot, pitching into the eighth inning. He finished 7.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out three. It was back-to-back home runs to start the fifth inning that put the game out of reach, 3-1. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 3, Chattanooga 16 Box Score Starter D.J. Baxendale entered the day as the Southern League ERA leader, with a mark of 0.86. On the year, he had started five games for the Lookouts and pitched six or more innings each game, totaling 31.1 innings while striking out 29. He would end the day no longer leading the league in ERA, nor did he pitch six innings, but did pick up his third win. His pitch count got up there pretty fast in this one, as it took 107 pitches to finish five innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits, one a solo home run, and two walks. He struck out five. With the game in hand at that point already, at 8-0, Cole Johnson came in and pitched the next two innings. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out two. Nick Burdi then came on and lowered his ERA to 7.50, pitching two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out three. The Lookouts offense exploded early and often in this one, as General Manager Terry Ryan looked on. They hung crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the first (2), third (3), and fourth (2) innings, and added another in the fifth to build the 8-2 lead. Jorge Polanco scored Byron Buxton from third after he was hit by a pitch to leadoff the game with a Sac Fly in the first, and Miguel Sano followed with a double that scored Stephen Wickens. Sano added his first RBI Sac Fly of the day in the third inning, and was followed by Adam Brett Walker II’s Florida State League leading eighth home run of the season, a two run shot that scored Travis Harrison. Buxton drew a walk in the fourth inning, and scored on a Polanco single before Sano added his second run scoring Sac Fly to make the score 7-2. Max Kepler led off the fifth inning with a double and came around to score on a Buxton single to get them to the eight runs. The next inning, Chattanooga would bring thirteen men to the plate, and extend their lead to 15-3. Harrison, Walker II, Kepler, and Heiker Meneses would club doubles around a single from Polanco and a walk from Stuart Turner to score the first four runs of the inning. Buxton then brought home Turner with a single and came around to score on a single from Sano after an error off the bat of Wickens allowed Meneses to score from third. Polanco added an RBI triple in the eighth inning to finish the scoring on the game. Six hitters had multiple hit games, including Buxton (2-4, 3 R’s, 2 RBI, BB), Wickens (3-5, 4 R’s), Polanco (4-5, R, 3B, 3 RBI), Sano (2-4, 2B, 4 RBI), Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), and Kepler (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, RBI). Harrison was 1-3 with a double and drew three walks, and Meneses added a double and an RBI to the effort. Catcher Stuart Turner was the only batter without a hit on the day, but drew a walk and scored a run. Quite the day for several players with the GM in attendance! MIRACLE MATTERS The Fort Myers Miracle had the day off on Sunday and will resume their homestand with a four game series against the Dunedin Blue Jays Monday Night. KERNELS NUGGETS It was a scheduled day off for the Cedar Rapids Kernels as well, as they returned home from a 6-0 road trip against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Snappers. They will host the Peoria Chiefs. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nick Burdi, Chattanooga Lookoutss (2.0 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, BB, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Entire Chattanooga Lookouts lineup (18 H’s, 6 2B’s, 3B, HR, 15 RBI, 5 BB). Okay, if I have to pick one, it’s Adam Brett Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI). MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean (2-2, 2.45 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers (0-0, 6.43 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (1-2, 3.64 ERA, tentative) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jared Wilson (3-0, 2.42 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.

Love the talk about the changeup. His has always been highly regarded and far and away his best pitch if you ask me. Has been rated as the best changeup in the organization by Baseball America since he came over, and it's easy to see why with all the swings and misses he gets on it.

Only report I've seen is at the end of this article: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/professional/story/2015/may/05/sizzling-starlookouts-center-fielder-byrbuxtr/302426/ Sprained ankle. Definitely looked worse than that in the video.

Was a placeholder for the video to be added in the article on the front page. I write these on Sundays, but a few other people get ahold of it before they get moved there. I didn't have the video at the time, so left it for them! Thanks for reading!

A former first round pick delivered a walk-off victory in Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon, in a game where both teams combined for thirty-hits and twenty-seven runs to provide the most entertaining game of the year. Elsewhere, there were three quality starts from starting pitchers, and standout games from several hitters. Read on to hear all about the slugfest in Chattanooga, and everything else that happened in Sunday’s action! RED WINGS REPORT Norfolk 3, Rochester 7 Box Score Rochester started the game off with a bang, scoring four runs in the first inning to chase Norfolk starter Zach Davies from the game after recording just two outs. Eddie Rosario started the early rally with a walk, and an error put Reynaldo Rodriguez and Rosario on first and second. Josmil Pinto singled and Rosario raced home, but was thrown out at home for the second out. An Eric Fryer single brought Rodriguez home from third for the game’s first run, then Danny Ortiz brought home two more with a triple to centerfield. He would score on a single from James Beresford to make it 4-0 after the first inning, and Davies was gone from the game. Rochester struck for two more runs in the fifth inning on singles from Jose Martinez and Beresford, and Aaron Hicks led off the sixth with a home run to left center to put them up 7-1. Alex Meyer made the start for the Red Wings, and delivered a quality start. It was not without it’s warts as he allowed three runs on six hits and four walks, but limited the damage by scattering them and tallying six strikeouts. He pitched into the eighth inning, but walked the first two batters and was replaced by Caleb Thielbar. Sixty-Three of his one-hundred and four pitches went for strikes on the afternoon. Thielbar allowed the two inherited runners to score in the eighth while recording one out before being lifted for A.J. Achter. He finished the game for his first save of the year, striking out one in 1.2 innings. Hicks (2-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI), Fryer (3-5, 2 R’s, RBI), Ortiz (2-4, 2 R’s, 3B, 2 RBI), and Beresford (2-4, 2 RBI) had multiple hits on the day for the offense. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jacksonville 13, Chattanooga 14 Box Score It was all fireworks all the time in Chattanooga, as the teams combined for thirty hits and twenty-seven runs on the game. Jacksonville jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, before the Lookouts struck for six runs in the bottom of the third. The inning got started with a leadoff triple from Max Kepler, his second on the season, and he scored on an error by the first baseman that came off the bat of Stuart Turner. A Heiker Meneses single moved put runners on first and second, and they both raced home when Byron Buxton tripled to left. Buxton would score on Dalton Hicks single, then Miguel Sano punctuated the inning with a two run home run to left. The triple and home run were both Buxton and Sano’s fifth of the year. Lookouts starter Greg Peavey would give the lead back immediately in the fourth inning as a hit batter, two singles, and a double tied the score at 6-6 and brought Dallas Gallant into the game. Another double would plate two more runs and give Jacksonville the lead 8-6. Chattanooga would tie the game at eight in the bottom half when a Levi Michael double brough home Matt Juengel, and a Hicks sac fly brought home Meneses from third base. The score remained tied until the bottom of the seventh, when Adam Brett Walker II hits his sixth home run of the year, a solo shot, to make it 9-8. The lead again would not hold as Jake Reed ran into trouble in the top of the eighth, allowing three consecutive singles to score two, and a triple that brought in two more to make the game 12-9 in favor of the Suns. The Lookouts were not about to back down however, and again tied the game in the home team’s half of the inning when Buxton and Meneses scored on a Levi Michael triple after singling themselves, and Sano brought home Michael with a Sac Fly to make it 12-12. Nick Burdi came in to pitch the ninth inning, and after recording an out, gave up a triple to Kenny Wilson to put the go-ahead run on third. A Sac Fly would give the Suns the lead before Burdi finished the inning with a strikeout. You just knew the Lookouts lineup was going to give up in this one, and Walker led off the bottom of the inning with a double to left. A Kepler single and stolen base put the game winning run on second, and a walk to Turner loaded the bases. The tying run scored when Meneses drew a second consecutive walk, and Byron Buxton stepped into the box with the game winning run on third. He popped out in foul territory (wink), but the 2012 first round got picked up by 2011’s first round pick, Levi Michael. His single to left on an 0-1 count brought Kepler racing home to start the walk-off celebration: [VIDEO] The Lookouts offense pounded out thirteen hits and was 6-14 with runners scoring position. Buxton (2-6, 2 R’s, 3B, 2 RBI), Michael (3-6, R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI), Walker (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, RBI), Kepler (2-4, 2 R’s, 3B, BB, SB), and Meneses (2-4, 3 R’s, RBI, BB) filled up the stat sheet for Chattanooga. All four pitchers for Chattanooga gave up an earned run, but the offense would not let them down. Burdi picked up the win to make him 2-3 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 5, Fort Myers 2 Box Score This one was a pitcher’s duel until Fort Myers starter Brett Lee left the game after six innings. He allowed just one run on five hits and four walks, while striking out two. Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless seventh but two walks and a single to start the eighth put the go-ahead run on the scoreboard, and runners on the corners for J.T. Chargois. A groundout and single brought in the inherited runners for a 4-1 Stone Crabs lead before Chargois recorded a strikeout to escape the inning. Fort Myers got one back in the bottom of the eighth, when a Marcus Knecht Sac Fly brought in Niko Goodrum, but that’s all the Miracle were able to scratch by. Charlotte added an insurance run in the ninth off Brandon Peterson, and reliever Brad Schreiber struck out Tanner Vavra, Engelb Vielma, and Zach Granite to end the game. Goodrum was 2-3 on the day with a run scored, a walk, and his fourth stolen base, Knecht and Vielma each recorded an RBI, and Tanner Vavra added a double to lead the offense. As a team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 5, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Clinton jumped out to an early lead against Cedar Rapids starter Felix Jorge in the second inning, when consecutive singles put runners on base for first baseman Kristian Brito. His first home run of the year made the score 3-0, and provided all the offense Lumberjack starter Pat Peterson would need. Jorge finished with a quality start, going six innings and allowing the three runs on nine hits and one walk. He struck out five. Sam Clay allowed two runs on two hits and three walks in two innings, giving Clinton some insurance, and Michael Theofanopoulos finished the game with a scoreless ninth. Although they had ten hits as a team, including multi-hit efforts from Max Murphy (3-4), Pat Kelly (2-5, R, 3B), and Trey Vavra (2-4, R, 2B), they managed just one RBI (Jorge Fernandez) and left ten men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings (W, 7.0IP, 3 ER’s, 6 H’s, 4 BB, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-6, R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, Game-winning single) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Scheduled Day Off Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (2-0, 1.97 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (0-1,6.57 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin – RHP Jared Wilson (2-0, 1.65 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.

Hey, I wrote this one! Seth doesn't write all of these, guys, haha! He'd be WAY overloaded!!! Jeremy Nygaard, Cody Christie, and Eric Pleiss also contribute q;-) Anyway, good catch on that. Not sure why it got changed here, it's not written that way in the original post on my own blog. It was the "flurry" of four singles that scored the runs, not walks. I wasn't able to find anything out on Lee's injury, just that he was on the 7-day DL to start the season, was placed there on April 6th.

In the minors on Sunday, Twins affiliates saw a solid rehab appearance from starter Ricky Nolasco in Cedar Rapids, and eight dominant innings from a left-hander in Rochester. Multiple games had dramatic finishes, but just one team would bring home a victory. Read on to find out what happened and where! RED WINGS REPORT Syracuse 4, Rochester 6 Box Score Rochester plated four runners in the third inning, and two in the fourth to provide just enough offense for the bullpen in the ninth, after starter Pat Dean delivered eight dominant innings. Dean allowed just six hits (all singles) and walked two, while striking out seven on the day. He retired the first ten Syracuse hitters of the game, and his is lone earned run against came in the fourth inning. Tony Gwynn Jr. singled with one out, and moved to second on a walk, before a Kila Ka'aihue single with two outs brought him home from second. Dean would strike out the next hitter to end the inning. Rochester's offense brought all nine hitters in the lineup to the plate in the third, resulting in their big inning. Aaron Hicks led off with walk, then stole second base and scored the first run of the game on a Josmil Pinto single. A Brock Peterson single later loaded the bases for Danny Ortiz, who's groundout went 3-2 to prevent a run but kept the bases loaded with two outs. Jose Martinez then single to bring in two runs, and chase starter Taylor Jordan from the game. James Beresford would bring Ortiz home with the final run of the inning with a double. A Reynaldo Rodriguez triple to left field in the fourth inning scored Hicks and Pinto to provide the needed offense in the ninth, when Stephen Pryor relieved Dean with a 6-1 lead. The first three batters would load the bases after a double, walk, and single. The Red Wings then conceded the run for a double play that made the score 6-2 with two outs and left a runner on third. The next hitter, Cutter Dykstra, hit his first home run of the season to make the score 6-4. Rochester went back to the bullpen for closer Michael Tonkin, and he struck out the final batter for his fifth save of the year. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Tennessee 5 Box Score The Lookouts would score first and last in this one, but nothing in between handed them their sixth loss in their last seven games to put them at 7-9 on the season, and in fourth place in the Southern's Leagues North Division. Dalton Hicks hit his second home run of the year in the first inning for the early 1-0 lead, and a ninth inning double from Adam Brett Walker put runners on second and third. A Stephen Wickens groundout would then bring in the games last run. In between, the Lookouts managed just three singles, and Tennessee starter Frank Batista retired the last twelve hitters he faced to complete seven innings. Chattanooga starter Tyler Duffy ran into trouble with two outs in the fifth inning and the game tied 1-1. With runners on first and third, four consecutive singles would plate runs to put the Smokies up for good 5-1. Adrian Salcedo came on for the sixth inning, and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three to finish the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 4, Fort Myers 2 Box Score Starter Brett Lee came off the disabled list to make his first start of the season for the Miracle, and left the game down 4-0 after five innings. He surrendered the four runs on 11 hits, while striking out four. It was a flurry of singles that would cause problems for Lee in the fifth (and all game for the Miracle), when four of them ended up tallying three runs on the scoreboard. Dereck Rodriguez would make his Florida State League and 2015 season debut when he came on for the sixth inning. He pitched two innings of scoreless ball, allowing one hit and walking two, with two K's. Brandon Peterson would allow two hits while collecting the first two outs of eighth inning, before being replaced by Madison Boer who finished the game with 1.1 scoreless. The Miracle scored both their runs in the sixth, when with two outs a Jason Kanzler single moved Chad Christensen to second. Logan Wade would bring him home with a single of his own, and Marcus Knecht followed with a double to bring in Kanzler. The Miracle wouldn't collect another hit until there were two outs in the ninth inning when Mitch Garver singled to center. The next hitter, Bryan Harr would fly out to left to end the game. Despite all of the Cardinals hits being singles, the Miracle were outhit 14-7 on the game and fell to 6-12 on the season. Palm Beach got a complete game effort from Jimmy Reed, who improved to 2-0. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids made a late effort to avoid a series sweep, but would leave a runner in scoring position in the ninth to be handed a series sweep by rival Kane County. Ricky Nolasco made the start in his first rehab appearnace, and was solid in five innings. He allowed just one run (unearned) on three hits and zero walks. while striking out five. He completed his outing with a 1-2-3 fifth inning, with the final two hitters of the going down looking. A Tanner English error in center field in the first inning led to the only blemish in the run column. The Kernels tied the game in the fifth, when Nick Gordon brought home English after he singled and stole second base (his seventh of the year) to tie the game at one, making up for the early misplay. It was then quiet until the seventh inning, when reliever Michael Theofanopoulus ran into some issues. A double from Fernery Ozuna would put the Cougars up 2-1, and then two consecutive wild pitches brought him home to make it 3-1. In the ninth inning Cedar Rapids had a chance after English led off the frame with his first home run of the year, making it 3-2. Zach Granite would draw a walk and move to second on a wild-pitch to put the tying run in scoring position, but Max Murphy groundout would end the game. English and Granite would each collect two hits to lead the Fort Myers offense, but as a team the Miracle were just 1-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded twelve men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings (W, 8.0IP, 1 R, 6 H’s, 2 BB, 7 K’s) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner English, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-4, 2 R's, HR, RBI, SB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (5:35 PM CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers (1-0, 2.37 ERA) Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:05 PM CST) – RHP J.O. Berrios (1-1, 3.94 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:06 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (0-1, 5.40 ERA) Cedar Rapids - Scheduled Day Off. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.

A bunt in the fourth inning shouldn't be an issue. If it's in the 6th or 7th inning or later, then it bothers me. But if the game is close in those late innings, that's also just a guy trying to help his team win.

I'm not overly worried about the K's yet. I still think they'll come because the fact is nobody has hit him hard at any level yet. In his 3 games so far this year (one that included 8 innings of 1 run ball, mind you), is only 3 of the 19 hits he's allowed have gone for extra bases, and only doubles. In his first start, he had 9 ground ball outs to 1 fly out. In his second start 12 to 3. In this one 11 to 5. He was my preseason pick to be the Twins MiLB starting pitcher of the year (being in the FSL doesn't hurt), and I'm sticking to it.

On Sunday afternoon Trevor May went six innings in his second start of the year for the Twins, holding the Cleveland Indians to just one run on four hits and zero walks. He struck out seven. Torii Hunter hit his first home run in a Twins uniform since 2007, a three-run shot in the sixth inning to help the Twins beat the Indians 7-2, closing their first home stand of the year with a 4-2 record and two series wins. Two of the Twins affiliates went into extra innings, with one collecting a walk-off victory and the other suffering a walk-off defeat.Read on to find out what happened to who in the Minor Leagues on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Pawtucket 4 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning after Aaron Hicks led off the game with a single, and after an Eddie Rosario fly out and Josmil Pinto strike out, Brock Peterson stepped to the plate. He launched a 2-1 pitch over the center field wall for his fourth home run of the season, which is tied for first in the International League in the early going. Left-hander Pat Dean was on the mound for Rochester, and though his game started unnaturally as he loaded the bases after three hitters (hit batter, single, walk), he struck out the next two hitters and escape unscathed in the first after a fly ball to Rosario in center field. Dean dominated the rest of the outing, finishing six innings and allowing zero runs on just two hits and one walk, while striking out seven. Both lineups remained silent until the bottom of the seventh, after Dean had exited the game, when Pawtucket struck for two runs and a tie game after Ryan Presley entered. He struck out the first hitter he faced, but two walks, a Jackie Bradley Jr. single, and a wild pitch evened the scoreboard. Presley finished the inning with a strikeout, but the damage had been done. Rosario put the Red Wings back in front 3-2 in the top of the eighth, as he led off the inning with a triple and made his way home on a Reynaldo Rodriguez single. But it would not be enough. Presley came back out for the bottom of the eighth but after recording one out, surrendered two consecutive singles to put runners on first and third. Michael Tonkin was summoned, but unleashed a wild pitch to score the tying run, then an Argenis Diaz fielding error allowed the go-ahead run score. A 1-2-3 top of the ninth dropped the Red Wings to 5-5 on the year. Rochester hitters Hicks (2-5), Rosario (2-4, 3B), Rodriguez (2-4), and Danny Oritz (2-4), would each collect multiple hits, but Peterson (1-3, HR, BB) was the only other hitter in the lineup to reach base. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Birmingham, Chattanooga (postponed) Chattanooga and Birmingham’s game was rained out on Sunday afternoon and will be made up in a future meeting between the two teams. MIRACLE MATTERS St. Lucie 2, Fort Myers 3 (11 innings) Box Score Starter Ryan Eades was again stellar for the Miracle, giving a quality start effort in six innings. He allowed just one run on six hits and one walk, while striking out three. After two starts in the Florida State League the 2013 second-round pick out of LSU sports a 1-0 record and 0.75 ERA. Brandon Peterson came on in relief and pitched 1.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits and three walks, while striking out two. Righty Todd Van Steensel pitched into extra innings, striking out five in 2.1 innings of scoreless ball, before being replaced by J.T. Chargois in the eleventh. Chargois pitch a scoreless inning, allowing a double and a walk to put runners on first and third, before striking out Amed Rosario of the Mets to end the inning. Fort Myers ended the game in walk-off fashion, giving Chargois his first victory of 2015, after a single from a pinch hitter brought home the winning run from third base. Jason Kanzler started the rally with one out, bunting down the first base line for a single, and Engelb Vielma moved him to third with a single of his own before an intentional walk to load the bases prompted a pitching change from the Mets. Miracle manager Jeff Smith countered with pinch hitter Aderlin Mejia in place of Tanner Vavra, and he lined a one-hopper to the left side of the infield that turned into the game-winning single when it bounced away from a diving shortstops glove, scoring Kanzler. The offense was led by Kanzler who went 2-4 (GW run), while Mejia (1-1, GW RBI single) Max Kepler (1-5), Marcus Knecht (1-5), Alex Swim (1-5, SB), Chad Christensen (1-3, R, BB) and Vielma (1-4) collected the other six hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 2 (12 innings) Box Score The Kernels game against the Burlington Bees went twelve innings on Sunday afternoon, as pitching dominated the scoreboard. Felix Jorge was on the hill for the Kernels, looking to build off his strong 2015 debut where he shut out the Beloit Snappers for seven innings, collecting ten strikeouts along the way. He wouldn’t reach double digits in K’s, but totaled nine strikeouts in five innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits (all singles) and two walks in five innings. Cameron Booser came on to pitch two perfect innings, striking out three, and Trevor Hildenberger would bring them into extra innings while allowing just one hit in three innings, striking out four. Samuel Clay was next up in the bottom of the eleventh, and retired the first four batters he faced before Burlington’s Natanael Delgado lined his forth single of the game in the twelfth. A strikeout and walk put Delgado in scoring position for Miguel Hermosillo to provide the walk-off single. The Kernels lineup combined for just five hits on the night, with Tyler Kuresa collecting the only extra base hit, a double in the seventh. Zach Larson collected the only RBI of the night on a ground out in the sixth. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings (W, 6.0 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 7 K’s) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brock Peterson, Rochester Red Wings (1-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (5:35 PM CST) – RHP Alex Meyer (1-0, 8.31 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mississippi (7:00 AM CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers (Has Not Pitched) Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:00 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (0-1, 4.15 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jared Wilson (1-0, 2.84 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. Click here to view the article

On Sunday afternoon Trevor May went six innings in his second start of the year for the Twins, holding the Cleveland Indians to just one run on four hits and zero walks. He struck out seven. Torii Hunter also hit his first home run in a Twins uniform since 2007, a three run shot in the sixth inning to help the Twins beat the Indians 7-2, closing their first home stand of the year with a 4-2 record and two series wins. Two of the Twins affiliates went into extra innings, with one collecting a walk-off victory and the other suffering a walk-off defeat. Read on to find out what happened to who in the Minor Leagues on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Pawtucket 4 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning after Aaron Hicks led off the game with a single, and after an Eddie Rosario fly out and Josmil Pinto strike out, Brock Peterson stepped to the plate. He launched a 2-1 pitch over the centerfield wall for his fourth home run of the season, which is tied for first in the International League in the early going. Left-hander Pat Dean was on the mound for Rochester, and though his game started unnaturally as he loaded the bases after three hitters (hit batter, single, walk), he would strike out the next two hitters and escape unscathed in the first after a fly ball to Rosario in centerfield. Dean dominated the rest of the outing, finishing six innings and allowing zero runs on just two hits and one walk, while striking out seven. Both lineups remained silent until the bottom of the seventh after Dean had exited the game, when Pawtucket struck for two runs and a tie game after Ryan Presley entered. He struck out the first hitter he faced, but two walks, a Jackie Bradley Jr. single, and a wild pitch evened the scoreboard. Presley would finish the inning with a strikeout, but the damage had been done. Rosario put the Red Wings back in front 3-2 in the top of the eighth, as he led off the inning with a triple and made his way home on a Reynaldo Rodriguez single. But it would not be enough. Presley came back out for the bottom of the eighth but after recording one out, surrendered two consecutive singles to put runners on first and third. Michael Tonkin was summoned, but unleashed a wild pitch to score the tying run, then an Argenis Diaz fielding error allowed the go-ahead run score. A 1-2-3 top of the ninth dropped the Red Wings to 5-5 on the year. Rochester hitters Hicks (2-5), Rosario (2-4, 3B), Rodriguez (2-4), and Danny Oritz (2-4), would each collect multiple hits, but Peterson (1-3, HR, BB) was the only other hitter in the lineup to reach base. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Birmingham, Chattanooga (postponed) Chattanooga and Birmingham’s game was rained out on Sunday afternoon and will be made up in a future meeting between the two teams. MIRACLE MATTERS St. Lucie 2, Fort Myers 3 (11 innings) Box Score Starter Ryan Eades was again stellar for the Miracle, giving a quality start effort in six innings. He allowed just one run on six hits and one walk, while striking out three. After two starts in the Florida State League the 2013 second round pick out of LSU sports a 1-0 record and 0.75 ERA. Brandon Peterson came on in relief and pitched 1.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits and three walks, while striking out two. Righty Todd Van Steensel would pitch into extra innings, striking out five in 2.1 innings of scoreless ball, before being replaced by J.T Chargois in the eleventh. Chargois pitch a scoreless inning, allowing a double and a walk to put runners on first and third, before striking out Amed Rosario of the Mets to end the inning. Fort Myers would end the game in walk-off fashion, giving Chargois his first victory of 2015, after a single from a pinch hitter brought home the winning run from third base. Jason Kanzler started the rally with one out, bunting down the first base line for a single, and Engelb Vielma moved him to third with a single of his own before an intentional walk to load the bases prompted a pitching change from the Mets. Miracle manager Jeff Smith countered with pinch hitter Aderlin Mejia in place of Tanner English, and he lined a one-hopper to the left side of the infield, that turned into the game winning single when it bounced away from a diving shortstops glove, scoring Kanzler. The offense was led by Kanzler who went 2-4 (GW run), while Mejia (1-1, GW RBI single) Max Kepler (1-5), Marcus Knecht (1-5), Alex Swim (1-5, SB), Chad Christensen (1-3, R, BB) and Vielma (1-4) collected the other six hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 2 (12 innings) Box Score The Kernels game against the Burlington Bees went twelve innings on Sunday afternoon, as pitching dominated the scoreboard. Felix Jorge was on the hill for the Kernels, looking to build off his strong 2015 debut where he shutout the Beloit Snappers for seven innings, collecting ten strikeouts along the way. He wouldn’t reach double digits in K’s, but totaled nine strikeouts in five innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits (all singles) and two walks in five innings. Cameron Booser would come on to pitch two perfect innings, striking out three, and Trevor Hildenberger would bring them into extra innings while allowing just one hit in three innings, striking out four. Samuel Clay was next up in the bottom of the eleventh, and would retire the first four batters he faced before Burlington’s Natanael Delgado lined his forth single of the game in the twelfth. A strikeout and walk would put Delgado in scoring position for Miguel Hermosillo to provide the walk off single. The Kernels lineup combined for just five hits on the night, with Tyler Kuresa collecting the only extra base hit, a double in the seventh. Zach Larson collected the only RBI of the night on a groundout in the sixth. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings (W, 6.0 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 7 K’s) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brock Peterson, Rochester Red Wings (1-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (5:35 PM CST) – TBD Chattanooga @ Mississippi (7:00 AM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (2-0, 0.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:00 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (0-1, 4.15 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jared Wilson (1-0, 2.84 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.

There is a ton of upside in bringing up guys on this list like Buxton, Sano, Rosario, and Berrios, and before them Alex Meyer, Michael Tonkin, Lester Oliveros, A.J. Achter... Not only is there upside on the actual field (to have better OF defense, better pitching, better hitting..) but massive amounts of marketing and fan interest potential. All these guys that fans have heard about and make this farm system one of the best in baseball, could be there. You can't change a "losing environment" unless you give the guys with the potential to actually change it a chance. The guys that are there now just aren't going to do it. We've had 4 straight seasons that provide evidence of that fact. If the team had a "winning environment," this wouldn't even be a topic.

Just so we're clear, this is not a post about who should be here now, but who we could/should see make their MLB DEBUT during the 2015 season...

If the team is going to be this bad I, and I'm sure almost every other fan, would rather be watching the kids grow up with the Twins as that would actually provide some excitement.

Even though the Twins lost Monday, it’s hard not to be excited for baseball. The start of the baseball season means summer is just around the corner, and the prospect of spending afternoons and evenings at Target Field gets me all giddy, even if the Opening Day roster doesn’t.You see, despite the fact this roster is currently loaded with veterans and retreads, both new (Tim Stauffer, Blaine Boyer, Ervin Santana, Shane Robinson) and old (Torii Hunter) who don’t necessarily instill immediate confidence, the youth movement we’ve all been waiting for was finally taken out of neutral and eased into first gear late last season. Players who made their major league debut for the Twins in 2014 included pitchers A.J. Achter, Logan Darnell, Yohan Pino, and Trevor May, and position players Jorge Polanco, Danny Santana, and Kennys Vargas. It was May, Santana, and Vargas’ debuts in particular that signaled Terry Ryan was finally releasing the clutch on a farm system that could be the equivalent of a Ferrari. While they’re barely out of the starting gate, the performances of Santana (.319/.353/.472, 41 XBHs and 20 SB in 101 games) and Vargas (.274/.316/.456, 9 HR and 38 RBI in 53 games) in the latter portion of 2014 put some pretty good tread to tar on this track. While May needed an injurty to get back in the Twins rotation on this track, Santana and Vargas have been handed the keys to the 2015 revolution out of gate, and are poised to be infused with nitrous-boosters throughout the year. Top 100 prospects lists and team specific top 10s are always fun to read and one of my favorite parts of the baseball offseason, whether it’s reading the great capsules here on Twins Daily, or checking out the litany of lists available elsewhere. But since there are so many of them, I like to take a little bit of a different look at prospects coming into a new season, and that means throwing out names that you might have a chance to actually see in the majors during the upcoming season. Usually when I’ve done this list, there haven’t been a whole lot of top10-type prospects who have populated it because they’ve been so far away from the majors, but this year is different, and this Ferrari of a farm system is ready to roll with those types of players who are littering AA and AAA for the Twins. So let’s take a look at some players who could make (or have now made) their MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins in 2015: J.R. Graham Graham was the Twins' Rule 5 draft pick coming into the season which gave him a leg up on the competition to both make the roster, and his MLB debut. When healthy, which has been a big question mark in recent seasons, Graham brings legit velocity and was once a top 5 prospect for the Atlanta Braves. On my trip down to spring training last month, Graham registered the highest radar gun readings of anyone I saw, Twins or otherwise (including Alex Meyer), so the Twins are banking on the potential he has to evolve into a useful bullpen piece after flaming out as a starter with Atlanta. Eddie Rosario (TD’s #8 Prospect) A disappointing 2014 season for Rosario began with a 50-game drug suspension, and he did nothing to improve his stock going into 2015, with an underwhelming .672 OPS at AA when he finally got on the field. But he reversed that trend in a big way with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, which is a proving ground for top prospects. His performance there put him in the competition for the center field job this spring, but he didn’t do quite enough. If he’s strong out of the gate at AAA Rochester, Rosario could be the first outfielder called up to fill in for an injury. Jason Wheeler The big left-hander has gone a bit unnoticed in a farm system that includes top 100 pitching prospects like Meyer, Kohl Stewart and Jose Berrios, but has been a workhorse in the minors since being drafted out of Loyola Marymount University in the eighth round of the 2011 draft. He pitched at three levels in 2014, ending his season with a start in Rochester, and totaled 158 innings with a 2.68 ERA and 1.190 WHIP on the season. He doesn’t have big velocity for a pitcher his size (6’6”, 255) nor does he rack up strikeouts (6.6K/9IP), but he doesn’t issue free passes (2.1BB/9IP) and gets a lot of ground balls. He profiles as a back-end starter. He’s on the 40-man roster, so his route to a 2015 debut is easier than a few others on this list. I was also impressed watching one of his outings this spring on the backfields down in Fort Myers. Alex Meyer (TD’s #5 Prospect) If not for a (repeated) shoulder injury near the end of 2014, Meyer may not have been eligible for this list in 2015, but it wasn’t meant to be. There’s no denying his ability, as he brings mid-to-high 90s velocity and a wipe-out slider out of his 6’9” frame that have placed him high on top 100 lists since he was drafted. Teh Twins limited his in-game production (85 pitches or 6 innings) in 2014 to try and keep him healthy the entire season, but he still led the International League in strikeouts with 153 in 130.1 innings (10.6K/9IP). He can get wild as we all know, but when balanced by his penchant for strikeouts, he is able to limit the damage, as evidenced by his solid 3.52 ERA at AAA, which also ranked sixth in that league. Trevor May was in front of him on the call-up depth chart, but if Meyer doesn’t make his debut in 2015, something has gone extremely wrong. Miguel Sano (TD’s #2 Prospect) Sano was primed to burst onto the scene in 2014 after a season that saw him smash 35 home runs between Fort Myers and New Britain, but a cloud was also hanging over him that reared its head in his first spring training game, and that was his right elbow. After Tommy John surgery Sano is healthy heading in to 2015, and will be part of perhaps the scariest lineup in all of the minor leagues at Chattanooga. Thus far he has had zero setbacks, and though he only collected two hits in major league camp this spring, they were both mammoth HRs. He also displayed good patience and hit several other balls extremely hard, including one that prompted this reaction from me on the back fields after he was sent to the minor league camp. Sano is without a doubt THE GUY I’m looking forward to debuting in 2015, and let’s hope that the end to the second movie being made about him comes sooner rather than later. Jose Berrios (TD’s #3 Prospect) Berrios vaulted up prospect lists in 2014 as he burned through the Florida State League to the tune of a 1.97 ERA in 16 starts and 96 innings while striking out 109 hitters. He also made eight starts at AA and one at AAA, but was noticeably less effective as he climbed the ladder. He’s not on the 40-man roster yet, so his path to a 2015 debut is more clouded than others, but it’s also hard to put anything past him due to his work ethic and desire, which have been on full display this offseason, if you follow him on social media circles. His size will always be a question mark, as he lacks the prototypical height and fastball plane of a top of the rotation starter, but he also brings surprising velocity and a diverse mix over which he has full control. He’ll start the season in AA, but could easily find himself in Rochester by July, just a phone call away from the majors. Nick Burdi (TD’s #10 Prospect) Burdi is the closest thing to a blue-chip pure relief prospect you will find in all of the minor leagues, and that’s because of his 100+MPH heat and a slider that comes in at 90+. He had a very forgettable MiLB debut, where he walked all four batters he faced, but after that minor setback, he struck out 38 hitters in just 20.1 innings between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers while allowing just 13 hits and 6 walks. I was able to catch him while he was with the Kernels last season, and he’ll give you as exciting an inning as you can imagine out of the bullpen. On several other teams, I have to believe he’d already be in the majors, but with the Twins we may have to wait until the All-Star break or longer. Byron Buxton (TD’s #1 Prospect) I honestly don’t actually believe that Buxton will make it to the majors this season, but there is a reason he’s one of the best prospects in all of baseball: He’s shown he can hit, has burgeoning power, can steal a ton of bases, run down fly balls with his speed, and has a big arm that he used to throw mid-90s from the mound in high school. He’s a genuine five-tool prospect. The reason I think it will be hard for him to debut in 2015 is because he was so incredible in 2013, then had most everything possible go wrong in 2014, that it would be hard to reproduce his 2013 success. Then again, the Twins outfield situation is dire, so it may become a necessity at some point if he’s doing anything close to what he did in 2013. Other Notable Names: RP Jake Reed – The Oregon closer made a name for himself after being drafted in the fifth round of last year’s draft by allowing just one earned run and 11 hits along with racking up 39 strikeouts over 31 innings for Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids. IF Levi Michael – The first forgotten first-round draft pick finally showed some life in 2014, though he wasn’t able to play a full season, hitting .313/.389/.387 across three levels, including .340/.444/.358 in 15 games at AA. SP/RP Alex Wimmers – The second forgotten first-round pick also was able to get his career back on track in 2014 while making most of his appearances as a reliever. In 84 innings at Fort Myers and New Britain, Wimmers struck out 97 hitters and improved as the season went on. RP J.T. Chargois – The first half of the former Rice University closer committee drafted in 2012 missed all of 2013 and 2014 due to injury, but is back to pitching and flashing the same 100 MPH velocity he did when the Twins selected him in the second round. Could be a fast mover if it all comes back. SP Tyler Duffey – The second half of the Rice University closer committee, drafted in the fifth round of 2012's draft, has been the Twins best reliever to starter conversion, and made three starts at AAA in 2014. Like Wheeler, he has the potential to be a back-end starter in the majors. IF James Beresford – The Australian native has spent the past two seasons at AAA in a utility role and has hit for a solid average. With the ability to field multiple infield positions, he could find himself in the same role with the Twins if the need arises. RP Ryan O’Rourke – O’Rourke is the unique LOOGY reliever who absolutely dominates same-handed hitters, but struggles to get anyone else out. It’s a luxury to be able to have his type of arm in a major league bullpen, but there are plenty of situations where it can be of use. SP Taylor Rogers – Rogers spent all of 2014 in AA, and will find himself in the rotation at AAA to begin 2015. He’s buried on the starting pitching depth chart, but is in the same position as Wheeler and Duffey as a future back-end starter candidate. Cheers to the 2015 MLB season, and to the potential debuts of the next great Minnesota Twins! Click here to view the article