Jeremy Nygaard

The word on Roberts is that he doesn't have any plus tools. His OBP is so high thanks to getting hit by a ton of pitches (43 times in 114 games in Beloit). He also has been very injury-prone. His ceiling - my take anyway - is that of a 4th outfielder. He's a decent hitter and a decent defender. But, obviously, if he can keep his OBP in the .440s, he'll work his way into the prospect picture... but I think we can all agree it's time for him to move up.

Rosario started - and finished - today's game in the GCL. I would guess that he would be heading back to Beloit soon... if he's not there already.

Back in CF today and had a double. That's six extra base hits in seven games since his return from injury.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?854-Sunday-s-Minor-League-Round-up

The Twins finished their sweep against the Indians this afternoon (in dominant fashion too, outscoring the Indians 28-6), but that’s not nearly the biggest news to transpire since Saturday evening’s convincing win. At exactly 10pm last night – exactly the time I decided to go to bed a little early – the White Sox announced on their Twitter account that they had acquired Francisco Liriano for Eduardo Escobar and Pedro Hernandez. It didn’t take long for everybody to hate the deal. The Twitter-world turned upside-down and mostly everybody began (or continued) to question whether or not Terry Ryan is capable of doing the job that he currently holds (or is the “interim”). You can read Baseball America's take here which may get you to come back in from the ledge. You can rehash the trade in a number of other places on the site, so I’m going to move on. This morning, the Twins announced – to fill the Twins roster and get the Red Wings roster to 25 guys – that they would be promoting RHP Jeff Manship (or is it Manshift? Or is it Shipman? Or is it Mansihp?) to take Liriano’s roster spot. Brian Duensing started in Liriano’s spot today (and threw a 6-inning gem), but it could be Manship or Duensing that fills that roll the next time it comes up. (Manship threw 105 pitches Friday night, so he’s not an option to throw until, probably, Wednesday.) I dropped a lot of minor-league Twitterbombs this morning courtesty of Terry Ryan's radio show on WCCO that you can catch up on if you so choose. (Seth retweeted them all - so if you follow him - you probably read them.) And now today’s minor-league round-up: ROCHESTER 8, COLUMBUS 5 Box score Shairon Martis is doing the best he can to make it back to the majors for the first time since 2009. In his best AAA performance since coming over from the Pirates in an early season trade, Martis, from the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, went 6 1/3 innings, striking out four, scattering nine hits and a walk, allowing four runs (two of which came after he left the game). Martis will be a six-year FA at the end of the season, but might be drawn to returning to the Twins/Red Wings as they’ll be plenty of opportunities in the starting rotation(s). He still has a ways to go, but tonight was a good start. Deolis Guerra recorded five outs, allowing two hits and a run (plus two inherited runners scored) while striking out two. Lester Oliveros picked up his 6th save for the Red Wings by inducing three fly ball outs in the ninth inning. Matt Carson led the 8-run, 16-hit effort by going 3-for-5 with a HR, two runs and an RBI. Evan Bigley had his 2nd 3-hit game as a Red Wing, adding a double. Both Wilkin Ramirez (solo, 3 hits) and Rene Rivera (2-run) homered. Neither player acquired for Liriano appeared in tonight’s game. Rochester will play two more games in Columbus as part of this four-game wrap-around set. NEW BRITAIN 3 , READING 8 Box score Blake Martin got roughed up for the Rock Cats tonight. He threw 88 pitches, but was only able to get two outs in the fourth inning. He did strike out five, but allowed nine hits and three walks, which resulted in six runs. Dakota Watts got the through six without allowing any additional runs. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out one. Matt Hauser made his AA debut in relief (he started in five of his last six appearances in Fort Myers, though he’s only started six minor league games out of 85 professional games) and had a perfect inning with a flyout and two groundouts. He returned for a second inning and had a tougher go of it, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned). The bats didn’t offer much in terms of support. Aaron Hicks, who started off the game with a walk, did his best Denard Span impression getting picked off and caught stealing. That might have been a sign of things to come. Dan Rohlfing (3-for-5, 2B, 2 runs) and Deibinson Romero (2-for-5, 2B, 2 runs) were the offensive bright spots. Joe Benson saw his five-game hitting streak come to an end. Oswaldo Arcia (1-for-4) threw a runner out at home from right field to end the scoring in the 4th inning. The RockCats, after getting swept in this four game series, have the day off tomorrow to lick its wounds before heading to Bowie for a three-game series. FT. MYERS 11, BREVARD COUNTY 3 Box score The Miracle bats got off to a hot start (12 hits and 9 runs through 5 innings) and maintained that lead to win three games in this 4-game series. Steven Liddle left the game in the 4th inning and was replaced by Michael Gonzalez, who hit a grand slam in the 5-run fifth. Levi Michael had a very good game, collecting three singles in five at-bats (he’s batting .233; .246 in the 2nd half, but hasn’t been very good in July.) Josmil Pinto was 3-for-4 with a 2-run HR. Angel Morales was 2-for-3 with a triple, 2 BB and 3 runs. Lance Ray had a double and was 2-for-5. Matt Summers continues his excellent full-season debut with his best outing yet in Fort Myers. He pitched five innings of one-run ball, striking out three. Nelvin Fuentes continues to strike out lots of batters (today: 6 in 3 innings), but also allowed two runs on three hits. Michael Tonkin struck out two in a perfect ninth. Kyle Gibson will spend two more weeks with the GCL team before joining the Miracle. BELOIT 6, PEORIA 10 Box score Matt Tomshaw spotted Peoria Chiefs nine runs after three innings. Tomshaw, making his second start since returning from the disabled list, lasted only three innings, giving up nine runs (six earned) on eight hits and four walks. He’s had some good starts, but when it rains it pours… and it was pouring today. You have to wonder how much string last year’s 42nd round pick has left. Steven Gruver, who was bounced from the rotation after a handful of bad starts, was magnificent in relief. The soft-tossing lefty’s 4-inning, 2-hit, 2-walk, shutout performance was his best (and longest) in recent memory (and it’s been a rough couple of months). 2nd round pick Mason Melotakis allowed his first earned run as a Snapper: serving up a long-ball to Dustin Geiger (a right-handed hitter). After allowing a single to the next batter he settled down and went groundout, strikeout, strikeout. He’s now struck out 18 in 14 professional innings. If he stays in a relief role (which is the current belief), he may end up on the fast-track. The defense sure didn’t help out the pitchers’ cause. They committed 6 errors (Vargas, Wickens 2, Grimes, Sano 2). Sano now has 35. Offensively, the Snappers managed six runs on eight hits. Miguel Sano had a double (his 19th), a walk, a strikeout and two RBI. Kennys Vargas drove in two on the 5th home run of his short season. The Snappers will look to win this wrap-around series tomorrow night before heading back home for a seven-game homestand. Snappers Ace LHP Jason Wheeler will be on the hill looking for his 13th win. Wheeler, who threw 103 innings last year at Loyola Marymount, is already up to 113. As the Snappers have a playoff berth locked up, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Wheeler maybe skip some starts and work a few relief stints to keep his innings down. The big-bodied (6-8, 265) southpaw could handle a 200+ inning workload but the Twins are notorious for wanting to keep their pitchers innings around 110% of the previous year’s total. (Wheeler will, no doubt, be exceeding that.) Eddie Rosario will be re-joining the team shortly, probably within the next week. ELIZABETHTON 12, GREENEVILLE 6 Box score The E-town Twins extend their West Division lead to 4.5 games over the Greeneville Astros by beating them again. Elizabethton had 12 runs on 16 hits. Adam Walker led the charge with three hits, including a home run, and drove in four. Everybody else in the lineup made a positive contribution with extra base hits (doubles by Polanco, Goodrum, Rhodes, Kepler; a triple by Rhodes; home run by Pimentel), runs batted in (Goodrum and Kepler both had two) or scoring runs (Pimentel three times; Goodrum and Polanco twice). Pimentel and Goodrum also each stole a base. Hein Robb picked up his second win of the season. His five-inning outing was his longest to date. He allowed seven hits and four runs. Only one run was earned, however, and he struck out three. The lefty continues to struggle to with right-handed batters, while dominating against lefties. Josh Burris has started to meet some resistance since starting off his season with such dominance (2 ER, 18 K in 17 IP over his first 8 games). Tonight’s outing lasted 1 1/3 innings, he walked four and gave up two hits resulting in two runs. He still struck out two. He was able to pitch around his walks – which really started only four outings ago - up until two games ago. Since his dominating start, he’s walked six, allowed three hits and three earned runs in only 2 1/3 innings. He’s going to have to continue to harness his fastball for his hammer curveball to wipe people out. If he can do that – and he has a long way to go – he could be a dominating presence in a bullpen. Chris Mazza struck out two in 1 2/3 innings. Tyler Herr finished the game of striking out one in a perfect ninth. E-town heads to Bristol for a three-game series starting tomorrow night. GCL TWINS remember the Sabbath Day, and keep it holy. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, July 29, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Adam Walker [ATTACH=CONFIG]1697[/ATTACH] @walkoff28 Pitcher of the Day – Steven Gruver [ATTACH=CONFIG]1698[/ATTACH] knuckleballsblog.com --- A Look Ahead – Monday, July 30, 2012 Schedule Rochester at Columbus – RHP Esmerling Vasquez (4-5, 3.68) New Britain – DAY OFF Ft. Myers at Daytona – TBA – this was Matt Hauser’s spot, who has since been promoted. Beloit at Peoria – LHP Jason Wheeler (12-4, 3.48) Elizabethton at Bristol – LHP Corey Kimes (3-0, 3.04) GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox – TBA --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome.

The Twins will absolutely place Morneau on waivers. Teams do it every year to see who's interested in their guys. He'll absolutely go unclaimed, because no one will risk just taking on that contract.

You're probably right. With Manship limited (if he's able to pitch at all) for the Chicago series, there really isn't a long guy in the 'pen. Perdomo could probably go three, if needed... but he was shaky (at best) last night. Like you said, Gardy can mix and match, but should that really be necessary on a 13-man staff? Guerra has only pitched once (for two innings) since coming back, but he would have at least offered the Twins an arm for the White Sox series (and Blackburn is pitching, so the bullpen will need to be used!).

I'm confused by the Manship promotion unless he becomes a starter. He threw 105 pitches on Friday night, so he's be unavailable until Wednesday, most likely. Good thing the bullpen has been used so little the last couple of days, because Manship isn't going to be able to help out there anytime soon. I get that he's on his final audition. But so is Guerra... only we haven't seen him at all.

Is anyone starting to get the impression that the other GMs know that it's not that hard to "outfox" our front office? Is the Twins FO that guy in our fantasy leagues that teams always try to make a deal with because sometimes they're dumb enough to hit the "accept" button when they meant to hit "decline"? This deal had everything to do with the bottom line and barely anything to do with anything else. The Twins added some warm bodies... at positions of "need"... that do what the Twins like (throw strikes and play defense).

No matter how it's spun, it's unfortunate. Fortunately, TJ surgery isn't a kiss of death anymore. You do wonder, though, how the elbow was feeling as far back as the beginning of last year when he couldn't throw the ball over the plate. I just hope that when April of 2014 rolls around that Wimmers comes out and dominates AA and can help the Twins out. Might be wishful thinking since the last two years have been nothing short of a complete waste.

Terry Ryan says he's pitching his way out of this level.

Eddie Rosario will go back to Beloit as soon as he's able to play 9 innings in a GCL game.

Wimmers will undergo another MRI. According to TR the elbow is "not good".

Interesting note from Terry Ryan on Kepler: "He can play CF, but he's also been playing 1B for us." I'd heard in the spring, he'd be working out at 1B, but he hasn't played an inning yet at 1B in a game (according to baseball-reference.com)

You can go read various threads and articles on this site if you want opinions on how the Twins did by trading Francisco Liriano to the division-leading Chicago White Sox. I'm going to break down what this trade does from an organization standpoint. SALARY: It appears that the White Sox will pick up the rest of Liriano's tab for the season. This saved the Twins $2,073,800. (Their payroll is now $97,775,800 before factoring in the 25th player they need to add.) Both Eduardo Escobar and Pedro Hernandez are slated to earn the minimum salary this year. At $2,600 per service day they could both spend the rest of the season with the big club and only make a combined $362,000. At this point, with both being assigned to Rochester, their earnings will not count towards the major-league payroll. 40-MAN ROSTER: Removing Liriano only created one spot. The Twins moved P.J. Walters to the 60-day DL to create room for both Escobar and Hernandez. 25-MAN ROSTER: Duensing is taking Liriano's place in the rotation, but the Twins are expected to make a move to fill his spot on the active roster today. One of Kyle Waldrop, Lester Oliveros or Deolis Guerra will be promoted to provide the Twins with another bullpen arm. When Liriano's spot comes up in the rotation next week, it would make sense for the Twins to promote Liam Hendriks. ROCHESTER ROSTER: Pedro Hernandez, who at 23, is extremely young for AAA. He ranks as the 16th youngest player on the International League circuit (only 5 days older than Deolis Guerra). Hernandez's scouting report reads very similar to Scott Diamond (great command, low strikeout rate) and he will be slotted into the Red Wings rotation. He is in his first option year and, as of today, has a grand total of 1 major league service day. Hernandez should get a shot at breaking spring training in the Twins rotation, but will more than likely start 2013 in Rochester's rotation where he can continue to work on his low-90s fastball, low-80's changeup and, most importantly, his 80mph slider/cutter. Eduardo Escobar, also 23, is a glove-first middle-infielder. He had previously spent all of 2012 with the White Sox, but still has only amassed 141 major league service days and will have one option year remaining after this year. Barring injury (or trade) to Dozier, Casilla or Carroll, it is expected that Escobar will spend a vast majority of the rest of the season in Rochester. Terry Ryan suggested the Escobar will get "everyday at-bats", which should help improve (or, possibly, verify) his below-average offensive numbers. Short-term, it should have an effect on both Florimon's and Nishioka's playing time; long-term, Escobar could become a cheaper version of Casilla or provide the Twins with additional flexibility should they decide to move Jamey Carroll. FINAL THOUGHTS: I wasn't going to do it, but... I think we all hoped that Liriano would net a high-ceiling, (decent) pitching prospect that we've heard of. Hernandez doesn't exactly fit that profile, but there is potential there. At the very least, he offers another arm that could take on some major-league innings over the next couple years, though he probably doesn't become much more than a back-of-the-rotation starter or possibly a left-handed reliever. Eduardo Escobar isn't going to hit (so that should eliminate Gardy batting him #2, right?), but their is value in his glove. Does he become their everyday SS? I highly doubt that. Could he become a valuable late-inning defensive replacement? Absolutely. Is there a need for one of those on a team that will struggle to win 70 games? Well, that's a different story. He will get a chance to break camp as a starting middle-infielder, whether that's at second or shortstop, and probably becomes a cheaper version of Alexi Casilla as early as 2013.

You can go read various threads and articles on this site if you want opinions on how the Twins did by trading Francisco Liriano to the division-leading Chicago White Sox. I'm going to break down what this trade does from an organization standpoint. SALARY: It appears that the White Sox will pick up the rest of Liriano's tab for the season. This saved the Twins $2,073,800. (Their payroll is now $97,775,800 before factoring in the 25th player they need to add.) Both Eduardo Escobar and Pedro Hernandez are slated to earn the minimum salary this year. At $2,600 per service day they could both spend the rest of the season with the big club and only make a combined $362,000. At this point, with both being assigned to Rochester, their earnings will not count towards the major-league payroll. 40-MAN ROSTER: Removing Liriano only created one spot. The Twins moved P.J. Walters to the 60-day DL to create room for both Escobar and Hernandez. 25-MAN ROSTER: Duensing is taking Liriano's place in the rotation, but the Twins are expected to make a move to fill his spot on the active roster today. One of Kyle Waldrop, Lester Oliveros or Deolis Guerra will be promoted to provide the Twins with another bullpen arm. When Liriano's spot comes up in the rotation next week, it would make sense for the Twins to promote Liam Hendriks. ROCHESTER ROSTER: Pedro Hernandez, who at 23, is extremely young for AAA. He ranks as the 16th youngest player on the International League circuit (only 5 days older than Deolis Guerra). Hernandez's scouting report reads very similar to Scott Diamond (great command, low strikeout rate) and he will be slotted into the Red Wings rotation. He is in his first option year and, as of today, has a grand total of 1 major league service day. Hernandez should get a shot at breaking spring training in the Twins rotation, but will more than likely start 2013 in Rochester's rotation where he can continue to work on his low-90s fastball, low-80's changeup and, most importantly, his 80mph slider/cutter. Eduardo Escobar, also 23, is a glove-first middle-infielder. He had previously spent all of 2012 with the White Sox, but still has only amassed 141 major league service days and will have one option year remaining after this year. Barring injury (or trade) to Dozier, Casilla or Carroll, it is expected that Escobar will spend a vast majority of the rest of the season in Rochester. Terry Ryan suggested the Escobar will get "everyday at-bats", which should help improve (or, possibly, verify) his below-average offensive numbers. Short-term, it should have an effect on both Florimon's and Nishioka's playing time; long-term, Escobar could become a cheaper version of Casilla or provide the Twins with additional flexibility should they decide to move Jamey Carroll. FINAL THOUGHTS: I wasn't going to do it, but... I think we all hoped that Liriano would net a high-ceiling, (decent) pitching prospect that we've heard of. Hernandez doesn't exactly fit that profile, but there is potential there. At the very least, he offers another arm that could take on some major-league innings over the next couple years, though he probably doesn't become much more than a back-of-the-rotation starter or possibly a left-handed reliever. Eduardo Escobar isn't going to hit (so that should eliminate Gardy batting him #2, right?), but their is value in his glove. Does he become their everyday SS? I highly doubt that. Could he become a valuable late-inning defensive replacement? Absolutely. Is there a need for one of those on a team that will struggle to win 70 games? Well, that's a different story. He will get a chance to break camp as a starting middle-infielder, whether that's at second or shortstop, and probably becomes a cheaper version of Alexi Casilla as early as 2013.

Not a great haul but I wouldn't go that far. Both only 23... curious how the Twins make room on 40-man...

Going with the precendence that's been set, E-town will be the likely destination. However, JOB might have 50-60 professional innings under his belt by the end of the year and may even see a promotion this year. With that being said, I woukd be shocked if he headed to Beloit in April. But late May would be possible.

Snappers announce Ryan O'Rourke to Fort Myers.

Revere and Hicks both joined Beloit after the weather warmed up. I would love for Buxton to continue that trend. An outfield of Walker, Buxton, Kepler at one level and Arcia, Hicks, Benson a few levels ahead is worth smiling about.

Matt Hauser from Fort Myers bullpen to New Britain's bullpen.

Since Buxton returned from hamstring injury: 5 games (5 game hitting streak): 5-for-14 (.357), 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K. Today's game (in which he led it off with a home run) is still underway. What also shouldn't be forgotten in all of this is that your typical high-drafted rookies (up until this year) probably wouldn't be getting into games until August, or mid-August, at the earliest. If I was running the system, I would promote Buxton to Elizabethton now that's he settled down (or probably after another week or two) and let him enjoy playing baseball under the lights and into the playoffs.

Are the Blue Jays the favorite because they're mentioned twice? I think the Rangers are going to make a move on a pitcher, but without bending on including Ort or Perez, they're going to miss out on the big fish (Greinke and Shields). I think that leaves Liriano and the Twins. I don't know what the cost would be, but I'm going to throw out high-A SP Roman Mendez and rookie-league SS Luis Marte.