Shane Wahl

I didn't see that about Duensing before (been away for a day and a half). That's not a wise thing to do. I like your suggestion better!

I waited almost a full month to update the status of my "prospects to watch." I actually wish I could attribute the lag to laziness, but I was waiting for some of these guys to turn it around so that I would look smarter. It didn't really work out that well, but there is some progress: BELOIT: JD Williams, OF (Age: 21.6, SH): 111 PA, .222/.306/.313 (.619), 7/1/0, 11/34, 8/10. Williams is exciting and he is slowly hitting better as the year goes on. End of Year: Should finish 2012 in Beloit. Tyler Grimes, IF (21.11, RH): 119, .180/.311/.350 (.661), 9/1/2, 13/20, 4/6. Grimes is not hitting much at all, but he is drawing walks. EoY: Should finish 2012 in Beloit. Tim Shibuya, RHS (22.9) (SH-BOOYAH): 35 IP, 2.83 ERA, 30/7, 1.257 WHIP, 7.7/1.8 K/BB rate. Shibuya has been very good, with fairly similar projected numbers from last year, though the K/BB rate is down a bit (still fantastic though). EoY: Late season promotion to Fort Myers. FORT MYERS: Danny Santana SS/2B/CF (21.6, SH): 150, .301/.320/.425 (.745), 5/2/3, 4/16, 4/7. I love what Santana has done this year. He will need to gain some plate discipline this year so that he doesn't turn into the MI version of Ben Revere (though Santana clearly actually possesses power). EoY: probably ends season in Fort Myers, could be pushed in August to New Britain. Lance Ray, LF/RF (22.9, LH): 130, .239/.331/.440 (.771), 10/0/4, 16/28, 2/3. Very similar projections from last year's Beloit number, but with some added good news: Ray is striking out a lot less and drawing more walks. Mostly playing the corner OF positions, adding depth to the system there. EoY: likely to finish in Fort Myers, but could be pushed to New Britain in August. Matt Hauser, RHR (24.2): 20.2, 3.48, 19/6, 1.258, 8.3/2.6. Hauser has basically repeated his 2011 FTM performance, but with more control. EoY: Should be promoted to New Britain soon and will finish 2012 there. Pat Dean, LHS (23): 47.1, 3.23, 21/12, 1.415, 4.0/2.3. Dean's K rate is terrible. He's been effective, but he won't go anywhere with such a terribly low number of strikeouts. EoY: should finish at Fort Myers. NEW BRITAIN: Logan Darnell, LHS (23.3): 36.2, 5.40, 23/15, 1.500, 5.6/3.7. Darnell is struggling as well and the K/BB rate is really bad. Instead of building off of 2011's 5.9/1.2, he has gone backwards. EoY: should finish in New Britain. ----- I will call this a mixed bag at this point. Williams and Grimes are young and can still get it together. Dean and Darnell are very disappointing and make the lack of good left-handed pitching in the system even more apparent with their struggles. On the other hand, Santana and Ray are exceeding expectations somewhat, and Hauser and Shibuya are performing very well.

I waited almost a full month to update the status of my "prospects to watch." I actually wish I could attribute the lag to laziness, but I was waiting for some of these guys to turn it around so that I would look smarter. It didn't really work out that well, but there is some progress: BELOIT: JD Williams, OF (Age: 21.6, SH): 111 PA, .222/.306/.313 (.619), 7/1/0, 11/34, 8/10. Williams is exciting and he is slowly hitting better as the year goes on. End of Year: Should finish 2012 in Beloit. Tyler Grimes, IF (21.11, RH): 119, .180/.311/.350 (.661), 9/1/2, 13/20, 4/6. Grimes is not hitting much at all, but he is drawing walks. EoY: Should finish 2012 in Beloit. Tim Shibuya, RHS (22.9) (SH-BOOYAH): 35 IP, 2.83 ERA, 30/7, 1.257 WHIP, 7.7/1.8 K/BB rate. Shibuya has been very good, with fairly similar projected numbers from last year, though the K/BB rate is down a bit (still fantastic though). EoY: Late season promotion to Fort Myers. FORT MYERS: Danny Santana SS/2B/CF (21.6, SH): 150, .301/.320/.425 (.745), 5/2/3, 4/16, 4/7. I love what Santana has done this year. He will need to gain some plate discipline this year so that he doesn't turn into the MI version of Ben Revere (though Santana clearly actually possesses power). EoY: probably ends season in Fort Myers, could be pushed in August to New Britain. Lance Ray, LF/RF (22.9, LH): 130, .239/.331/.440 (.771), 10/0/4, 16/28, 2/3. Very similar projections from last year's Beloit number, but with some added good news: Ray is striking out a lot less and drawing more walks. Mostly playing the corner OF positions, adding depth to the system there. EoY: likely to finish in Fort Myers, but could be pushed to New Britain in August. Matt Hauser, RHR (24.2): 20.2, 3.48, 19/6, 1.258, 8.3/2.6. Hauser has basically repeated his 2011 FTM performance, but with more control. EoY: Should be promoted to New Britain soon and will finish 2012 there. Pat Dean, LHS (23): 47.1, 3.23, 21/12, 1.415, 4.0/2.3. Dean's K rate is terrible. He's been effective, but he won't go anywhere with such a terribly low number of strikeouts. EoY: should finish at Fort Myers. NEW BRITAIN: Logan Darnell, LHS (23.3): 36.2, 5.40, 23/15, 1.500, 5.6/3.7. Darnell is struggling as well and the K/BB rate is really bad. Instead of building off of 2011's 5.9/1.2, he has gone backwards. EoY: should finish in New Britain. ----- I will call this a mixed bag at this point. Williams and Grimes are young and can still get it together. Dean and Darnell are very disappointing and make the lack of good left-handed pitching in the system even more apparent with their struggles. On the other hand, Santana and Ray are exceeding expectations somewhat, and Hauser and Shibuya are performing very well.

Standings: [TABLE] 1. Purdue 16-5 .762 39-10 .796 2. Penn State 13-8 .619 27-24 .529 Indiana 13-8 .619 26-26 .500 4. Michigan State 12-9 .571 33-17 .660 Nebraska 12-9 .571 32-19 .627 6. Ohio State 11-10 .524 30-22 .577 7. Minnesota 10-11 .476 28-25 .528 8. Illinois 9-12 .429 26-24 .520 9. Iowa 8-13 .381 20-26 .435 10. Michigan 7-14 .333 21-31 .404 11. Northwestern 6-18 .250 17-33 .340 [/TABLE] The Gophers have certainly struggled as of late, falling 5 spots in a few weeks. Purdue has clinched the title. Now here's a look at some draft prospects (15 listed, 22 Big Ten + Nebraska players were drafted in 2011): Purdue: Kevin Plawecki, R, © Jr. : 185 AB, .368/.459/.562, 17 doubles / 2 triples / 5 homers, 23 BB / 8 K, 3 SB / 6 SBA Eric Charles, R, (2B) Sr.: 195, .369/.440/.436, 11/1/0, 21/20, 16/19 Cameron Perkins, R, (3B) Jr.: 198, .369/.419/.545, 14/0/7, 12/13, 8/11 Nick Wittgren, RHP, Jr.: 31.1 IP, 2.01 ERA, 32K / 9BB Blake Mascarello, LHP, Sr.: 58.2, 1.69, 42/8 Minnesota: TJ Oakes, RHP, Jr.: 92.2, 1.94, 74/14 Penn State: Jordan Steranka, L (1B) Sr.: 206, .364/.391/.617, 18/2/10, 10/35, 2/3 Nebraska: Michael Pritchard, L (OF) So.: 185, .384/.441/.432, 9/0/0, 17/10, 6/9 Ohio State: Jaron Long, RHP, So.: 92.1, 1.85/59/10 Indiana: Sam Travis, R, (1B) Fr.: 202, .327/.411/.515, 14/0/8, 28/35, 4/5 Michigan State: Jordan Keur, R (OF) Jr.: 211, .365/.449/.427, 13/0/0, 25/23, 8/17 Ryan Jones, R, (2B) Jr.: 221, .371/.433/.498, 15/2/3, 27/17, 8/10 Torsten Boss, L (3B/RF) Jr.: 197, .325/.441/.492, 12/3/5, 36/39, 11/14 Tony Bucciferro, RHP, Sr.: 91.1, 3.05, 76/19 Illinois: Jordan Parr, R (IF/OF), So.: 189, .354/.401/.534, 13/3/5, 14/25, 6/16 Honorable mentions: Josh Scheffert, Joe Kurrasch, Lance Breedlove, David Garner, Joey DeNato

Standings: [TABLE] 1. Purdue 16-5 .762 39-10 .796 2. Penn State 13-8 .619 27-24 .529 Indiana 13-8 .619 26-26 .500 4. Michigan State 12-9 .571 33-17 .660 Nebraska 12-9 .571 32-19 .627 6. Ohio State 11-10 .524 30-22 .577 7. Minnesota 10-11 .476 28-25 .528 8. Illinois 9-12 .429 26-24 .520 9. Iowa 8-13 .381 20-26 .435 10. Michigan 7-14 .333 21-31 .404 11. Northwestern 6-18 .250 17-33 .340 [/TABLE] The Gophers have certainly struggled as of late, falling 5 spots in a few weeks. Purdue has clinched the title. Now here's a look at some draft prospects (15 listed, 22 Big Ten + Nebraska players were drafted in 2011): Purdue: Kevin Plawecki, R, © Jr. : 185 AB, .368/.459/.562, 17 doubles / 2 triples / 5 homers, 23 BB / 8 K, 3 SB / 6 SBA Eric Charles, R, (2B) Sr.: 195, .369/.440/.436, 11/1/0, 21/20, 16/19 Cameron Perkins, R, (3B) Jr.: 198, .369/.419/.545, 14/0/7, 12/13, 8/11 Nick Wittgren, RHP, Jr.: 31.1 IP, 2.01 ERA, 32K / 9BB Blake Mascarello, LHP, Sr.: 58.2, 1.69, 42/8 Minnesota: TJ Oakes, RHP, Jr.: 92.2, 1.94, 74/14 Penn State: Jordan Steranka, L (1B) Sr.: 206, .364/.391/.617, 18/2/10, 10/35, 2/3 Nebraska: Michael Pritchard, L (OF) So.: 185, .384/.441/.432, 9/0/0, 17/10, 6/9 Ohio State: Jaron Long, RHP, So.: 92.1, 1.85/59/10 Indiana: Sam Travis, R, (1B) Fr.: 202, .327/.411/.515, 14/0/8, 28/35, 4/5 Michigan State: Jordan Keur, R (OF) Jr.: 211, .365/.449/.427, 13/0/0, 25/23, 8/17 Ryan Jones, R, (2B) Jr.: 221, .371/.433/.498, 15/2/3, 27/17, 8/10 Torsten Boss, L (3B/RF) Jr.: 197, .325/.441/.492, 12/3/5, 36/39, 11/14 Tony Bucciferro, RHP, Sr.: 91.1, 3.05, 76/19 Illinois: Jordan Parr, R (IF/OF), So.: 189, .354/.401/.534, 13/3/5, 14/25, 6/16 Honorable mentions: Josh Scheffert, Joe Kurrasch, Lance Breedlove, David Garner, Joey DeNato

Seemed like he went away from the fastball and threw more out of the zone sliders. But I also submit this outing on May 14th as further evidence for my case.

Interesting to turn down a third round selection! Three years later and is he going to move up 40 spots? 50 spots?

Good details about Benson and Herrmann, in particular (for me). Thanks.

And compare that to 2006 in the bullpen! He was dominant. One would think that the goal would be to maximize the dominance from him as opposed to just being terrified every time he started a game. But I have to ask . . . has anyone analyzed his pitches in the first inning vs. the subsequent innings of trouble?

Thanks for this, by the way. It will be good to get a picture of the top 3 or 4 rounds this way.

Not that this blog post was great, but really? Does no one even want to say "you're wrong, he can't handle the pressure"? I do think I am right, by the way. And hell, with a THIRTEEN-man bullpen, a Duensing-Burton/SLAMA-Liriano 8th (if the batters are L,R,L) seems possible.

Well neither one of those things are going to happen if he does well in meaningless innings and then goes back to sucking as a starter. Left-handed setup-type relief pitching is very valuable.

Could be anywhere from 50-80 in the draft, probably.

Well, about three weeks after I called for it, Francisco Liriano is moving to the bullpen. Plenty of people like this move and yet they and others would seem to prefer Liriano be used only in a mop-up role or anything staying away from "high-leverage" situations. First, there must be some way for the 2012 Presidential candidates to work "high-leverage" into the political overused meme/slogan world like "change" and "family values" and "job creators." We know what these terms mean, but not who is actually suited to bring about, reinvigorate, or create, and with regard to high-leverage situations, the picture isn't really clear either. Sure, we can understand what constitutes such a situation--generally in the final three innings in very close games, especially with men on base. But do we really know who is best-suited to pitch in such situations? Well there seems to be widespread agreement that Liriano is not cut out for them because of certain beliefs people have about his mental make-up. He "can't handle the pressure" is perhaps the most commonly-shared belief. But, as is good practice with all commonly-shared beliefs, the important question to ask--"Is it true?"--hasn't really been asked. We've seen the breakdown happen, often in the second inning. Liriano gives up a walk and a hit, and then a big hit and things just spiral out of control as we see his body language change and his pitches start movin' on up. But is this a matter of not being able to handle the pressure? I think no. The alternative possibility is that when things start to crumble, Liriano looks around and says to himself "look, I messed (the expletive would actually be warranted here) this up again" and instead of anxiety taking over him, what he does is turn to "pout mode." Again, as is common in the political world, I will offer up anecdotal evidence that perhaps means nothing and is absolutely useless: I played with two pitchers as a kid and high schooler who Liriano makes me think of . . . not just because they were left-handed (maybe the real anecdotal truth is that pouting is more common in lefties?), but that they both: A. threw hard and B. were pouters when they started losing control or giving up hits. As soon as the pouting started, the best course of action was immediate removal. Now in the one case, the guy apparently figured it out because he went on to pitch for some years for the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks after a very brief stint in Rookie ball in the Padres organization. And the vast majority of his appearances were starts. The other guy was a mess as a starter, but then in summer league baseball, our coach ended up using him in relief-only situations and he performed a lot better. Often times this pitcher came in with guys on base and proceeded to strike batters out. These were guys on base produced by another pitcher . . . there was no "I screwed this up" moment that caused the body language change and the total inability to be effective. Maybe Liriano just really is incapable of handling pressure, but maybe this alternative explanation for his breakdown has some merit. I think people will be surprised in how well he will perform if given the chance to do so in those high-leverage situations. Unfortunately, what is most likely to happen is that Liriano will pitch a few innings here and there in meaningless games in mop-up situations cleaning up someone else's mess after a poor start. Something totally beneath his talent level, but he will probably do pretty well and maybe in 3-4 weeks he will be re-inserted into the rotation where he will struggle again and the Twins and Liriano will be right back where they started.

Well, about three weeks after I called for it, Francisco Liriano is moving to the bullpen. Plenty of people like this move and yet they and others would seem to prefer Liriano be used only in a mop-up role or anything staying away from "high-leverage" situations. First, there must be some way for the 2012 Presidential candidates to work "high-leverage" into the political overused meme/slogan world like "change" and "family values" and "job creators." We know what these terms mean, but not who is actually suited to bring about, reinvigorate, or create, and with regard to high-leverage situations, the picture isn't really clear either. Sure, we can understand what constitutes such a situation--generally in the final three innings in very close games, especially with men on base. But do we really know who is best-suited to pitch in such situations? Well there seems to be widespread agreement that Liriano is not cut out for them because of certain beliefs people have about his mental make-up. He "can't handle the pressure" is perhaps the most commonly-shared belief. But, as is good practice with all commonly-shared beliefs, the important question to ask--"Is it true?"--hasn't really been asked. We've seen the breakdown happen, often in the second inning. Liriano gives up a walk and a hit, and then a big hit and things just spiral out of control as we see his body language change and his pitches start movin' on up. But is this a matter of not being able to handle the pressure? I think no. The alternative possibility is that when things start to crumble, Liriano looks around and says to himself "look, I messed (the expletive would actually be warranted here) this up again" and instead of anxiety taking over him, what he does is turn to "pout mode." Again, as is common in the political world, I will offer up anecdotal evidence that perhaps means nothing and is absolutely useless: I played with two pitchers as a kid and high schooler who Liriano makes me think of . . . not just because they were left-handed (maybe the real anecdotal truth is that pouting is more common in lefties?), but that they both: A. threw hard and B. were pouters when they started losing control or giving up hits. As soon as the pouting started, the best course of action was immediate removal. Now in the one case, the guy apparently figured it out because he went on to pitch for some years for the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks after a very brief stint in Rookie ball in the Padres organization. And the vast majority of his appearances were starts. The other guy was a mess as a starter, but then in summer league baseball, our coach ended up using him in relief-only situations and he performed a lot better. Often times this pitcher came in with guys on base and proceeded to strike batters out. These were guys on base produced by another pitcher . . . there was no "I screwed this up" moment that caused the body language change and the total inability to be effective. Maybe Liriano just really is incapable of handling pressure, but maybe this alternative explanation for his breakdown has some merit. I think people will be surprised in how well he will perform if given the chance to do so in those high-leverage situations. Unfortunately, what is most likely to happen is that Liriano will pitch a few innings here and there in meaningless games in mop-up situations cleaning up someone else's mess after a poor start. Something totally beneath his talent level, but he will probably do pretty well and maybe in 3-4 weeks he will be re-inserted into the rotation where he will struggle again and the Twins and Liriano will be right back where they started.

I would like to see Hirschfield move up now that Walters is gone from Rochester.

By the way, somewhere I recently called out Andy Leer as quite replaceable at 3B at Fort Myers. Granted, he was playing 1B tonight, but he hit two homers . . .

Seth, I think they probably have a different attitude towards players like Burton and players like Bailey (who was not terrible last year) and Lambin. Burton wasn't merely a AAA fill-in player--he was going to be given a chance to compete. And that was a good sign. And the other ones this year have been good signings as well. I didn't say that no such veterans should be signed, but rather that I would like the veterans-as-AAA-fill-ins only kept to a minimum. The Twins did a very good job in the off-season with players who were bound to start at Rochester or New Britain. But in-season they then turn to Clete Thomas for the Twins and Joe Thurston for Rochester. That's what I don't understand. I can agree about Sano and Rosario for now, yes.

Another thought: I would prefer that Rochester were a place where the vast majority of the roster was serious, meaning either legitimate prospects or older veterans who the big club wouldn't hesitate at all to call up to fill in here and there. Of course you need some other guys too, like one or two catchers who are planted at AAA for stability's sake and working with pitchers, and super utility guys who provide flexibility. You know, like Drew Butera and Brian Dinkelman, guys one would never dream of calling up . . . wait (I realize that isn't fair to Dinkelman and I like that he got to play some for the Twins last year). Without looking back past last year, I am thinking of Jeff Bailey, Chase Lambin, and Matt Brown. What on earth? Bailey was actually pretty good too, but apparently they weren't serious about him. I know that people are going to talk about making Rochester competitive with solid AAA veteran players, but that doesn't necessarily make the team more competitive. Sometimes prospects and smarter minor league free agent signings will do that. (I originally started this as a forum post, but then it got longish and bloggish--that decision is probably detrimental for discussion perhaps)

Seth, thanks for the response. I did neglect to mention that I would imagine at some point, say, Maloney gets DFAed and the Twins add a position player . . . probably either Mastroianni or Carson, so that would open it up somewhat. You were right to note the congestion that would be there otherwise. How much of a signing bonus did Romero get. I wouldn't think that sweet minor league monthly money would allow for laziness! This year's reduced K rate and increased slugging might deserve a reward though. I don't want to see Sano and Rosario struggle, but I am going to want to see them challenged in a month or so. Sano, in particular, facing better pitching will be good for him. Right now I have to wonder if he isn't just swinging as hard as he can at everything and since the pitching is fairly weaker at low-A, it doesn't really matter because they groove enough pitches. And if they do struggle a bit, that might tell us more about Arcia, and to a lesser extent Morales, than Sano and Rosario. Fair enough about AAA. But there is a difference between Matt Carson and Joe Thurston . . . Notice that I didn't touch pitching. That is a stranger animal when trying to figure out promotions and probably requires more "eye" scouting.

Blackburn's contract was a huge, inexcusable mistake. Without it, he would be playing for another team at this point or would be in the bullpen in long relief. That money isn't going anywhere. He will be a Twin in 2013. Liriano should be sent packing either at the trade deadline or in the offseason. His delivery is a mess. I assume that Casilla will be on your list eventually too. And then Valencia and Plouffe.

The Twins will start making their second round of minor league moves in the next few weeks leading up to the draft and the beginning of the short season. Here are some moves that should be made sooner than later: ROCHESTER Release: Joe Thurston and Clete Thomas (neither one is worth keeping around, stealing plate appearances from players who are either prospects or who could be fill-ins for the Twins in a pinch). I am tired of keeping around such players for no good reason. Why don't they sign Jeff Bailey and Chase Lambin to mess around for a year again? NEW BRITAIN to ROCHESTER Filling in for those two departures should be Deibinson Romero and Wilkin Ramirez (Ramirez belongs in AAA in the first place, and Romero is off to a strong start in a bounce-back year for him). When I complain about the general slowness of Twins minor league promotions, Romero is the kind of player that comes to mind. 592 plate appearances at AA is enough for someone turning 26 in less than four months. He has 2200+ minors plate appearances right now, which is above average for about 3/4 of all systems for total plate appearances before promotion to MLB. In the era of Danny Valencia's struggles, it is time to see what someone like Romero can do when promoted to AAA. Ramirez is someone who still has upside. His major problem is his BB/K ratio, but he has some speed and some pop and can play everywhere in the OF. FORT MYERS to NEW BRITAIN Jairo Perez (and later, hopefully, Oswaldo Arcia). The Twins should probably hold off on Arcia and let him develop, but after 2011, I am curious how Perez would do when pushed, and he can fill in for Romero's vacant spot. Perez is still slugging and drawing walks this year, and that is a very good sign. Since Perez's defense has it's issues, the Twins may look to sign some younger available player, even from an independent league to join the squad in Chris Colabello fashion. This would allow Anderson Hidalgo to see if he can still hack it by playing 3B/DH more as well. He struggled early, but has hit well in the past few games, including a 6 rbi performance. And soon: BELOIT to FORT MYERS Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Matthew Koch. Not much needs to said here, but I really want to see if what happened to Oswaldo Arcia at Fort Myers happens to Sano and Rosario. Koch is a legitimate catching prospect and is 23 1/2 years old. I am also curious to see if he can hold his own in Fort Myers.

The Twins will start making their second round of minor league moves in the next few weeks leading up to the draft and the beginning of the short season. Here are some moves that should be made sooner than later: ROCHESTER Release: Joe Thurston and Clete Thomas (neither one is worth keeping around, stealing plate appearances from players who are either prospects or who could be fill-ins for the Twins in a pinch). I am tired of keeping around such players for no good reason. Why don't they sign Jeff Bailey and Chase Lambin to mess around for a year again? NEW BRITAIN to ROCHESTER Filling in for those two departures should be Deibinson Romero and Wilkin Ramirez (Ramirez belongs in AAA in the first place, and Romero is off to a strong start in a bounce-back year for him). When I complain about the general slowness of Twins minor league promotions, Romero is the kind of player that comes to mind. 592 plate appearances at AA is enough for someone turning 26 in less than four months. He has 2200+ minors plate appearances right now, which is above average for about 3/4 of all systems for total plate appearances before promotion to MLB. In the era of Danny Valencia's struggles, it is time to see what someone like Romero can do when promoted to AAA. Ramirez is someone who still has upside. His major problem is his BB/K ratio, but he has some speed and some pop and can play everywhere in the OF. FORT MYERS to NEW BRITAIN Jairo Perez (and later, hopefully, Oswaldo Arcia). The Twins should probably hold off on Arcia and let him develop, but after 2011, I am curious how Perez would do when pushed, and he can fill in for Romero's vacant spot. Perez is still slugging and drawing walks this year, and that is a very good sign. Since Perez's defense has it's issues, the Twins may look to sign some younger available player, even from an independent league to join the squad in Chris Colabello fashion. This would allow Anderson Hidalgo to see if he can still hack it by playing 3B/DH more as well. He struggled early, but has hit well in the past few games, including a 6 rbi performance. And soon: BELOIT to FORT MYERS Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Matthew Koch. Not much needs to said here, but I really want to see if what happened to Oswaldo Arcia at Fort Myers happens to Sano and Rosario. Koch is a legitimate catching prospect and is 23 1/2 years old. I am also curious to see if he can hold his own in Fort Myers.

For Wimmers' sake, but for yours as well (!), I hope Alex is fine in a month or so. Gibson, Wimmers, Solimon, Bromberg have or are faced/facing health issues now. That's four out of the teams top 6-8 pitching prospects.

"Good to see the average age in the Twins' minor league teams (esp. in Rochester where that was not true recently) is right about League Average. Here are the numbers. Rochester: Hitters: 27.1, Pitchers: 26.5 (International League: Hitters: 27.4 Pitchers: 27.5) New Britain: Hitters: Pitchers: 25.3 (Eastern League: 24.5 Hitters: Pitchers: 25) Fort Myers: Hitters: 22.5 Pitchers: 23.2 (Florida State League: Hitters:22.7 Pitchers: 22.9) Beloit: Hitters: 21.7 Pitchers: 22.3 (Midwest League: Hitters: 21.5 Pitchers: 21.9)" Yes that is good to see, especially with Rochester. Now if Joe Thurston could just go away . . .