Jeremy Nygaard

Thanks. Did that happen recently? And am I alone in being surprised by that? Now I'm just waiting for Johnson to show up in Tonkin's place on Beloit's roster and everyone will be accounted for...

Cole can't be traded this year before the deadline since he signed on August 15th last year. Though that point is moot, since neither him nor Taillon will be moved for anything short of baseball's elite. Heredia is an interesting case, but I don't see him being moved either... I don't think the Pirates will be buyers either, but for the sake of this thread, I'll throw some names out: Kyle McPherson, RHP, AA. McPherson, the Pirates minor league pitcher of the year in 2011, made his season debut on Saturday after being out with shoulder inflammation all year. He was good too. Picture Scott Diamond, turn him right-handed, make him a little bigger, switch out his mediocre 2011 with a really good year... and that's McPherson. Not going to strike out a ton of guys, but won't walk guys either. He's a little bit older, but I'd bet attainable. Victor Black, RHRP, AA. Black was a guy I thought the Twins would target when there were Pirates/Kubel rumors last year. He's battled injuries, but has been healthy and really good in 2012. He profiles as a guy who could work his way to the very back of the bullpen if he can keep the walks under control. He's a power arm who strikes a lot of guys out. Zack Von Rosenberg, RHP, HiA. I've always been a fan of Von Rosenberg, even though he's been far from great. He was a high school guy that dropped because of signability concerns (was going to play baseball and punt at LSU), but took a big bonus and has been a disappointment. He had a rough spring training, just recently making his season debut. I think he could still develop... and this might be a chance to buy low.

There is going to be a separate (later) adoption for draftees.

Seth, Did I miss Wander Guillen somewhere? I don't recall seeing him on any rosters?

Hudson Boyd is a pleasant surprise (at least to me). I though Polanco would stick around the GCL at least to start the year. Any word on Kelly Cross or Cole Johnson? Those are two names I didn't expect to see on the GCL roster. I would guess Luke Bard, when healthy, would probably end up here, but rehabbing/coming of injury at the Fort would make sense too.

Nice write-up. I would guess that Maloney will start for the Red Wings tomorrow. I would also guess that Wheeler will start for the Snappers.

Morneau's arm soreness complicated this decision, in my opinion.

Baseball America had him as the 77th rated high school senior coming into this year. Not exactly nowhere. But not exactly supplemental round either. Like I said before, it will be interesting to see what Chargois got.

As much as I like Willingham and think he's perfect for Target Field, he is 33 (as has been pointed out) and he hasn't played more than 140 games in a year since 2007. (He averages 122 games/year over the last four seasons.) So even though his back has held up so far (and it's not the ticking time-bomb that Joe Crede's was), it's more likely than not that he'll have something nagging pop up at some point this season. Not that I consider that the reason to trade Willingham, but something to consider. (Just like teams consider Morneau's injury history when his name comes up.) On the other side of that coin, the Blue Jays would make a good (if not great) trade partner. If the Twins could two of these four guys for Willingham (or Morneau), I would have to consider it. (I've included where each guy would have ranked on BA's pre-season Twins prospect list using their grades.) LHP Aaron Sanchez (LoA, 6-0, 1.09 WHIP, #2) LHP Justin Nicolino (LoA, 2-0, 1.00, #2) RHP Noah Syndergaard (LoA, 3-2, 1.35, #2) RHP Asher Wojciechowski (HiA, 3-2, 1.31, #3-6)

I think all of those listed - Parmelee, Butera, Mastroianni - are possibilities, as well as others that weren't suggested. With the Twins heading to National League parks next week, many cases could be made. Without a DH, having three catchers is probably overkill. Hard to say one way or the other, but I would be surprised if it was a pitcher that was sent down, given they're gaining a bat anyway.

I posted this on a different thread, but it looks like this thread is the more read one and I speculate on the Bard situation... As far as players that count towards the spending pool (those taken in the first 10 rounds), the Twins have agreements with all but three: Luke Bard, LJ Mazzilli and DJ Baxendale. Bard, as far as I know, still isn't 100%, so that would be my guess as to why he isn't signed. Mazzilli expected to be drafted higher, so is probably expecting more than slot money. Baxendale is still pitching in the College World Series, which would explain why he is unsigned. The Twins have agreements with JT Chargois, Jorge Fernandez and Christian Powell, but their bonuses aren't public yet. So we'll take those six out and here's what we know: Berrios, Walker, Jones and Duffey all signed for slot. Melotakis signed for $68.5K under slot and Buxton signed for $200K under slot. Andre Martinez got $60K over slot. So the Twins have created wiggle room to the tune of $208.5K. They could also go over their cap by $618,410 without losing a draft pick (though that would actually cost them just short of $1.1m). My guess is that Bard gets slot (or near). And that Baxendale and Mazzilli both get over slot (but under penalty). If they balk, the Twins may offer their savings to a lower-round guy like Timmy Robinson, Josh Graham or possibly James Marvel, of course these would probably be deadline deals.

Cole De Vries will start for the Red Wings today. He'll be pushed up one day, but still got his four days of rest. Liam Hendriks, tonight's scheduled starter, will start for the Twins tomorrow. There will be a corresponding roster move after tonight's game. I think it's very possible we see Chris Parmelee head back to Rochester. After taxing the bullpen on Wednesday night, there is a need for an extra arm.

As far as players that count towards the spending pool (those taken in the first 10 rounds), the Twins have agreements with all but three: Luke Bard, LJ Mazzilli and DJ Baxendale. Bard, as far as I know, still isn't 100%, so that would be my guess as to why he isn't signed. Mazzilli expected to be drafted higher, so is probably expecting more than slot money. Baxendale is still pitching in the College World Series, which would explain why he is unsigned. The Twins have agreements with JT Chargois, Jorge Fernandez and Christian Powell, but their bonuses aren't public yet. So we'll take those six out and here's what we know: Berrios, Walker, Jones and Duffey all signed for slot. Melotakis signed for $68.5K under slot and Buxton signed for $200K under slot. Andre Martinez got $60K over slot. So the Twins have created wiggle room to the tune of $208.5K. They could also go over their cap by $618,410 without losing a draft pick (though that would actually cost them just short of $1.1m). My guess is that Bard gets slot (or near). And that Baxendale and Mazzilli both get over slot (but under penalty). If they balk, the Twins may offer their savings to a lower-round guy like Timmy Robinson, Josh Graham or possibly James Marvel, of course these would probably be deadline deals.

Thanks for pointing that out. For those that aren't aware, Atherton was an OF in the Twins system a handful of years ago. He was released and brought back later as a pitcher. The fact that the Twins brought him back after letting him go, and he's stuck around around as long as he has, speaks a lot about how the Twins view him. I don't know enough about him to know if he's a legitimate option, but I certainly wouldn't view him as a "prospect" right now. Butat 22, he's not crazy old for the MWL, though. I wouldn't think he's a priority to promote right now (to see what he can handle), but definitely a storyline worth watching.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?660-Thursday-s-Minor-League-Round-up

Trevor Plouffe hit another home run tonight. But so did Jim Thome, so Plouffe was unable to close the gap at all (607 to 22). Thome’s damage was also a three-run shot, while Plouffe’s was solo. The rest of the offense was pretty stagnant, and failed to plate any more runs (while also failing to win their fifth straight series). It’s been an interesting past few weeks for the no-longer-shaggy Trevor Plouffe. After Luke Hughes was DFA’d, many wondered how closely Plouffe would follow. Plouffe now has a 2012 OPS of .841, despite batting .232 (which is about 100 points higher than it was when this hot-streak began). Suffice it so say, not DFAing Plouffe was a great call and it appears that Plouffe will be the everyday third baseman for the foreseeable future. Let’s check on the minor leagues on this Thursday night: ROCHESTER 8, LOUISVILLE 6 Box score The Red Wings had an offensive outburst tonight, scoring eight runs on thirteen hits. Danny Valencia (two doubles) and Matt Carson paced the offense with three hits each. Valencia had three RBI and walked twice, reaching base in all five plate appearances (which would lead to being named “hitter of the day”… most days). Carson added two RBI as did Clete Thomas, who hit his 3rd AAA home run of the year. The pitching staff just fared well enough to give their team a chance to win, and it took all of their offense to do so. Luke French had a rough go of it. He only made it 3 1/3 innings and he only allowed four hits. French’s problem was his control, as he walked four and threw only 45 of 76 pitches for strikes. He struck out three. Kyle Waldrop replaced French and did what Kyle Waldrop does: get groundball outs, including one double play. He allowed two hits. Deolis Guerra allowed a two-run home run, but struck out two in his two innings of work. Casey Fien picked up the win for his two innings of work, not allowing any runs, but walking two and allowing two hits, while striking out one. NEW BRITAIN 2, AKRON 3 (12 innings) Box score It was a tough 12-inning loss for the Rockcats tonight. Despite collecting fourteen hits, they were only able to score two runs. The story of the game was Nate Hanson, who went 5-for-6 and was a home run short of the cycle. I would consider it somewhat amazing that he only scored once and didn’t drive in any runs. Rene Tosoni, Deibinson Romero and Matt Rizzotti all had two hits. Brett Jacobson had his longest outing as a starter this year, going 5 1/3. He allowed three hits and three walks. He struck out six and allowed two runs. He left two runners on, which Bobby Lanigan stranded. Lanigan allowed two hits, but didn’t allow any runs in 2 2/3 innings and struck out two. Bruce Pugh, who has always had an issue with control, struck out three in two innings, but also walked two. Luis Perdomo took the loss. He pitched two innings. He struck out three, but allowed a run on two hits. Former Twin farmhand Loek Van Mil pitched a hitless 2 1/3 innings, striking out two. FT. MYERS 0, BRADENTON 6 Box score The Miracle finished the first half with a very quiet night and enter the All-Star break with a 27-37 record. Daniel Ortiz provided three (one double) of the Miracle’s four hits. (Angel Morales collected the other.) Daniel Santana went 0-for-4 tonight (following 0-for-5 last night) to lower his average under .300 for the first time all season. Pat Dean went 5 1/3 innings allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck out two. Ricky Bowen recorded eight outs, allowing only two hits and a walk. He did allow his only inherited runner to score. Dakota Watts pitched a perfect ninth. BELOIT 5, PEORIA 3 Box score With today’s win, the Snappers clinched a spot in the playoffs as the 1st Half Western Division Wild Card. Miguel Sano went hitless in two at-bats, but managed to walk twice. He has struck out 15 times in his last 37 at-bats (41%). He has struck out in 33% of his at-bats this season. He also walked twice tonight and has a respectable OBP of .351 despite batting only .239. It will be interesting to see how teams pitch to him without Eddie Rosario in the line-up. (Though I would imagine Sano’s absence would have a greater effect on Rosario.) J.D. Williams led the offense with two hits (one double). Adam Bryant started off the scoring with a 3-run home run in the first inning. Nate Roberts, who has spent a lot of professional career on the disabled list, added a home run. Roberts is an interesting case. Though he hasn’t often found himself batting leadoff, he does have a career OBP of .437 and has a penchant for getting hit (29 HBP last year). If he can stay healthy, he’s a guy to watch. Tyler Jones struck out nine in six innings. He allowed only three hits, walking two and allowing three runs. He left a tie ballgame, so was credited with a no decision. Jones now has 33 Ks in 25 innings. Tim Atherton struck out four in two innings. Michael Tonkin, who has been on fire of late, continued his run. He struck out the side in the ninth for the save. In Tonkin’s last 8 IP, he has struck out 18. He'll be heading to Fort Myers soon. (Hopefully!) --- Players of the Day for Thursday, June 14, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Nathan Hanson [ATTACH=CONFIG]1236[/ATTACH] taken from nodaktwinsfan.com Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Jones [ATTACH=CONFIG]1237[/ATTACH] taken from lsusports.net --- A Look Ahead – Friday, June 15, 2012 Schedule Rochester at Louisville – RHP Liam Hendriks (not likely; as it appears Hendriks will be pitching for the Twins on Saturday) New Britain vs Erie – LHP Aaron Thompson (0-2, 9.35) Ft. Myers – All-Star Break Beloit at Burlington – LHP David Hurlbut (2-0, 1.80) --- 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.

You know, I really thought Dido's career would take off with that song. Instead, I think we'll be able to draw parallels between her carer and this thread.

[TABLE=width: 207] 3B Torrens, Luis [/TD] 5/2/95 SS Minier, Amaurys [TD]1/30/96 [/TABLE]

The penalty would be the 75% tax on the overage. They have up to a $618,400 cushion, yes... but that cushion would cost them $1,082,217.50. I don't think the Twins are going to push it. There was a senior drafted this year in the 4th round (I believe...) who took a bonus in between 5K and 10K. The comment he made afterwards was that he'll always be a 4th round pick and no one will remember his signing bonus. Mazzilli could do something like that. I think, for the sake of the Twitter discussion I saw today, we should compare Mazzilli to Dan Uggla... and Luke Hughes.

Merck has another year of eligibility left. He red-shirted in 2011 after undergoing TJ surgery. His Facebook status on draft day: “Horrible Day. Disappointed” The Twins will probably save a half mill (or less) on Buxton, and that could very well go Mazzilli's way. What does he stand to gain re-entering as a college senior? He is interesting case though and I hope the Twins get it done with him.

With the deadline being moved up by a month, we've seen many draft picks come to terms and report. I usually take the week following the draft to gather information and then make a (somewhat educated) guess at what draft picks will sign and which will return or go to college. (Going to have to shorten that time frame up in the future.) Now that the draft has been shortened by 10 rounds, it is hard to use precedence to set a number on how many players the team will sign. I'm guessing it's going to be around 26. I break the draftees into four tiers: Will sign, probable sign, doubtful sign, won't sign. Last year, the Twins signed a "doubtful sign" (Torres) and a "won't sign" (Malinowski). All of the players I thought would sign, eventually did. In 2010, the Twins didn't sign one player I thought they would (a senior - Gregg), one that I thought they might (Kuresa) and signed four that I didn't see coming. Here are this year's draftees, broken into the four tiers. (Boldfaced names are those that have already signed/agreed to terms). Will sign (19; 16 have signed): Byron Buxton , J.O. Berrios , Luke Bard, Mason Melotakis (signed for $68.5K under value), J.T. Chargois , Adam Brett Wa lker , Zach Jones, Ty ler Duffey, Jorge Fernandez, Christian Powell, D.J. Baxendale*, Taylor Rogers, Alex Muren, Erich Knab, Jarret Leverett, D.J. Hicks, Jonathan Murphy, B.K. Santy, Brian Haar. *Baxendale is still pitching in the College World Series, so it's impossible to know/guess what his intentions are. Probably sign (7; 3 have signed): Andre Martinez (signed for $60K over value), L.J. Mazzilli, Jake Proctor, Zach Larson, Bo Altobelli, Travis Huber, Jerad Grundy. Doubtful sign (11; 2 have signed): Will Hurt, William LaMarche, Josh Graham, Jose Favela, Joel Licon, Justin Jones, Carson Goldsmith, Sean Hagan, Jared Wilson, Brandon Bayardi, Brad Schreiber. Won't sign (6): Timmy Robinson, Andrew Farreira, Kaleb Merck, James Marvel, Austin Rel, Alex Liquori. --- Buxton's signing bonus will be the next domino to fall. If they are able to bank some of their pool (as of now, they have only banked $8,500), I think that improves the team's chances of signing Timmy Robinson and/or Josh Graham. James Marvel, who is heading to Duke, is a huge Twins fan... so he remains a darkhorse. Regardless, this is me putting it out there for the whole world to see.

With the deadline being moved up by a month, we've seen many draft picks come to terms and report. I usually take the week following the draft to gather information and then make a (somewhat educated) guess at what draft picks will sign and which will return or go to college. (Going to have to shorten that time frame up in the future.) Now that the draft has been shortened by 10 rounds, it is hard to use precedence to set a number on how many players the team will sign. I'm guessing it's going to be around 26. I break the draftees into four tiers: Will sign, probable sign, doubtful sign, won't sign. Last year, the Twins signed a "doubtful sign" (Torres) and a "won't sign" (Malinowski). All of the players I thought would sign, eventually did. In 2010, the Twins didn't sign one player I thought they would (a senior - Gregg), one that I thought they might (Kuresa) and signed four that I didn't see coming. Here are this year's draftees, broken into the four tiers. (Boldfaced names are those that have already signed/agreed to terms). Will sign (19; 16 have signed): Byron Buxton , J.O. Berrios , Luke Bard, Mason Melotakis (signed for $68.5K under value), J.T. Chargois , Adam Brett Wa lker , Zach Jones, Ty ler Duffey, Jorge Fernandez, Christian Powell, D.J. Baxendale*, Taylor Rogers, Alex Muren, Erich Knab, Jarret Leverett, D.J. Hicks, Jonathan Murphy, B.K. Santy, Brian Haar. *Baxendale is still pitching in the College World Series, so it's impossible to know/guess what his intentions are. Probably sign (7; 3 have signed): Andre Martinez (signed for $60K over value), L.J. Mazzilli, Jake Proctor, Zach Larson, Bo Altobelli, Travis Huber, Jerad Grundy. Doubtful sign (11; 2 have signed): Will Hurt, William LaMarche, Josh Graham, Jose Favela, Joel Licon, Justin Jones, Carson Goldsmith, Sean Hagan, Jared Wilson, Brandon Bayardi, Brad Schreiber. Won't sign (6): Timmy Robinson, Andrew Farreira, Kaleb Merck, James Marvel, Austin Rel, Alex Liquori. --- Buxton's signing bonus will be the next domino to fall. If they are able to bank some of their pool (as of now, they have only banked $8,500), I think that improves the team's chances of signing Timmy Robinson and/or Josh Graham. James Marvel, who is heading to Duke, is a huge Twins fan... so he remains a darkhorse. Regardless, this is me putting it out there for the whole world to see.

Melotakis got $750K. Slot value was $818.5K.