Jeremy Nygaard

Make the eBook code singular EBOOK5.

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It doesn't seem that long ago that I would open up the Sunday paper and grab the Sports section before my older brother could get to it. One of the things that always caught my attention was the stats of the Twins minor league affiliates. Of course this was during the Portland, Salt Lake, Nashville eras, so before the Internet and long before I subscribed to Baseball America to read Phil Miller's weekly blurb about the minor leagues. (Thanks for writing the Foreword, Phil!) ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $15.99) ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $10.99)I didn't really understand how the minor league worked at that time. "How come this guy that was hitting .250 got moved up when the guy hitting .325 didn't?" "Why is the guy hitting .325 not someone I've ever heard of?!" " Why are the first-round picks not playing AAA ball?!?!" You know, those were the types of things that were going through my mind. It wasn't until I hit my teenage years and started to like girls that I started to not ask those questions aloud and to myself anymore. It was around that same time that school computers had this new icon called "Netscape Navigator." Clicking into it was opening this portal to a world with answers to all my questions. Over the next few years, I started to learn more about the minor league process and the players and the draft. A few years after that I stumbled across a website called SethSpeaks.net and my mind was blown. There were a few other now-defunct websites that I'd visit and I soon became the (probably annoying) kid person who was emailing the guys that wrote on these sites asking a lot of questions. ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $15.99) ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $10.99) At one point, probably about eight years ago, Seth started advertising a book. It was red, kind of hideous and full, I mean, FULL of prospect information. I was captivated. I recognized Seth - because of his SethSpeaks.net hat - at TwinsFest and introduced myself. In typical Seth fashion, he politely shot the breeze. Fast-forward a handful of years and Seth hasn't changed much. He ditched the comfy SethSpeaks.net website for this fancy new website. (Let's say he was promoted from A-ball to the Big Leagues.) He doesn't rock the hat anymore (which he should). And he will still shoot the breeze with anyone that's interested. The "book" however, has changed. Volume-wise, it got bigger and bigger. It got to the point where Seth couldn't do it all alone anymore. Fortunately for me and Cody, he reached out. We accepted. After releasing last year's book - my third in which I've helped - I started floating the idea of a format change. It was going to be a big undertaking. In fact, I didn't know if I could handle the idea that I had in my head. I was going to put more of the overall plate, which, in turn, put more on Seth's and Cody's plate. Ugh. In June, I took my idea and put it to work with the 40 draft picks. Despite the lack of interest in The Twins Draftbook, the idea worked. The 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook was going to look extremely different. ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $15.99) ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $10.99) That's where a lot of others come into play. We've included pictures in nearly every player bio. I thought it would be a fun undertaking. (Sorry, Seth.) The inclusion of those pictures isn't possible without Steve Buhr, Jim Donten, Evan Ellis, Becky Evans, Linwood Ferguson, Craig Gordon, Ed Kempf, Zach Lucy, Kelly McGlohon, Rob Moore, William Parmeter, Kelsie Redburn, Maddie Seymour, Seth Stohs, Jon Tarr, Marc Verkerk and the Minnesota Twins. Thanks to all of you! Having those pictures makes the book better and will make you like it that much more. So in the end, we're all happy. There are a TON of others we'd like to thank again. We can't, but you know who you are. There are other changes too. The profiles include more, including recognition for the scouts that signed each player. We each selected a few "sleepers" (guys that we think will be in the Top 30 next year) and a "breakout" player (someone we think will take the jump into the Top 10 next year). And each player that made any of our Top 30's has it included at the bottom of his profile. Oh yeah, the profiles. That was almost all Cody and Seth. Cody provided the numbers and motivation for the other two of us to keep up. Of course, this was all while he was going through a pretty significant life event, welcoming his first child into the world... a few weeks early to boot. ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $15.99) ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $10.99) Seth did what Seth does. I don't need to talk too much about that. Backgrounds? Check. Scouting reports? Check. Forecasts for next season? Check that too. Another addition to the profiles was a "roster status" section. Cody and Seth didn't always leave me much room, but it's a section I added that explains whether they're on the 40-man (and where they stand option-wise) or when they could need to be added or when they'll be a free agent. You know, the nerdy stuff that I'm into. All things considered, I think the three of us are more proud of this book than we have been of the previous editions. In fact, we're not sure where to go from here to make it better. But you'll probably have ideas and we'd love to hear them. There will be a survey available soon and we'd love your feedback after you have a chance to pick up a copy. Thanks for your support and we hope you enjoy! Click here to view the article

So maybe he's the perfect replacement for Torii Hunter, Proven Winner.

I'm actually not arguing that. As I demonstrated above, his actual production - runs created of the team's total runs - vs how many outs he makes is very similar to Beresford's. A lineup full of Walkers would hit a ton of solo home runs. And score less runs per game than a lineup full of, say, Max Keplers, Nick Gordons, Reynaldo Rodriguezes, etc.

What I'm referencing above has nothing to do with strikeouts. It only has to do with making outs.

I used those "runs produced" numbers you used, assuming they're accurate. Cause, yeah, it's about runs, but only in the context that you only get so many outs. Two different teams/lineups though, make it apples and oranges, so though there's a huge difference in "runs produced", but only a 4% difference in "runs produced" per game. Walker produced 21.5% of Chattanooga's runs, Beresford produced 17.5% of Rochester's. But in the context of outs, Walker made 399 outs, compared to Beresford's 365 (Figured by plate appearances, on-base percentage, caught stealing and double plays). So in the context of "% of team's runs scored per 27 outs" (times 100), Walker barely edges Beresford 1.45 to 1.37. When you add into the fact that most of Walker's hits scored all the runners on base (regardless of speed) while Beresford's RBIs were at the mercy of the speed of the runners on base (because a single doesn't always score the runner on 2nd), those difference would almost be negligible. So, despite those "runs produced" numbers being so different, their actual production was almost identical. (You can also make stats say whatever you want, if you try hard enough.)

We can certainly agree to disagree. I promise to not lose sleep over it. If Walker dominates the AFL, it would be a pleasant surprise.

Thinking about prospect lists... I don't know which one I'd rank higher between Wade and Palacios. I think Palacios will be higher on most, but I like Wade a lot. I also know more about Wade than Palacios. Oh, the agony!

D'oh! I'm gonna fix that. Thanks Pops.

It's been a different season here at Twins Daily. It's mid-September and the parent team is in the playoff chase. Tonight marks the first time at Twins Daily we're covering two Championship Series. One of those teams jumped out to a lead, but the other team dropped the opener. More details after the jump.CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Biloxi 7 (LOOKOUTS TRAIL SERIES 0-1) Box Score The Lookouts scored the first run of the series in the third inning, but things quickly went south with Biloxi scoring the next four times they came to the plate. After Stuart Turner drew a leadoff walk in the third inning, he advanced to third on a Stephen Wickens one-out single. Jorge Polanco drove in Turner on a single, moved Wickens to third and advanced to second base on the throw home. Max Kepler had a chance to blow the game open, but struck out and Travis Harrison was retired on a weak groundout. Orlando Arcia, Oswaldo's little brother, hit a 3-run home run in the third inning. Brett Phillips, acquired in the Carlos Gomez trade, hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to make it 4-1. Biloxi pushed another run over in the fifth inning thanks to a double and two singles and extended the lead to 7-1 with a two-run double in the sixth inning. The bats just weren't able to get it done. In the seventh, Adam Brett Walker was left stranded after a double, the team's only extra base hit. Four others sprinkled singles. Max Kepler went 0-4 with two strikeouts. D.J. Baxendale took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits, a hit batter and a walk. He struck out four, but fell victim to the long ball. Corey Williams gave up two runs in an inning of work. He struck out the side, but walked two. Brett Lee finished off the night with two scoreless innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, West Michigan 0 (KERNELS LEAD SERIES 1-0) Box Score The Midwest League Championship series started off as a pitchers' duel, entering the 5th inning in a scoreless tie. Nick Gordon's first inning single and stolen base and Brian Navarreto's third inning single went wasted. A Max Murphy walk, innocent enough, led off the top of the 5th. Navarreto advanced Murphy to second with a groundout to the pitcher. Austin Diemer put the Kernels on the board, but was thrown out at second. Rafael Valera reached base with a two-out single that chased the West Michigan starting pitcher. Gordon greeted the new pitcher with a single that advanced Valera to third. Edgar Corcino drove in both, breaking the game open 3-0, before being thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple. A three-run fifth inning which included two outs on the basepaths. Meanwhile, Felix Jorge was in the midst of pitching six innings of shutout baseball. He allowed four hits and walked two, but struck out four on 82 pitches (52 strikes). The Kernels came back in the 7th inning, pushing two more runs across the plate. T.J. White and LaMonte Wade hit consecutive one-out singles. Both were driven in by a two-out single from Max Murphy. The bullpen was in full shutdown mode. Luke Bard pitched two perfect inning, striking out five. He was nasty and, after a long time off/being a disappointing pick - is starting to get it together. Randy LeBlanc closed the game off working around a hit. As mentioned in the postgame notes, the Kernels pitchers have allowed only five earned runs in 47 postseason innings. The Kernels offense was very balanced. Valera and Gordon, the top two hitters, each had two singles. Corcino, the three-hitter, had a double. The rest of the lineup each contributed one hit, though no hit was bigger than Corcino's double. Before the game, Zack Larson was activated from the DL. Alex Real was placed on the DL. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Felix Jorge, Cedar Rapids Hitter of the Day - Edgar Corcino, Cedar Rapids UPCOMING SCHEDULE Midwest League Championship Series Game 2 - Thursday, September 17 Cedar Rapids Kernels @ West Michigan (5:35 CST) - RHP Sam Gibbons Southern League Championship Series Game 2 - Thursday, September 16 Chattanooga Lookouts @ Biloxi Shuckers (7:10 CST) - TBD Click here to view the article

As Twins fans we've been spoiled by Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. How many of you knew that in 2011 Sano and Rosario were fighting each other neck-and-neck for the Appy League home run title? And if you answered yes to that question, how many of you knew it was Rosario - not Miggy the Clutch Bomber - who came out on top of that friendly little competition (21-20)? The reason for bringing it up is because almost every All-Star, starter or non-star made their debut in a short-season league. Today, we're going to take a closer look at the hitters that impressed in July and August.Palacios hits so well, having his eyes open is only a recommendation. Honorable Mention: Manuel Guzman, Elizabethton Twins: 49-178, .275/.377/.337 (.714), 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 14, RBI, 19-23 SB.Brian Olson, GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins: 32-106, .302/.414/.415 (.829), 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI.Chris Paul, Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 37-131, .282/.343/.443 (.785), 10 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 2-2 SB .Lewis Diaz, GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins: 37-159, .233/.322/.371 (.693), 8 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 2-2 SB.Short-Season Hitter of the Year Here are the top five places (seven vote-getters) for Twins Minor League Short-Season Hitter of the Year. #5 (tie)– Luis Arraez, GCL Twins: 64-207, .309/.377/.391 (.768), 15 2B, 1 3B, 19 RBI, 8-16 SB. Arraez, a second baseman, came from Venezuela. After spending the summer of 2014 in the DSL, Arraez made his US debut this season. Arraez got off to a hot start in the short month of June (.333/.407/.458) before having two very similar months in July (.306/.368/.365) and August (.306/.376/.398). The lefty had a higher batting average against RHPs (.311 to .302), but had very similar splits overall (.377 OBP vs RHP; .375 OBP vs LHP; .395 SLG vs LHP; .390 SLG vs RHP). Travis Blankenhorn, GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins: 47-193, .244/.321/.347 (.668), 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 3-3 SB. This year’s 3rd rounder made his debut in the GCL before earning a promotion to the Appalachian League in Mid-July. Blankenhorn struggled both in the GCL in June and in Elizabethton in August, but sandwiched a very nice July in between. In seven games before his promotion in the GCL, Blankenhorn batted .286/.375/.429 (.804) and then continued hitting in Elizabethton, slashing .321/.387/.482 (.869) in 16 games there. A.J. Murray, Elizabethton Twins: 42-159, .264/.366/.409 (.774), 11 2B, 4 HR, 0-1 CS. The Twins were very happy to pop Murray in the 14th round out of Georgia Tech in this past June’s draft. He hit his first professional home run in only his second game on June 25. He hit two more in early July before cooling off, hitting only one more before the end of the season. Murray had reverse splits, faring much better against same-sided (right-handed) pitchers, slashing .288/.397/.424 (.821) and struggling against lefties (.195/.267/.366, {.633}) #4 – Christian Cavaness, GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins: 21-65, .323/.421/.538 (.960), 6 2B, 4 3B, 10 RBI, 6-9 SB. Cavaness joined the organization as an undrafted free agent, which is unique in that Cavaness had eligibility left. He joined the GCL Twins on the last day of July. After a three-hit game on August 14, Cavaness was enjoying the best stat line he’d have all year: .441/.537/.794 (1.331). Despite cooling off, Cavaness definitely put himself in a position to make prospect-watchers take note. #3 – Daniel Kihle, Elizabethton Twins: 39-143, .273/.404/.392 (.796), 7 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 5-6 SB. Kihle spent all season as a regular in E-town’s outfield and his presence in the lineup was much needed. After joining the organization as an 18th-round pick in the most recent draft from Wichita State, the former Shocker put up impressive numbers including an OBP of .478 in 16 July games and an OPS over .800 in August (.806). #2 – LaMonte Wade, Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 74-245, .302/.418/.486 (.904), 8 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 12-13 SB. Wade, who was coming off a broken hamate bone suffered early this spring while at Maryland, hit the ground running as a professional. The lefty hit right-handed pitchers as well as you’d hope, slashing .289/.395/.489 (.884) in 229 at-bats. What’s even more encouraging is that in his 77 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, Wade put up a .345/.493/.473 (.966) line. All told in the regular season Wade also walked 47 times while only striking out 36 times. These are all signs that point to Wade being a pretty advanced hitter. In the inaugural Twins Draftbook, I noted that Wade had a high floor and that he’s been compared to David DeJesus. Look for frequent recognition of Wade this winter. Short-Season Hitter of the Year – Jermaine Palacios, GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins: 87-235, .370/.398/.540 (.938), 23 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 37 RBI, 9-13 SB. Nobody did more to propel himself into the prospect spotlight than short-season shortstop Jermaine Palacios. In fact, after spending only one season in the DSL, Palacios came stateside and then made a rare jump to Elizabethton after only playing 26 games in the GCL. The 26 games might have been more than was necessary. Palacios absolutely destroyed the GCL. He had 40 hits in 95 at-bats (.421 batting average). He walked almost as many times as he struck out (9 vs. 12) and reached base 47% percent of the time he stepped to the plate. He had 12 extra-base hits and slugged .589. His OPS was a whopping 1.061. Examining those numbers even more closely, Palacios started the season 1-for-19. So once the cold streak ended, Palacios batted over .500 for three weeks. This included a stretch of 17 games where Palacios had two or more hits in 14 of them. During that stretch, he went hitless once, but only struck out 5 times. What an amazing run! Even after the multi-hit barrage ended, Palacios continued to hit, going 4-for-13 (.308) in his final four games in the GCL. On how many occasions in pro ball do we see a guy bat .308 and have his batting average drop 13 points? I’d guess none after the first week of the season… besides Palacios. So how did he do after his promotion? He came out on another tear. He started his E-town career with a 12-game hitting streak. And it wasn’t a cheap streak either: Seven multi-hit games including three three-hit games and a four-hit game. He drove in 13 runs in his first six games. Unfortunately, the hot-streak came to an end and Palacios, who was batting .420 with an OPS nearing 1.100 on August 11, finished the year batting 50 points lower with a still-respectable OPS of .938. In a system that recently lacked any high-upside shortstop prospects, that system is now flooded with them: Jorge Polanco, Engelb Vielma and Nick Gordon are arguably all Top 15 prospects in the organization. “We’ve already got three or four guys we really believe in, and Palacios has been as impressive as the rest,” Twins VP of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff told Baseball America earlier this month. The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) LaMonte Wade, 2) Jermaine Palacios, 3) Luis Arraez, 4) Daniel Kihle, 5) Brian OlsonJeremy Nygaard – 1) Jermaine Palacios, 2) LaMonte Wade, 3) Travis Blankenhorn, 4) Christian Cavaness, 5) Chris PaulCody Christie – 1) Jermaine Palacios, 2) LaMonte Wade, 3) Christian Cavaness, 4) A.J. Murray, 5) Travis BlankenhornSteve Lein – 1) Jermaine Palacios, 2) LaMonte Wade, 3) Daniel Kihle, 4) A.J. Murray, 5) Luis ArraezEric Pleiss – 1) Jermaine Palacios, 2) Daniel Kihle, 3) Jean Carlos Arias, 4) Manuel Guzman, 5) Lewin DiazFeel free to discuss. How would your ballot look? Click here to view the article

Because he misses a LOT of pitches.

Part of my thinking was me subjectively assigning some of the guys bonus points due to "deserving a call-up". I thought Beresford was good enough that he deserved to get a cup of coffee. In the same environment as last year, Beresford got better. Walker, on the other hand, went from the hardest-hitting environment in the minor leagues to one of the easiest hitting environments in the Southern League and his numbers stayed almost identical. Obviously the jump up to AA should count for something, but I just really liked the year Beresford had. He was a sparkplug all year wherever he was in the lineup, which was usually high. Walker batted sixth in a lineup that was stacked for most of the season - but stayed there even when it wasn't. And, probably, part of me wanted to recognize Rodriguez and Beresford because they aren't talked about all the time. And now we're talking about Beresford, so that's a good thing.

Man, you guys are getting pretty worked up. I'm comfortable putting Walker where I did. I don't think he had a great season. I'm not making a point, I had about 20 guys I considered, then I lined them up. Nothing personal against Walker. And when I do my off-season prospect list, I'll probably rank him lower than the other guys too. Which is OK. That's how opinions work. And I'll read yours and respect that it's your opinion too. But getting worked up that one person of five ranked a player where he did seems excessive. (Although, subconsciously, maybe I do have a deep-rooted hatred towards Walkers from Wisconsin.)

I actually don't mind strikeouts. I just prefer my hitters have an ability to get on base. If you can slug 500 but barely have an OPS of 800, you're doing something wrong. But that's why five people vote, not just me.

The early Wednesday headlines belonged to Jose Berrios and Max Kepler for being named to Baseball America's Minor-League All-Star team. By Wednesday evening, the focus shifted to the Cedar Rapids Kernels, as they began the Midwest League Playoffs.Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 2 Kernels lead series 1-0 Box Score Cedar Rapids jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Rafael Valera drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on Nick Gordon's second single of the game. Edgar Corcino flew out and Nick Gordon was doubled off first base, leaving Valera on second base with one out. T.J. White followed that up with a single, and an error advanced White to second while Valera remained on third. Alex Real followed with the third single of the inning and both Valera and White came around to score, White on a nifty slide that avoided the catcher's tag. He had to dive back from behind the plate to touch home safely to beat the tag by the catcher. After a Max Murphy pop out, the Kernels had the first lead of the series. Quad Cities came right back in the fourth to tie the game after stringing together three singles around two sacrifices. The 2-2 tie lasted only four batters. Nick Gordon hit a sacrifice fly to score Brian Navarreto, who had singled and advanced to third on a Rafael Valera double. Quad Cities avoided additional damage by getting Valera out at third base. The score would stay 3-2 until the Kernels were able to add an insurance run in the 6th inning with the aid of two wild pitches after Chris Paul singled to reach base. Cedar Rapids tacked on another run in the next frame when Nick Gordon doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by T.J. White and an error. Nick Gordon was the offensive star on Wednesday night. Four productive plate appearances, three that resulted in hits and a fourth that drove in a run. As good as Gordon was offensively, Felix Jorge might have been just as good on the mound. Jorge, after issuing a walk, exited the game to a roaring standing ovation with one out in the 8th. He had allowed nine hits, a walk and two runs while striking out seven. Luke Bard issued a walk to put two runners on, but escaped the eighth inning without damage. Nick Anderson faced the minimum in the ninth, earning the save with the help of a double play to seal the win. The opening victory was witnessed by 1,552. The Kernels will finish this quarterfinals series - one way or another - on the road as they travel to Quad Cities for Game 2 on Thursday night. Sam Gibbons will be on the mound for the 7pm CST game, looking to clinch the series. If needed, the deciding Game 3 will be played Friday night. Thursday also marks the beginning of the Southern League semifinals. The Chattanooga Lookouts will begin a best of five-game series with the Montgomery Biscuits. The first two games will be in Chattanooga with the series shifting to Montgomery for it's completion. Click here to view the article

Purely speculation, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Mientkiewicz with the Twins next season. I don't think Joe Vavra is the long-term bench coach.

It took until September 5th to finally see the Twins outfield of the future in the present. Would that defense alignment be enough for Ervin Santana to beat the Houston Astros? Updates on all the current minor leaguers and their Saturday games below the jump.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 13, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score The sensational 2015 season of Jose Berrios ended on Saturday night with five innings (66 pitches, 42 strikes). He allowed a run on three hits and a walk. He struck out five and now leads all of the minor leagues with 175. His AAA ERA was 2.62. Alex Meyer (three strikeouts in two innings) and Loek van Mil (one strikeout in one inning) had to be the tallest pair of pitchers any team has even thrown consecutively, checking in at nearly fourteen combined feet. Cole Johnson finished the game off with a scoreless ninth. Lots of offensive firepower for the Red Wings today. Eric Farris, Doug Bernier and Danny Ortiz all had three hits. Danny Ortiz hit a 8th-inning Grand Slam, his 17th home run on the season. Farris, Bernier and Reynaldo Rodriguez (the 1-2-3 hitters) all doubled. Farris and Bernier had 3- and 2-RBI nights, respectively. Farris and Argenis Diaz, who had two hit and two walks, each scored three times. Rochester has been eliminated from playoff contention. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 4 Box Score A ninth-inning rally fell short as the Lookouts dropped their second game out of three to the Jackson Generals. The Lookouts have two more games left before opening their Southern League Playoff series with the Montgomery Biscuits. D.J. Hicks led the offense with a double and a home run. He went 2-3, scoring a run and driving in a run. He also drew a walk. Jorge Polanco was the only other hitter with multiple hits. Niko Goodrum hit his 5th double. Max Kepler went 0-3 and is hitless in his last two games. Greg Peavey was hung with a loss, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out three and now has a 7-7 record in AA. Corey Williams got two outs, but left with two runners on. J.T. Chargois allowed both runners to score. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers vs Charlotte - CANCELLED The Miracle game was cancelled during the third inning of Saturday’s game due to heavy rain. The season finale will be a regular nine-inning game on Sunday with Saturday’s game not being made up. It’s really too bad that it doesn’t count. Andro Cutura was making his full-season debut. The last update from the Miracle Baseball Twitter account was that Cutura had started his Miracle career with two perfect frames. Cutura doesn’t light up a radar gun, but I’ve been told he’s a “bulldog” and Cutura was recently described to me as having “stones.” He should be an interesting name in Cedar Rapids that many Twins minor-league fans may be pleasantly surprised by. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Clinton 3 Box Score T.J. White started out the scoring for the Kernels with a two-run double in the first inning and poured on three insurance runs in the 6th, the last two coming on a Alex Real double, to run away from the Lumberkings on Saturday night. Both White and Real drove in three runs apiece. Edgar Corcino and Chris Paul also added doubles and Paul also got his first professional triple. Keaton Steele improved to 7-4, striking out four in six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk. Flame-throwing Yorman Landa struck out three in two innings and Jared Wilson allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth-inning. After completing this series with Clinton on Monday, the Kernels will stick around for one playoff game against Quad Cities, before hitting the road for Game 2 and (potentially) 3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Rochester Twins Daily Minor League Hitters of the Day – Eric Farris, Rochester SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Lehigh Valley (12:5 CST) - RHP Michael Bowden Chattanooga vs Jackson (5:15 CST) – LHP Brett Lee Ft. Myers vs Charlotte (10:05 CST) – LHP Luke Westphal Cedar Rapids vs Clinton (2:05 CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc Feel free to leave any questions or comments below! Click here to view the article