Jeremy Nygaard

First-round pick Alex Kirilloff is getting some prospect love, being named Appy League Batter of the Week. Don’t look now, but once Jose Berrios exhausts his prospect eligibility, Kirilloff, Nick Gordon and Tyler Jay may be in a three-way race to be the team’s next #1 prospect (at least on the list that I put together). RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Pawtucket 7 Box Score Back-to-back bombs from Adam Brett Walker and Byung Ho Park was too little for the Red Wings, as they dropped to 60-44, two games out of the wild card race. Park, Walker, Tommy Field and Wilfredo Tovar each had two hits on Monday. Walker’s home run was his 20th on the season. He also added his 18th double. Park hit his sixth AAA home run and now has 18 combined on the season. Park doubled for the third time. Nick Greenwood made a respectable start, giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings. He struck out three. D.J. Baxendale struggled mightily, blowing the lead without recording an out. He allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and took the loss. Marcus Walden struck out one in two innings and Alex Wimmers struck out two in one inning. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga - OFF DAY The Lookouts open a series with the Smokies tomorrow. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 2 Box Score Nick Gordon giveth. And Nick Gordon taketh away. After an eighth-inning error allowed two runs to score, Nick Gordon probably felt like a goat. What an inopportune time to commit his 19h error of the season which wrecked a shutout. Of course, two outs in the bottom of the eighth, with the score tied, Gordon turned into a hero. He drove in the go-ahead and eventual winning run. Gordon is currently batting .301. Tanner Witt, Joe Maloney and A.J. Murray all doubled. T.J. White and Alex Perez both drove in a run. Keaton Steele pitched seven shutout innings with four strikeouts. Todd Van Steensel was charged with a blown save due to the error, but recovered for the win. Because pitcher wins! John Curtiss then picked up his first save of the season. At one game over .500 on the season, the Miracle are now 17-15 in the second half. They trail the division leader by 2.5 games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Dayton 0 Box Score On Friday, Sam Gibbons had his best start of the season. On Monday, country-mate Lachlan Wells had arguably the best start for any Twins-affiliated team all season. Though his fastball only touched 90 mph, the whole repertoire was working for the diminutive southpaw from Newcastle as Wells threw 66 strikes (97 pitches) in eight innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and a walk. After allowing a single in both the first and second inning, Wells retired the next 12 in the lineup before hitting a batter. His walk came with two out in the seventh, a runner he promptly picked off. Wells struck out nine, missing his career mark of 10, which came in Wells’ first professional outing in June of 2015 in the GCL. Tom Hackimer picked up his second save in four opportunities. He walked a batter but got a strikeout to end the game. Offensively the Kernels did enough to win - but not by much - and did it all in the fifth inning. Chris Ibarra walked to lead off the inning. J.J. Fernandez and Rainis Silva both singled to load the bases. The first run of the game scored on a Manuel Guzman sacrifice fly. Casey Scoggins drove in the Kernels second and last run of the game with a single. Zander Wiel added a double, his 22nd, in the sixth. On the season, the Kernels are 54-46. Their second-half record is 18-13, but they trail Clinton by 4.5 games. Side note: I just returned from a three-game trip to watch the Kernels in Cedar Rapids. I’ll be sharing my #notascout reports on my takeaways from the weekend on Wednesday. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Pulaski 1 Box Score Yesterday, Tyler Beardsley wasn’t a name that typical readers would look twice at. He might have changed that on Monday evening. In 6 1/3 innings, Beardsley struck out 13 and only walked one. Beardsley didn’t start in college and possessed a K/9 around 4.5. So while this may be an anomaly, it’s an attention-getter that will at least make fans take a second look. Alex Robinson struck out three in relief and Colton Davis closed the game out with a 1-2-3 ninth. Travis Blankenhorn led the charge with a 2-run home run and a 3-run home run in consecutive innings. According to a tweet from his agent, Blankenhorn passed a runner on his 3-run home run, so evidently his run doesn’t count and he was charged with an out. Brandon Lopez had another two-hit day to raise his average to .365. Mitch Kranson (who caught Beardsley) also had a multi-hit game including a RBI and a double. Roberto Gonzalez singled twice. The E-Twins improve to 15-16. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 2 Box Score The GCL affiliate got a very night showing from the piggybacking duo of undrafted free agents Bo Hellquist and Tyler Fox. Hellquist, a lefty, threw the first five innings and earned the win. Fox picked up the save for pitching the last four. Their lines were almost identical: both gave up a run on three hits and both struck out four. Hellquist issued a walk and Fox allowed a solo home run. The Twins tallied 11 hits, led by three singles by Gorge Munoz. Aaron Whiteside had two hits, but the most damage was done by Joe Cronin, who hit his first two professional extra-base hits: a two-run home run in the fourth and a double in the eighth. He also reached base when he was hit by a pitch. Tyree Davis added a double. Both Akil Baddoo and the rehabbing Heiker Meneses drove in a pair of runs as well. Interestingly, the Orioles used former Twin Sam Deduno for an inning on a rehab assignment. He struck out one. The GCL Twins are 13-14. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Lachlan Wells, Cedar Rapids Hitter of the Day – Travis Blankenhorn, Elizabethton TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Pawtucket (6:05 CST) - LHP Andrew Albers (9-3, 3.14 ERA) Chattanooga vs Tennessee (6:15 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (4-4, 3.35 ERA) Fort Myers vs Palm Beach (6:05 CST) - LHP Randy Rosario (5-3, 3.79 ERA) Elizabethton at Pulaski (6:00 CST) - LHP Domenick Carlini (1-4, 5.11 ERA) GCL Twins vs GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.

RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Syracuse 1 Box Score The Twins could have used Andrew Albers in Boston tonight. Going the distance, Albers allowed only one run on six hits. He struck out five and improves to 9-3 on the season. Albers could very easily fill a rotation spot with the Twins during August and September. Daniel Palka got three hits… but no home runs! He did double and is now batting .319. Adam Brett Walker did hit a home run, his 19th, a 423-foot blast. Byung Ho Park had his 3rd AAA ParkBang as well. Thursday’s was a 3-run shot. John Ryan Murphy got a hit and drove in a run. But he’s only batting .203 and is hitting in the 9-hole. The Red Wings are 58-42 and a game and a half back in the wild card standings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Jackson 6 Box Score Not a lot to say about the Lookouts game. David Hurlbut allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out one. Hurlbut was relieved by Brandon Peterson, who struck out two in a perfect frame. Ryan Eades finished the game with a strikeout in a perfect inning of his own. D.J. Hicks singled twice. The first baseman accounted for all of the team’s hits. The Lookouts are 52-45. If you’re in the Chattanooga area, they’ll be giving away a Byron Buxton lunch box next Friday and a Buxton bobblehead on Saturday. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 3 Box Score Another affiliate with only two hits, but these were more productive. The newly-reinstated Reynaldo Rodriguez provided a solo home run in the seventh to break up the no-hitter. Chris Paul added the second hit, a single that scored Alex Perez, who had walked. The hit almost tied the game as pinch-runner Daniel Kihle, who was running for A.J. Murray, who also had walked, was thrown out at home. Randy LeBlanc struck out six over six innings, allowing six hits and three walks. Three runs scored and LeBlanc lost his fourth game as a member of the Miracle rotation. Todd Van Steensel relieved LeBlanc and pitched two shutout innings. He struck out one. The Miracle are 15-13 in the second half, a game and a half being the FSL South-leading St. Lucie Mets. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Bowling Green 3 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez lost his perfect game in the fifth. He lost his no-hitter in the sixth. He gave up his second run - enough to get hung with the loss - in the seventh. He handed the ball over in the eighth. Despite a good start, Rodriguez dropped to 2-11 on the season, allowing three runs in 7.1 innings. Kuo Hua Lo gave up a hit and struck out a batter in 1.2 innings. Chris Ibarra got two hits. Nelson Molina tripled and singled. Zander Wiel, featured earlier in the day on milb.com, hit his 21st double and walked. The Kernels dropped to 15-12 in the second half of the season. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 17, Kingsport 3 Box Score There was a lot of offense for the home team in Elizabethton on Thursday night. Of the nine players in the lineup, all scored and got a hit. The first eight batters all scored twice. Seven of the nine batters had multi-hit games. Four batters drove in multiple runs. Shane Carrier led the charge. An eighth-rounder from Fullerton, Carrier doubled twice and hit a home run. He drove in four runs and scored twice. Alex Kirilloff singled three times to raise his batting average to .346. Andre Jernigan got three hits, including a double. Lewin Diaz also doubled among his two hits while driving in four. Brandon Lopez, Caleb Hamilton and Robert Molina each singled twice. Tyler Wells made the start and pitched five innings. He struck out six while allowing eight hits and a walk. Three runs scored, but Wells picked up his first professional win. Ryan Mason came in and finished the last four innings, picking up the ultra-rare save in a 14-run game. He allowed three hits, pitching a shutout. Elizabethton is 11-16. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 4 (12 innings) Box Score One day after winning a 15-inning affair, the GCL affiliate dropped a one-run game in 12 innings. Despite getting outhit 10 to 4, the Twins were able to push the game to extra innings. Tyree Davis led the offense with two walks and a double. Jean Carlos Arias, Zach Featherstone and Juan Gamez provided the rest of the hits. Featherstone and Gamez drove in runs. Joe Cronin stole his fifth base of the year. Huascar Ynoa struck out three in four innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. Zack Strecker pitched four shutout innings, striking out five. Tyler Fox gave up a run and struck out two in one inning. Garrett Kelly picked up the loss, but struck out five in 2.1innings. He allowed the runner that scored the winning run. Callan Pearce came into the game with the bases loaded but walked a batter before ending the inning with a double play. The GCL Twins are 11-11 TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Albers, Rochester Hitter of the Day – Shane Carrier, Elizabethton FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Syracuse (6:05 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios (9-4, 2.42 ERA) Chattanooga at Jackson (7:05 CST) - RHP Omar Bencomo (2-5, 4.50 ERA) Fort Myers at Clearwater (5:15 CST) - TBD Bowling Green at Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - LHP Sam Gibbons (3-3, 6.09 ERA) Elizabethton vs Johnson City (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.

Given that the Twins have had only three GMs over their last thirty or so years, the same number of managers over that period and numerous other front office staff and scouts who have served in the organization for dozens of years, the firing of Terry Ryan made national waves. It’s uncommon to turn on MLB Network or MLB Network Radio and hear the Twins getting more than just passing attention, but it was different Monday and Tuesday. Speculation about who could be considered as Terry Ryan’s replacement was a main talking point. The thing is… it doesn’t seem to add up. Earlier this season, Jim Pohlad talked about a “total system failure” but also gave both Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor a 100% vote of confidence. Two months later, one of them has been shown the door. Not that it’s extremely rare in sports to have a coach/manager/GM get a vote of confidence followed quickly by a pink slip. But we’re talking about the Twins and all of these waters are unchartered. Since Ryan’s dismissal, Molitor has been given another vote of confidence and the national radio shows continue to focus on the “next GM.” But what if there’s more to it? Since Monday it’s come out that Terry Ryan was told a month ago that he would not be returning as the team’s GM in 2017. He was given some time to consider his own exit and decided late last week that he should “get out of the way” before ultimately being fired. What if he’s not the only one? If Terry Ryan had the option to stay for the remainder of the season, who’s to say that other front office members weren’t given the same choice, but chose to stay? What if, specifically, Dave St. Peter, the team president, was told the same thing? It seems ridiculous, given that every indication is that he’ll be involved in the hiring process. This is an organization that - when you really look at it - only reassigns people. Bill Smith? You’re fired… but we’ll put you in a different position. Ron Gardenhire? You’re fired… but let us know when you want to work again. Terry Ryan? Who knows. So what could happen next? It’s all purely speculative, but what if Dave St. Peter is reassigned too? There’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t do well with a title of President of Business Operations. (edit: not Baseball Operations.) There are already a number of people under that umbrella that he’s currently in charge of. St. Peter claims to have very little to do with the on-field product. So why tie up a “baseball position” with a non-baseball mind? That would leave two voids at the very top of the baseball side of things - President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. Looking at only the AL Central, the White Sox (Kenny Williams, Executive VP and Rick Hahn, Sr. VP/GM) and Indians (Chris Antonetti, President, Baseball Ops and Mike Chernoff, GM) have two baseball minds in both of those position. The Tigers have Al Avila in both the president role and the GM chair, but have a separate position for business operations. Same for the Royals and Dayton Moore. Obviously a lot of that only has to do with “titles” and it’s likely that across baseball 30 teams have 30 different titles for the same job getting done. Is this something the Twins would do? A week ago I’d have said, “No way!” But times are changing now. Is Ben Cherington looking to get back into baseball? Would Alex Anthopoulos be interested in climbing back into a GM chair? Will Kim Ng get a fair shot? She’s more than deserving of running a baseball club, offering more background in analytics than the team has ever had, but not the scouting background. Could the Twins lure De Jon Watson from Arizona to serve as their President of Baseball Operations? The duo worked together for the Dodgers and Ng and Watson currently work under Joe Torre and Tony La Russa, respectively. Who better to have as mentors? It goes without saying that these would be only a two ways to make a splash. And the character of the Twins as a baseball franchise is the antonym of “splashy.” But - right or wrong - the Twins were willing to make a franchise-altering change and that’s a big step in a different - and hopefully right - direction.

In the order in which they'll be answered (hopefully): Friday's signing deadline - The Twins have nearly a quarter of a million dollars - SIXTH ROUND MONEY! - to throw at any single unsigned player. The problem is that they've already signed 33 (of 42) picks and there aren't any great (deserving or affordable) options left. There's a very strong chance the deadline comes and goes and the Twins didn't spend every last dime in their pool and, while that's ok, fans will likely be very upset. When asked recently about it, a Twins source told me they "would try" to spend it, but that kids just don't think $250K is that much money anymore. <insert crying Jordan emoji here, I think> (Sidenote: I offered to take $125,000, play as a feel-good story in the GCL for the rest of the summer and accept being cut the day the season is over... I'm still waiting for the team's counteroffer.) Byron Buxton - Last we saw of Buck, he's was being wheeled off the field on a John Deere. Is he healthy? Can he build on his recent still-not-great-but-not-terrible-either streak? I really hope so. The non-waiver trade deadline - Pushed back to August 1st this season, the Twins (and all other teams) have one extra day to negotiate trades that don't involve players clearing waivers. Ervin Santana will likely be the Twins most appealing trade chip. From where I'm sitting, I'd have a hard time betting on any players beside Santana and (fingers-crossed) Kurt Suzuki getting moved in the next two and a half weeks. Fernando Abad would have made a great addition to the list had he not, you know... sucked as of late. Jorge Polanco and Jose Berrios - I need to see both of these guys get extended major league looks. Can Polanco be the next Danny Santana (and by that I mean, "the next Ben Zobrist")? Give him some run everywhere but first base. Jose Berrios is going to be in the rotation for the better part of next year. Let's get him acclimated to the big time. If all that's standing between him and stardom is better results (sounds funny doesn't it?) - he's the most confident pitcher in the system - he's going to be a star. The other trade deadline - The month of August, assuming he can come back, is going to be huge for Trevor Plouffe. Miguel Sano is the future of third base. Trevor Plouffe's future is likely elsewhere. He would certainly clear waivers, but the question is: How good will he be? Could the Twins look to move any of their other guys in August? Ricky Nolasco maybe? (I'm looking at you, Dodgers.) Would Joe Mauer consider waiving his no-trade to play in the playoffs again? (Short answer: No.) Roster expansion - Maybe a bigger deal to me than most, but I love to see who the September call-ups are each year. Will we get to see Adam Brett Walker's or Daniel Palka's power? Will Nick Burdi (or JT Chargois or Zack Jones) finally make the Target Field radar gun touch triple-digits for the hone team? Will James Beresford get that major league cup of coffee? The Little Things (that might be really Big Things) - What's up with Byung Ho? And opposite of that... what's up with Kennys Vargas? Is Max Kepler going to keep this run going? Eduardo Nunez can't be capable of this all year... can he?! Who's the real Eddie Rosario? 2015 Eddie or first half of 2016 Eddie? Who's going to lead this rotation? Kyle Gibson has to continue to move forward, right? Will last year's Tyler Duffey return? Trevor May.... starter or reliever? Please tell me the bullpen doesn't forget how to strike people out. As we turn the page to the second half, what are you most anxious to see?

Even though MLB games won’t resume until Friday, Monday’s schedule consisted of a nearly full slate for the Twins affiliates. In good news, Jason Wheeler will start for the International League in the AAA All-Star Game on Wednesday. In other news, the Twins released Kevin Jepsen today. They’ll be on the hook for the remainder of his salary (less the prorated minimum when he signs with another team). Let’s check out the rest of the games. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester - OFF DAY At the All-Star break, the Red Wings are 52-40, 4.5 games off of the division pace, but good for only a half-game deficit in the wild card race. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Tennessee 7 Box Score Felix Jorge made his AA debut for the Lookouts on Monday. He squared off against Jen-Ho Tseng, a well-regarded prospect in his own right, who was pursued heavily by the Twins as an international free agent in 2013. Jorge’s night started off as well as you’d hope: He faced nine batters and retired them all, four on strikeouts and four on ground balls. But when the lineup turned over, so did the results. After getting the leadoff batter out, extending his streak to 10 straight, Jorge gave up five consecutive singles, resulting in three runs. Two more singles and a blast resulted in three more runs in the fifth inning. A walk and two more singles plated one more run and Jorge’s night was over: 5 1/3 innings, 10 hits, seven runs, a walk and four strikeouts. The bullpen trio of Zack Jones, Mason Melotakis and Raul Fernandez combined for five strikeouts and three shutout innings. Chattanooga scored first in the third inning when Niko Goodrum singled in Leo Reginatto, who doubled. They tacked on two more in the third inning thanks to a handful of singles and a balk. A Ryan Walker double and Stuart Turner home run contributed to the final three runs. Walker and Mitch Garver both had two hits. Only D.J. Hicks didn’t get a hit. The Lookouts are now 46-42 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Dunedin 5 Box Score Miles Nordgren dominated for six innings before running into big trouble. Nordgren made it through the seventh, but not before giving up five hits, four runs (three earned) and a walk. He struck out two. Entering the seventh, Nordgren had only allowed one hit. Luke Bard (a run on two hits, walk and strikeout) and Brandon Peterson (walk, two strikeouts) each pitched an inning. Offensively, Fort Myers collected only four hits. Brad Hartong doubled. LaMonte Wade, Tanner Witt and Daniel Kihle added singles. The Miracle are 12-7 in the second half, holding a one-game lead in the FSL South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 0 Box Score The offense got on the board when Luis Arraez drove in Jermaine Palacios, who tripled, on a sacrifice fly. It was all the Kernels would need - though they’d get more - to win the game. Arraez and Nelson Molina each had two-hit games. Zander Wiel had a two-run home run, his sixth of the season. Casey Scoggins had a double. Molina also stole a base, his third. Eduardo Del Rosario pitched five shutout innings, somewhat miraculously. He put nine runners on base - five hits and four walks - and struck out five. Anthony McIver pitched three scoreless innings, striking out two. Tom Hackimer, completed the shutout. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Greeneville 12 Box Score The E-Twins trailed 4-3 entering the ninth inning, but an eight-run frame ended all hopes for the home team. The offense wasn’t particularly good, but it was moot when the bullpen fell apart. E-town combined for only six hits, two from Shane Carrier, who provided the team with its only extra-base hit, a double. Alex Kirilloff was 0-4 with a strikeout; he played center field. Jose Martinez started the game and pitched five innings. He allowed three runs and struck out three. Alex Robinson pitched a scoreless frame. Griffin Jax struck out four in two innings. Jax gave up a solo home run though and was charged with the loss. Johan Quezada recorded two outs. He walked two and allowed four hits. He allowed six earned runs before being replaced by Hector Lujan, who allowed two more runs to score. Elizabethton drops to 7-11 GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 2 Box Score The piggyback tandem of Taylor Clemensia (hit, three walks, four strikeouts) and Brady Anderson (five hits, two runs, seven strikeouts) each pitched four innings before Onas Farfan allowed a hit in the ninth inning, picking up the save. Competitive Balance pick Jose Miranda led the offense today, picking up three hits, including his first extra-base hit, a double. He drove in two runs. Jorge Andrade and Tyree Davis each also had multi-hit games and doubled. Andrade stole a base. Aaron Whitefield singled twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Miles Nordgren, Fort Myers Hitter of the Day – Jose Miranda, GCL Twins TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Chattanooga at Tennessee (6:05 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (2-1, 4.91 ERA) GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.

The Twins recently freed up two spots on their 40-man (though they’ll need to re-add Perkins and Hughes at the conclusion of the season). Only Kurt Suzuki (whose option won’t vest) is scheduled to become a free agent. There are many others - Ervin Santana, Fernando Abad and Trevor Plouffe, among others - that may find themselves in different clubhouses before the end of August. All told, though, we don’t know how many spots the Twins will have available. Looking at recent history, though, the Twins added seven at the deadline last year. In 2014, they only added four and in 2013 it was only five. But seven were added in 2012 after only adding three in 2011. So while we can’t tell how many will be added in November, we can look at the potential candidates: Catchers: Mitch Garver, Stuart Turner, Rainis Silva, Kevin Garcia. Infielders: Engelb Vielma, Ryan Walker, Jorge Fernandez, Rafael Valera, Amaurys Minier. Outfielders: Zach Granite, Daniel Palka. Pitchers: Aaron Slegers, Ryan Eades, Fernando Romero, Brandon Peterson, Brian Gilbert, Lewis Thorpe, Williams Ramirez, Cameron Booser, C.K. Irby. Some players who have already been eligible for the Rule 5 draft that may merit consideration: Jason Wheeler, Niko Goodrum, Travis Harrison, Zack Jones (again), Felix Jorge. Let’s put them into some categories. Who are the “absolute adds” right now? If my mind, there is no way you can risk exposing any of Felix Jorge, Fernando Romero or Daniel Palka. They would be lost. While Jorge might have a harder time sticking on a big-league roster, Romero, who could utilize his high-90s heat to stay in a bullpen, and Palka, with his prodigious power, offer dimensions that can be easily carried on a 25-man roster. Mitch Garver just misses that “absolute” placement for me, but headlines the “probable adds” category. Engelb Vielma and Zach Granite both merit consideration as well. I think any of these three players could get drafted based on what they offer: Garver as a cheap, but adequate two-way catcher, Vielma as a defensive replacement/pinch-runner, and Granite as a fourth-outfielder/pinch-runner. I would find a way to be able to add all six of these players to the 40-man roster. The next grouping is the most difficult. I put these players in the “doubtful adds/hope I don’t regret it” category and my headliner is Lewis Thorpe. Thorpe has obviously missed the last year-plus after having undergone Tommy John surgery. If he proves that he’s healthy yet this season, I’d have to think about adding him. The other caveat with Thorpe is that since he missed all of last year and won’t spend 90 days on the active roster this year, he could potentially qualify for a fourth option if he runs out of options coming into the 2020 season. If you’re willing to burn a 40-man spot, you can essentially use it to “redshirt” him. Stuart Turner hasn’t hit enough to merit an addition, but he could play MLB-caliber defense and there’s always a need for backstops. Jason Wheeler has rebounded nicely since being outrighted last year. The Twins liked him enough to add him once and he’s been better than ever. Aaron Slegers has been successful at every stop he’s made, but never dominated. (I think Ray Searage would turn Slegers into an MLB starter if given the chance.) Travis Harrison hasn’t taken a step forward in his second year in AA. Brandon Peterson could garner some looks as a bullpen guy, but his rough time in Chattanooga probably cost him a chance to get drafted. Rainis Silva and Amaurys Minier were the team’s prizes in the 2012 international signing period, but neither have hit a lick and both are many years away from potentially helping a major-league team. What do you think? With four months to go to make and solidify your choices, who would you add if you had to decide today?

The Twins game wasn’t televised on Monday. No one understands or will explain why. It just wasn’t. Before the game, Kennys Vargas was recalled and Trevor Plouffe was placed on the disabled list with cracked ribs. After the game, Trevor May was activated and Buddy Boshers was optioned to Rochester. Jose Berrios was named International League Pitcher of the Week. The Twins have signed all of their draft picks who were selected in the Top 10 rounds. Jordan Balazovic, a young Canadian pitcher, was the last to agree to terms - an above-slot $515,000. The Twins now have $147,600 that they can still spend - allowing them to spend up to $247,600 on any single player without incurring a tax penalty. They still have almost two weeks before the deadline. Let’s check out all that took place on Independence Day. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 5 Box Score The Red Wings failed to take advantage of #oldfriend Scott Diamond and couldn’t mount a comeback after spotting the Bisons a three-run lead. Byung Ho Park had two singles, including a line drive off of the wall, and didn’t strike out. He scored a run. Jorge Polanco was the only other Red Wing with a multi-hit game, he had two hits, which included a double and also reached base on a walk. Carlos Paulino doubled and drove in both runs. Logan Darnell took the loss, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings. He walked five and struck out five. D.J. Baxendale and Ryan O’Rourke each got four outs in scoreless relief outings. David Martinez gave up a run. He recorded two outs. The Red Wings fall to 50-36, dropping 3.5 games behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Birmingham 5 Box Score The Lookouts provided enough offensive fireworks to extend their winning streak to three games. Led by Zach Granite (4-5, two runs, two stolen bases) and Mitch Garver (3-3, two walks, double, home run, two RBIs, four runs), Chattanooga scored runs in six of the eight innings they batted. Daniel Palka added his 21st home run of the year. David Hurlbut improved to 6-4 on the season. He allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk. He struck out six in 5 2/3 innings. Raul Hernandez picked up a hold and Zack Jones got the last six outs, four by strikeout. The Lookouts are 7-4 in the second half, one game out of first place in their division. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Entering the game, the Miracle had a season-high six-game winning streak. Lack of offense caused that run to erupt in flames. Joe Maloney (single, double, run) and Tanner Witt (two singles) provided the only multi-hit games on a night that saw the offense strike out 13 times, go 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leave 10 runners on base. Fernando Romero was very good. He struck out seven in six innings and dropped his ERA to 2.50. He did give up five hits and walked three, though it only resulted in one run. Michael Theofanopoulos took the loss, giving up two runs on three hits in an inning. John Curtiss pitched a scoreless frame. At 8-3 in the second half, Fort Myers has a one-game lead in the FSL South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 5 Box Score The Kernels gave up the first five, but scored the final six to secure a come-from-way-behind win. A balanced offensive attached helped chip away at the Wisconsin lead. Nelson Molina doubled to drive in a run before Zander Wiel drove him in. Luis Arraez had an RBI triple. Brian Olson had a two-run double. Sam Clay struck out seven over five innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) in picking up a no-decision. The winning pitcher was Sam Gibbons who got ten outs while pitching no-hit (with one walk) ball. He struck out three. Kuo Hua Lo picked up his third save on the year. The 42-39 Kernels are 6-6 in the second half. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Bluefield 10 Box Score The E-Twins lost their seventh game in their last eight in a game that was ended a half-inning early because of rain. Brandon Lopez had three hits and two RBIs. Trey Cabbage had two hits - both doubles - and scored twice. Alex Kirilloff had two hits. Jaylin Davis didn’t hit a home run, but he did steal a base. He also struck out four times; twenty-three Ks in 47 at-bats good. At all. None of Jose Martinez, Quin Grogan or Alex Robinson were able to limit runs, but Martinez struck out five in five innings and Grogan and Robinson each struck out four in two innings. E-town is now 5-7. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 3 (11 innings) Box Score Kolton Kendrick decided to hit his first professional home run at the perfect time - the home half of a tie game in the 11th inning for a walk-off winner. Kendrick was the only player with more than one hit. The GCL Twins had a half-dozen pitchers contribute. Garrett Kelly and Patrick McGuff both struck out four in 2 1/3 and 2 2/3 innings, respectively. Daniel Martinez blew the save in giving up two runs in one inning, but Callan Pearce was credited with the win after the amazing home run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Sam Gibbons, Cedar Rapids Hitter of the Day – Mitch Garver, Chattanooga TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Buffalo (6:05PM CST) – LHP Andrew Albers (6-2, 3.27 ERA) Chattanooga vs Birmingham (6:15 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades (5-3, 4.11 ERA) Fort Myers at St. Lucie (5:30PM CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (8-3, 1.67 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs Wisconsin (6:35PM CST) - RHP Miles Nordgren (3-4, 2.93) Elizabethton at Johnson City (6:00PM CST) - TBD GCL Twins at GCL Rays (11:00AM CST - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.

11:00am update - Doogie tweeted out that the agreement with Valdez was for $495,000. DPL Baseball tweeted out that the Twins have signed Jesus Felix, who is listed as a shortstop, for $260,000. They later also tweeted out that the club has signed Stamy Gabriel, also currently listed at shortstop, for $130,000. Neither - at least under the names that have been provided - seem to be have a whole lot of information public about them. --- But don't expect any headliner deals. When the period opened this morning, the only name the Twins have reportedly signed is Wander Valdez, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic. There's been no mention of his bonus, but no prospects are expected to sign with the Twins for seven figures. If you want to watch Valdez take some swings, here are some videos from DPL Baseball. One thing to keep a watchful eye on as today unfolds is what happens with the five former Red Sox prospects who were deemed free agents yesterday. There's no word that the Twins have any interest in any of the players, but since it doesn't seem likely that they have promised out all $4.2 million of their allotment, they couldbe one of not many teams that have some flexibility to spend on these guys. (Of course, teams have blown past their pool already and they could snap these guys up in a hurry.) Stay tuned, and check back for more updates.

RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 6 Box Score Pat Dean was back on the mound for the Red Wings following a disastrous return to AAA. It wasn’t much better. The four runs he allowed over five innings were too much to overcome. All told he struck out three batters, walked two and allowed eight hits. J.T. Chargois allowed a solo home run and retired five batters. For the rest of the bullpen, D.J. Baxendale pitched a perfect inning, Sean Burnett gave up an unearned run while recording one out, and Alex Wimmers walked a batter in an inning of work. Rochester scored both of their runs in the bottom of the fourth, they came on back-to-back home runs by Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco. Sano is now 2-for-12 on his rehab assignment. He also committed his first error - in right field - in AAA. Polanco’s home run was his fifth of the season, including his fourth in the month of June. Kennys Vargas added a double and James Beresford singled to round out Rochester’s four-hit night. The Red Wings fell to 45-33. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Jackson 3 Box Score The Lookouts entered Monday’s games in a three-way tie atop the Southern League North Division at 3-1. The Generals, who were the first-half champs, have gotten off to a slower start to the second half at 1-3. Kohl Stewart put up six scoreless innings before giving up three runs in his seventh inning. Overall he walked three and allowed seven hits. He struck out only two and falls to 1-3 in Chattanooga. Corey Williams struck out one in two scoreless innings. Zach Granite led the Lookouts offense with two hits and their lone run. Daniel Palka had an RBI single and stole his 6th base of the season. Mitch Garver and Stuart Turner both added singles. The Lookouts fell to 3-2 in the second half and are 39-36 overall. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Bradenton 11 Box Score Randy LeBlanc made the start Monday for the Miracle, in a battle between two teams in the FSL South that have gotten off to 2-1 starts in the second half. LeBlanc gave up six hits and four runs (three earned). He walked two and struck out one. Michael Theofanopoulos and John Curtiss each pitched a scoreless inning. Nick Anderson (four runs) and Luke Bard (three runs) each got roughed up in their one inning of work. Unfortunately, an offensive exploding for 10 runs wasn’t enough. Trey Vavra was a triple short of the cycle, drove in two runs, scored two runs and had an outfield assist while playing left field. Edgar Corcino had three singles and a double. He drove in two and scored a run. T.J. White hit a home run in a three-RBI, two-hit game and Nick Gordon also got two hits, drove in a run and stole his 10th base of the year. Both White and Gordon scored twice. The Miracle fall to .500 in the second half and one game under .500 on the season (36-37). KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 5 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez, who entered the game with a 1-8 record, took the hill for the Kernels and gave up two first-inning runs. He settled down and only allowed one more run in each of the fifth and sixth inning. In six innings, he allowed eight hits, four runs and two walks. He struck out eight. Sam Gibbons pitched the final two innings. He allowed a run on three hits, striking out one. The Kernels offense was good, but not good enough. Luis Arraez continues to swing a hot bat. With two more hits on Monday, including a double, Arraez is now batting .322, including a .366 line over his last ten games. He scored a run and drove in a run. Jermaine Palacios also had a double among his two hits. He drove in two. It’s his second two-hit game in a row. Nelson Molina had two hits and Brad Hartong added a double. Austin Diemer chipped in two outfield assists. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton vs Johnson City The E-Twins got off to a 4-0 start to their season and Monday’s game was delayed by rain. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score Joe Cronin picked up two of the team’s three hits on Monday. He’s now hitting 5-for-11 on the young season and also stole his second base of the year. The only other hit was a Zach Featherstone single, his first professional hit. Jean Carlos Arias walked twice. Quinton Grogan pitched four innings in his first professional game. He allowed a run on three hits and a walk. He struck out four and was charged with the loss. Callan Pearce and Matz Schutte both pitched scoreless frames. Clark Beeker gave up three runs (two earned) in his first professional inning. Garrett Kelly gave up two hits and struck out a batter in an inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Quinton Grogan, GCL Twins Hitter of the Day – Trey Vavra, Fort Myers TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Pawtucket (6:05PM CST) – RHP Jose Berrios (6-3, 2.92 ERA) Fort Myers at Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) - RHP Fernando Romero (0-0, 3.60 ERA) Cedar Rapids at Quad Cities (7:00PM CST) - LHP Sam Clay (4-4, 2.83 ERA) Elizabethton at Johnson City (6:00PM CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (0-0, -.-- ERA) GCL Orioles at GCL Twins (11:00AM CST - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.