Jeremy Nygaard

Obviously all eyes were on Target Field on Wednesday night as Byron Buxton made his Target Field debut in front of a packed crowd. But there were some pretty significant things happening with the Twins today as well. First round pick Tyler Jay was introduced at Target Field. He signed for full slot and will debut with the Miracle. After the Kernels clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday night, the Lookouts were looking to do the same on Wednesday.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 4 Box Score Tyler Duffey got his first Triple-A win of the season and did it in impressive fashion. Entering Wednesday’s game with an 0-4 Triple-A record, Duffey dominated. In eight innings, he allowed six hits (one double) and a walk. He struck out nine. Caleb Thielbar allowed the lone run in the ninth, surrendering three hits and striking out one. James Beresford led the offense with three hits - including an RBI triple - and two RBI. Danny Santana and Oswaldo Arcia each contributed doubles in their two-hit games. Arcia drove in a run. All told, the Red Wings accumulated 12 hits. The Red Wings improved to 33-31 and remain a couple games out of the playoff picture. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Jacksonville 8 Box Score Max Kepler is becoming an offensive force on a team that has lots of options to be the offensive force. On Wednesday, Kepler played first base and went 4-5 with a triple and two two-out RBIs. He also stole his 9th base. Travis Harrison had two singles. Adam Brett Walker drove in his 55th run of the season. Miguel Sano committed his 14th error. Brett Lee pitched ok through 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out two. Nick Burdi, on the other hand, didn’t. After pitching so well over the last month, Burdi was a disaster. He faced five batters and they all scored. Three hits, two walks, a blown save and a loss. Brandon Peterson pitched a no-hit inning in his Double-A debut. The Lookouts will try to secure a playoff spot again on Thursday. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 9, Daytona 5 Box Score Kohl Stewart made the start tonight and, again, left a lot to be desired. In four innings, Stewart walked two batters and allowed four hits. That equaled four earned runs. He struck out two. Corey Williams gave up a run in two innings of work. Luke Westphal earned the win striking out the side in the seventh. (He also walked two.) FSL All-Star Snub Todd Van Steensel picked up his eighth save with two shutout innings. Offensively, the Miracle produced nine runs on eight hits. Logan Wade led the charge with a solo home run and a two-out two-RBI single. Zach Granite went 0-2, but managed to drive in two runs. Nine free passes obviously was plenty helpful, given that Fort Myers only managed the one extra base hit. At 34-32, Fort Myers have been eliminated from first-half postseason contention. They have a handful of games left before gearing up for the second half of the season, likely with first-round pick Tyler Jay in their bullpen. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 0 Box Score Two first inning runs for the Kernels and a tidy game, finishing in two hours and fifteen minutes, is in the books at Perfect Game Field. Ethan Mildren, pitching for the Kernels after being activated off of Fort Myers’ disabled list, pitched 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out eight, allowed two hits and walked three. He probably won’t be in Cedar Rapids for long. Randy LeBlanc continued the shutout, retiring seven batters, before Cameron Booser finished it off, striking out two to earn the save. Nick Gordon paced the lineup, going 3-4 with a double. Alex Real added two hits. Edgar Corcino drove in both runs with a two-out first-inning double. The 6-9 batter combined to go 0-11 with two strikeouts. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Duffey, Rochester Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Kepler, Chattanooga THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (6:05 CST) – TBD Chattanooga vs Jacksonville (6:15 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers vs Daytona (6:05 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Cedar Rapids vs Burlington (6:35 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Feel free to leave any questions or comments below! Click here to view the article

I forgot to mention that Blake Schmit was hit in the head with a pitch. Maybe Steve can give us more insight there.

Wednesday marked the final day - 30 rounds - of the draft. It also marked the day that Jorge Polanco was recalled - for one game - before heading back to the minors. Niko Goodrum was promoted to Chattanooga, but not presumably to take Polanco's place. Goodrum has played a lot of third base, but there's some guy named Sano who plays there already. The Twins also announed that Tim Stauffer has been designated for assignment and Michael Tonkin will be recalled (for the third time this season).RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Indianapolis 5 Box Score After a two-hour and thirty-seven minute rain delay, the Red Wings didn’t get a ton of offense. The offense that they did get, however, all came from the recently demoted Danny Santana. Santana, who had only played 24 AAA games before this season, went 4-for-5 with a double, his second in as many nights. (Do you think someone told him that Polanco was promoted and was playing in his spot at Target Field?) Oswaldo Arcia was 1-for-4 and had an RBI double. He’s batting a AAA-season high .175. Pat Dean cruised through four innings before allowing two runs in each of the fifth and sixth frames. He struck out four and allowed two walks and seven hits in his six innings of work. He took the loss to drop to 5-4. Alex Meyer worked an inning and gave up a run. He walked one and struck out one. A.J. Achter abandoned Meyer’s runner and struck out two batters while getting the last six outs. Rochester has dropped a game and a half behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Jackson 2 Box Score The lineup looked a little different sans Polanco, but the result was the same: A win. Byron Buxton was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Travis Harrison moved into Polanco’s two-hole and tripled. Miguel Sano was 2-for-5 from the five-spot. He doubled and also committed his 13th error. Heiker Meneses - playing shortstop in Polanco’s absence - had three hits (including a triple), two runs scored and three RBI. Greg Peavey went six strong innings, allowing only two hits. He struck out three and walked one. Nick Burdi relieved Peavey and struck out four of the seven batters he faced in two innings of work. He’s lowered his ERA to a season-low 4.44, mostly due to being dominant over the last month. D.J. Johnson gave up the only two runs Jackson scored in the bottom of the ninth. The Lookouts are now 35-23 and have extended their Southern League lead to 3.5 games thanks to its current six-game winning streak. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Lakeland 0 (5 innings) Box Score Instead of a double-header, the Miracle played more like a half-header, having their game cut short due to rain. Fort Myers scored four runs in the first two innings to secure the lead and the win. Chad Christensen led the offense going 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. Despite most batters only getting two plate appearances, six of the nine batters recorded at least one hit. Mat Batts gets credit for a complete-game shutout, striking out one, walking one and allowing four hits. The Miracle, who will play two games tomorrow, are 28-30 and one game away from being eliminated from first-half playoff contention. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Great Lakes 2 Box Score Not a lot of offense on either side of the ball on Wednesday, with the teams accumulating for only 10 hits. The Kernels had six of those, but unfortunately, those hits led to only one run. Edgar Corcino, who had hit safely in all nine of his games this year, was moved to the top of the lineup recently. Today, he failed to hit safely. Nick Gordon was 0-for-4 in the two-spot. Brian Navarreto had two hits and the catching duo of Alex Real and Brett Doe each had a double. Felix Jorge went eight strong innings striking out four and allowing only four hits and a walk. He allowed a home run. Cameron Booser walked one and struck out two in a relatively clean ninth. (Aside from the walk and balk.) Cedar Rapids remains 3.5 games behind Quad Cities. The DSL affiliate won this morning. Bonus baby Huascar Ynoa pitched four innings of no-hit ball. He’s yet to give up a run in his seven innings of work. He walked three and struck out two today. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Danny Santana, Rochester THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (6:05 CST) – TBD Chattanooga at Birmingham (7:05 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers at Lakeland (4:00 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Ft. Myers at Lakeland (after Game One) – TBD Cedar Rapids vs Great Lakes (6:35 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Feel free to leave any questions or comments below! Click here to view the article

Just a heads up: I probably won't be posting much in the comments, instead I'll be adding information up top as it comes in.

His high school baseball coach calls him "the total package".

According to Perfect Game: It's his "tool package, physical appearance and overall sports background."

They'll take players in every round. They just won't sign as many between rounds 20 and 40. It won't have any impact on the money, because they'll still sign their first 10 picks. You just might see them taking organizational need-type players earlier.

UPDATING LIVE WITH EACH PICK! Last night, the Twins added two high-ceiling college pitchers to the organization in LHP Tyler Jay, Illinois, and RHP Kyle Cody, Kentucky. You can even go more in-depth on Tyler Jay if you'd like to read his TwinsDaily pre-draft profile. You can also listen to me, John Bonnes, Seth Stohs talk about the selection of Tyler Jay. We were joined in the last segment by Twins West Coast Scouting Supervisor Sean Johnson, who told us what the Twins saw in Tyler Jay. On Tuesday, the Twins will add eight more players to the organization.This is the place to be for Tuesday's selections. I will be updating the picks as we progress through the day. So comment frequently and refresh often! Until the draft starts at noon, you can read up on my Top 10 Twins mock. I missed on Dillon Tate with the 6th pick, but correctly projected Kyle Cody to go 73rd overall. Round 3 (80th overall): Travis Blankenhorn, 3B, Pottsville (Pa) High School. Committed to Kentucky. Blankenhorn is an exceptional three-sport athlete (including being a 3rd team All-State basketball player) who has an advanced ability to square up the ball from the left side of the plate. Blankenhorn draws comparisons to Alex Gordon for his tools, looks and athletic background. His high school coach calls him "the total package". Blankenhorn played SS in high school, but seems destined to move to a corner. Round 4 (110th overall): Trey Cabbage, 3B, Grainger (Tenn.) High School. Committed to Tennessee. Cabbage, who just recently turned 18, is another multi-sport athlete, and has a very similar profile to Blankenhorn. Cabbage also did this. (You're welcome.) Still raw, Cabbage is very projectable, with the future that including hitting the ball well and hitting for power. Round 5 (140th overall): Alex Robinson, LHP, Maryland College closer! Robinson is a fastball-slider pitcher. His fastball is mid-90s, but his slider is still a work-in-progress. Robinson profiles best as a lefty-specialist, doesn't appear that he'll get the opportunity to start as a professional. Round 6 (170th overall): Chris Paul, RF, California Paul is a senior and will come in under budget. Paul had a very good senior season and checked in at #403 in Baseball America's Top 500. Despite being a senior, Paul has significant upside as a hitter. Round 7 (200th overall): Jovani Moran, LHP, Carlos Beltran Academy (Puerto Rico) Another hard-throwing projectable lefty. Interesting head dip during his delivery. Round 8 (230th overall): Kolton Kendrick, 1B, Oak Forest Academy (Louisiana) Kendrick might wind up a huge steal. Baseball American had him ranked 62nd out of the Top 500 draft prospects heading into the draft. Mega-power potential from the left-hand side. Kendrick is committed to Southeastern Louisiana and has been asked about being drafted in the 2nd to 4th rounds where his rankings projected him to be. He said it would be difficult to pass up the opportunity to play pro ball. Round 9 (260th overall): LaMonte Wade, CF, Maryland Wade is a raw as a center fielder, but has an advanced approach from the left side of the plate. Wade missed time with a hamate injury and really struggled in the Cape Cod League last year. He bounced back this year to bat .335 and have a 2:1 BB:K rate (30 walks, 20 strikeouts). Round 10 (290th overall): Sean Miller, SS, South Carolina-Aiken Glove-first defender who profiles best as a utility player. Likely one of a few high-character selections that are made with some money-savings in mind. And that's it for today! Twenty-five percent complete. Won't you come back tomorrow?! Click here to view the article

My co-teacher is from Chippewa Falls and her family is friends with the Cody family. There's a lot of excitement in Chippewa Falls right now, as there should be. (And the Cody family isn't even there - I guess they sold the family business and moved to Kentucky.)

Wait.. that's completely different than going back to school and adding to my student loans!

After taking Tyler Jay with the sixth overall pick, the Twins selected RHP Kyle Cody from the University of Kentucky with the 73 overall pick. It's a #HumbleBrag, but I called this pick about 10 days ago.Cody is from 100 miles to the east - Chippewa Falls, WI - and may be a relative of Jacob Leinenkugel. (He really isn't, but that's where Leine's beer is from.) Cody is a big-bodied (6-7, 245), right-hander who has lit up radar guns to the tune of 97 mph and entered the season as a first-round hopeful. He struggled this year with command and, for a time, was removed from the weekend rotation. There is still a chance the Cody rediscovers what made him so successful in the Cape Cod League and has the ceiling of a mid-rotation workhorse. Right now, his fastball is hittable. At his best, he throws a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup and a low-80s slider. The Twins have a number of former Wildcats in their system including Alex Meyer, Taylor Rogers and Logan Darnell. You can follow Cody on Twitter at @kylecody10 Click here to view the article

My best guess: 1) Swanson 2) Rodgers 3) Bregman 4) Tate 5) Tucker 6) Jay or Allard But that doesn't take into account the big thing: $$$ Jay moves up - as high as 4 - with a knockout performance this afternoon, but slips if he doesn't. With that being said, if the Twins were drafting at #3, they might have Cameron on the board, so besides him, money isn't a factor (cause I'm not privy to the information).

I suggested that right here.

I'm not doubting that... (but I've also been told that I "sound like an agent" sometimes when I talk to people). Then what he should have said is, "We're in a position to get a player we REALLY like."

It's an interesting quote, especially from the GM, a "falling" player means their perceived value is higher than what the slot suggests it is. I've been told that saying a player "fell" is something teams are careful not to say. For example: Agent: My guy fell to you, huh? We thought so too... so pay us like the second pick we both know he deserved to be.

I'm guessing he's just in the database incorrectly. He shouldn't be draft-eligible.

While there isn’t a headlining prospect from Minnesota that will be selected on the first day, there are a number of players with local ties that should keep your attention. Baseball America gave the state of Minnesota two stars for this year’s class and called it “not up-to-par”, but we’re also going to spill into Iowa and Wisconsin as well.The top prospect with local ties is Kentucky RHP Kyle Cody, who grew up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Cody is currently (underperforming) at Kentucky, but there is a history of Kentucky pitchers heading to Fort Myers to join the Twins minor leagues. Cody is the only one on this list that figures to hear his named called in the first ten round and could go as high as in the late-20s. Speaking of that Kentucky connection, RHP Sean Hjelle, a 6-11, 190 lbs prep from White Bear Lake is heading there this fall. That is, of course, unless he signs a contract to become a professional. While Hjelle, who currently throws in the high-80s, is very projectable, he probably won’t go high enough to give up his commitment, and will hear his named called on Day 3. RHP Jake Irvin, Bloomington, is committed to Oklahoma. Armed with a nasty slider, Irvin is committed to Oklahoma. There is probably a greater likelihood that he goes professional than Hjelle, but in all likelihood, it’s going to require hearing his name called in the Top 10 rounds and there is no guarantee that will happen. Gopher LHP Dalton Sawyer throws in the 90s and is the most draftable of all the Gophers, but Sawyer didn’t have a great year (4.58 ERA and a 38:32 K/BB ratio) and might be signable early on Day 3. Another Red Wing prep, Ty Buck, a third baseman, may be the most well-known prep in the state. He’s committed to Iowa Western CC. While junior college guys typically appear more signable, it sounds like Buck will head there as he’s not expected to go in the Top 10 rounds. An Apple Valley alum spent last week playing in the NCAA regionals. Kris Goodman, a left fielder from the University of Iowa, could fit in to fill an organization needs. Goodman is a four-year player and would be likely to sign regardless of where he’s drafted. Brad Mathiowetz was drafted by the Twins last year in the 35th round out of Rochester Mayo. The catcher spent the year at Des Moines Area CC and hit 16 home runs, which ranked ninth in the JC ranks, in 56 games. He’s currently playing for the Rochester Honkers in the Northwoods League. International Falls RHP Ben Humbert remains relatively unknown. He is committed to Minnesota, but the three-sport star - who Baseball America ranks as the #1 prospect in the state - may just find himself getting drafted high enough to give his next step a second thought. Another U of M commit - Litchfield INF Eduardo Estrada - will likely find his way to campus. The high-energy player will find himself back on draft radars in three years. Bethel RHP Tyler Heitmann isn’t likely to get drafted. But the 6-4, 190-pounder went 9-1 this season and had a K/9 over 9.00. Heitmann is the only player in the Northwoods League (Willmar Stingers) from a non-scholarship school. Oh, and Heitmann used to be a little rugrat that hung around the gym when I was in high school and graduated 10 years after me. Now he hits 90 mph and has a future in baseball. So that’s pretty neat. Not bad for Baldwin, a little town in western Wisconsin. There’s ten local players to keep in mind as you hear 1200 people hear their names called in pursuit of their dreams over the next three days. Any other names that you'll be listening for? Click here to view the article

I don't hate Clark; just didn't keep him too much on the radar when it seemed evident the Twins would go in any of a number of different directions. Clark is a good athlete, projects to be a good hitter and is fast. You could almost view him as a lefty-hitting "Buxton-lite" with a future as a center fielder.

Taking Cameron would be a risky move. I'm not putting it at 0%, but the fact the Doogie is reporting that Trenton Clark just worked out for the Twins may suggest it's close to 0%.

Regardless of what happens over the next 24 hours, this will be my last mock. Be sure to listen to me, the Twins Geek, John Bonnes, and Seth Stohs tomorrow on KFAN from 7-8 pm. Guaranteed to be some good draft talk. It’s the same old story: The Astros - who don’t even hold the #1 pick this year - hold the key to the draft. And there is a really good chance they walk away from it having totally redeemed themselves for last’s year mess. This much is clear: Nothing’s clear. The Diamondbacks are still weighing their options.But the Astros only have to come up with two initial plans. Piecing things together it sounds like it could come down to this: The first of their plans is to take Swanson. If they take Swanson, he will take a significant amount of their #2 slot to sign. Then they’ll go BPA at #5 and will be able to find someone falling at #37. You walk away from - probably - the better plan to get the best player in the draft. The second of their plans is to take Alex Bregman. Bregman could provide them with some savings and more flexibility going forward. That’s where they’ll be able to pull a repeat of their Draft Heist of 2012. Depending on what happens at #3 and #4, there is a very good chance that the two players they like the most, Daz Cameron and Carson Fulmer, are still available. And they might just be able to get them both. If Cameron goes at #3 or #4, which is real possibility at #4 anyway, the likelihood would be that the Astros go with Tucker and take a falling arm at #37 (Justin Hooper?) with money to spend there. If, however, both are available, the Astros take Fulmer (or another college pitcher) and wait. It’s a risk, sure, but not an unprecedented one: the Royals did it when they overdrafted Hunter Dozier to get Sean Manaea later. No way they get both otherwise. With every pick that Cameron doesn’t go - first the Twins, then the Red Sox - the likelihood that Cameron gets drafted goes down, because, of course, how do any of those teams pony up $5 million? Once Cameron makes it past the local Braves, it’s smooth sailing. (There may, however, be a few tense moments when the Royals, Dodgers and Yankees make their picks). Next thing you know, Astros are up getting Daz Cameron for $5 million at #37. Bregman. Fulmer. Cameron. Wow. How does the rest of the draft shake out? 1) Arizona: Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt (no change) 2) Houston: Alex Bregman, SS, LSU (Previous: Daz Cameron) 3) Colorado: Brendan Rodgers, SS, Florida HS (no change) 4) Texas: Dillon Tate, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (no change) 5) Houston: Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt (Previous: Bregman) 6) Minnesota: Kyle Tucker, OF, Florida HS (no change) I have a hard time believing the Twins pass on either Bregman or Tate or Tucker. In the event that all three players are gone, Kolby Allard and, potentially, Tyler Jay rise to the top. 7) Boston: Andrew Benintendi, OF, Arkansas (Previous: Fulmer) 8) Chicago (AL): Tyler Jay, LHP, Illinois (no change) 9) Chicago (NL): Jon Harris, RHP, Missouri State (previous: Benintendi) 10) Philadelphia: Tyler Stephenson, C, Atlanta HS (previous: Walker Buehler) This is a change I made later. Stephenson is a wild card, working out for many teams and literally could go #1 or go #14. 11) Cincinnati: Ian Happ, OF, Cincinnati (previous: Harris) 12) Miami: Trenton Clark, OF, Texas HS (no change) 13) Tampa Bay: James Kaprielian, RHP, UCLA (no change) 14) Atlanta: Brady Aiken, LHP, IMG Academy (previous: Stephenson) The Braves have a lot of picks and with that comes a lot of money. They also haven’t shied away from acquiring players - like Max Fried - who have been injured. This would be a great addition to the prospect stable. 15) Milwaukee: Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Louisville (no change) 16) New York (AL): Garrett Whitley, OF, New York HS (no change) 17) Cleveland: Kolby Allard, LHP, California HS (no change) 18) San Francisco: Mike Nikorak, RHP, Pennsylvania HS (no change) 19) Pittsburgh: Ashe Russell, RHP, Indiana HS (no change) 20) Oakland: Walker Buehler, RHP, Vanderbilt (previous: Dewees) 21) Kansas City: Cornelius Randolph, SS, Georgia HS (previous: Aiken) 22) Detroit: Nathan Kirby, LHP, Virginia (previous: Donny Everett) 23) St Louis: Kevin Newman, SS, Arizona (no change) 24) Los Angeles (NL): Mike Matuella, RHP, Duke (previous: Kirby) Both the Tigers and the Dodgers are teams that don’t seem to care about the cost of spending money. They could acquire talented but injured players who never would have made it to them otherwise. 25) Baltimore: Donnie Dewees, OF, North Florida (previous: Happ) 26) Los Angeles (AL): D.J. Stewart, OF, Florida State (previous: Phil Bickford) 27) Colorado: Jacob Nix, RHP, IMG Academy 28) Atlanta: Jalen Miller, SS, Georgia HS 29) Toronto: Donny Everett, RHP, Tennessee HS 30) New York (AL): Chris Betts, C, California HS 31) San Francisco: Nick Plummer, OF, Michigan HS 32) Pittsburgh: Jake Woodford, RHP, Florida HS 33) Kansas City: Phil Bickford, LHP, College of Southern Nevada Bickford should go higher, but tested positive for marijuana recently and will likely drop because of it. 34) Detroit: Cody Ponce, RHP, Cal Poly Ponoma 35) Los Angeles (NL): Justin Hooper, LHP, California HS 36) Baltimore: Alex Young, LHP, Texas Christian 37) Houston: Daz Cameron, OF, Georgia HS And there you have it - the Astros pull a major coup and leave with three of the top 10 talents in the draft. There's been a ton of other draft-related news on the site, so if you've missed any of it, catch up with these links: Swanson/Rodgers/Tate Walker Buehler Andrew Benintendi Kyle Funkhouser Carson Fulmer Tyler Jay Brady Aiken & Kolby Allard Kyle Tucker Jon Harris Alex Bregman Daz Cameron There is also one more set of profiles - The Local Crew - that is yet to come. Click here to view the article