Jeremy Nygaard

No word yet. All the other affiliates are at 25, so it would look like they'll probably be putting someone on the DL. Sticking a starter on the "phantom" DL wouldn't shock me.

It will be interesting to see if Kepler can sustain his success against left-handed pitching. In 2013, he slashed .117/.232/.133 (.265). This year (though in only 22 PA) he's slashing .333/.364/.476 (.840). Last year, he was in between, so he's definitely trending in the right direction.

Two triples was enough for me. I'm not gonna penalize a guy for not driving in any runs, he can't really help that. But you can make arguments for a number of guys.

Even though the Twins are on the road this week, Target Field is still busy with baseball. The Big Ten Championship is underway. There are four games on the agenda tomorrow, including the Illinois Fighting Illini going for their 28th consecutive win at 9 pm. You can also catch Red Wing’s Ryan Boldt playing for Nebraska at 1 pm in an elimination game. Enough about college baseball, let’s talk about the Twins and their affiliates.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Durham 7 (10 innings) Box Score The Red Wings came from down five, to going up two, to blowing the lead… before finally walking off the Durham Bulls in the 10th inning, but not before things got interesting. Jason Wheeler gave up six runs in six innings on nine hits. He struck out seven and walked two. Rehabbing Tim Stauffer threw 20 pitches in his rehab assignment, but allowed a run and was hung with a blown save. Kennys Vargas made his AAA debut and reached base four times (three singles and a walk). He scored twice. Argenis Diaz also had three hits (including a double) and drove in two runs. After a single and two walks to load the bases in the bottom of the 10th, Eric Farris delivered a walk-off single. Caleb Thielbar was credited with the win, but he let things get a little hairy in the top of the 10th. After giving up a leadoff walk and chasing that with a single, Thielbar was able to get the lead runner on a sacrifice bunt attempt. He then allowed a two-out single to load the bases. Fortunately, he got a swinging strikeout to end the inning. The Red Wings (23-17) remain a half-game ahead of the PawSox in the IL North. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Montgomery 5 Box Score The Lookouts were certainly cooking with fire on Wednesday night, scoring 11 runs on 15 hits and putting up crooked numbers in three different innings. Byron Buxton scored two runs and had two triples. He has nine on the season, which is borderline ridiculous. His batting average increased seven points to .247. Miguel Sano doubled twice (on three hits) and drove in two runs. He’s batting .235. All told, the whole lineup except ninth-place hitter Heiker Meneses scored a run (or more) and every batter got a hit (or more). Max Kepler doubled and homered and Adam Brett Walker hit his 10th home run. D.J. Baxendale gave up four earned runs in his second consecutive start, but his ERA only went up to 2.47. He struck out four. Jake Reed picked up the win with two scoreless, one-hit innings. Zack Jones gave up a run in the 9th. The Lookouts improve to 25-15 and have a three-game lead in the Southern League North. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Bradenton 2 Box Score Ryan Eades was phenomenal over seven innings, striking out three and getting 10 ground ball outs. He only allowed five base runners all game and one unearned run. On the season, he’s 3-1 and has dropped his ERA to 3.19. The Miracle scored all seven of their runs in the first four innings. Niko Goodrum drove in Jason Kanzler with an RBI double in the first and later scored on Marcus Kencht’s single. They added three runs in the second. Jason Kanzler drove in Engelb Vielma, who reached on a bunt. Zach Granite drove in Tanner Vavra and later scored on a Niko Goodrum ground ball. After walking and stealing second, Niko Goodrum came around after being caught heading to third base on a come-backer to the pitcher. The throwing error allowed Chad Christensen to reach second and later score on a Michael Quesada hit. Alex Muren pitched a perfect eighth inning and J.T. Chargois allowed an unearned run in the 9th. Chargois struck out one. The Miracle have closed to within two games of .500 at 19-21. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 0 Box Score The Kernels got great pitching performances and pulled away with a big inning offensively. Stephen Gonsalves continued to dominate the Midwest League, throwing six innings of one-hit ball. While he walked three, he struck out seven. At 4-1, he has a 1.50 ERA. Hard-throwing Michael Cederoth, who has been starting, pitched two perfect innings, striking out three. (Our friend Steve Buhr thinks this means Keaton Steele will move into Cederoth’s rotation spot.) Zach Tillery pitched a no-hit ninth. Trey Vava and Zack Larson each had two hits, but the story of the offense was the bottom of the order. Pat Kelly, Brett Doe and Blake Schmit combined to go 7-for-14 with three runs, two doubles and three RBI. Despite being tied for the second best record in the whole Midwest League, the Kernels are 7.5 games out of first place. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Byron Buxton, Chattanooga THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Norfolk (6:35 CST) – LHP Pat Dean Chattanooga at Mobile (6:35 CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers Ft. Myers vs Brevard County (6:05 CST) – LHP Brett Lee Cedar Rapids at Peoria (7:00 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Feel free to leave any questions or comments below! Click here to view the article

If he doesn't hit, he doesn't play.

All of the importance of getting Sano into a lineup is tied up into his bat. If he ends up being a DH, that's not the worst thing in the world.

I see the Twins drafting four and signing three, which would be pretty standard. College guys with good gloves and taking a risk on a high school guy. At least, that's usually how the Twins roll.

It's impossible to make anything out of high school stats. If you click on the link about Cameron, you see there is a pitcher on his team that has a 0.00 ERA in 34 innings. We're not talking about him. If high school stats mattered, we would be.

As for the Fulmer-to-the-Diamondbacks link in the BA mock, I asked around and the response I got was something like this: Don't make too much out of anything right now, Manuel did that to get people talking and that's what it did. Teams are going to sell their pick to the lowest bidder and what that mock accomplished was Tate's agent (and others) saw that their guy could drop and now might have to re-adjust their asking price. It's a giant game of cat and mouse. The result WILL be guys dropping further down the draft then they should and others going way higher than they should. That will make it even more unpredictable throughout the whole draft.

Just Cameron and Funkhouser that I know for sure right now. That's not something that a lot of people feel comfortable divulging.

Looks like we can both be wrong together.

Baseball America dropped their second mock and it's interesting: Fulmer (who I left off the board) going to Arizona. The Twins picking Cameron and considering Tyler Jay, a college reliever who will be a starter, and Walker Buehler (two others I left off the board). This draft will be something.

Heard his outings so far have been very scripted almost like he's throwing on the showcase circuit.

Bregman is five years older than Javier.

The draft is less than a month away. And it’s time to gear up. There will be a lot of draft-related things on the website over the next 24 days and it will be exciting. There’s already a lot of stuff, but you have to dig for it. I posted my first board a few weeks ago. Many of those players haven’t played since then. Some of those players just started playing. Some have played well, while some have performed poorly. Not that having “consensus” thoughts on players is the norm, but there is such a lack of it, it’s not only hard to tell what’s going to happen at #6, it’s becoming increasingly foggy what’s going to happen from one to five. And that’s saying something, because the fog has been evident for months. It’s even thicker now. You may be following one of the numerous draft threads in the forums. That alone could keep you busy for weeks, following the ebbs and flows of certain players.Today’s board will attempt to synthesize many of the things I have heard, in addition to the things you’ve read or perhaps seen. Again, without having a consensus on many players, this task is much more difficult than it’s ever been. One quick example: There is a player that will probably go in the Top 10 that the Twins have scouted numerous times. There are some in the organization that likely believe he is a Top 5 talent - and worthy of the #6 pick - while others have seen him and not been impressed at all. While that’s not uncommon, the volume of players that fall into that category - or one similar to it - is. Another example: In comparing the most recent mocks from Baseball America, FanGraphs, Perfect Game and MLB Pipeline, all four have the same three players going in the top 3. None (!) have them in the same order. There are only six possible ways to order the same three players and they have four of them. That’s literally unbelievable. Piling onto that is this: None have the same player going to the Rangers. Of the 12 players in the #4-#6 spots (3 players, four drafts), there are six different players. Five of those six players (minus Carson Fulmer) are the ones we’re going to focus on today. Despite the Diamondbacks and Astros - who draft twice - being wild cards, we’re going to assume that the trio of Brendan Rodgers, Dansby Swanson and Dillon Tate go off the board in the Top 5 picks. How the Twins order them is moot. If one drops, take him. Pay him. So we’ll start at #4. 4) Alex Bregman, SS, LSU. I’ve long been a fan of Bregman, but, like many of you, have questioned how he would fit in the Twins plans, both short- and long-term. I’ve recently come to this realization: Who cares? Here’s what Bregman is: Arguably the best shortstop to ever come from arguably the best baseball program in the nation. A future .300 hitter. A guy that can hit 12-15 home runs. Someone that can steal 25 bases and has an approach that is nearly twice as likely to walk than strikeout. (So, essentially, a better-hitting version of Brian Dozier.) The biggest question remains if he can stick at shortstop. And it’s valid. But if he doesn’t, he becomes an above-average second baseman. Yeah, but what about Polanco? And Santana? And Dozier? Well, I’m not even worried about it. Bregman just becomes another asset in a stable full of them. If you’re not into that - and into crazy thoughts - Bregman is a former catcher. It would be quite a risk to make the move with such a high pick, but if the Twins wanted to go all Tyler Grimes-ish on the situation, there is your future backstop. The dreamiest part of this scenario is that Bregman is drafted, signed and assigned immediately to Chattanooga where he and Polanco take turns playing second and shortstop, and continue holding down the middle infield together for the next ten years. 5) Kyle Tucker, OF, Plant HS (Tampa, FL). I’ve just recently started coming around on Tucker and I’m to the point where I like him more than any other prep player besides Rodgers. Tucker is a future left-fielder with a lot of pop in his bat and a picturesque swing. His brother recently made his MLB debut with less athleticism and less-sure tools. There’s always skepticism around taking more outfielders when the stable appears full. The stable is never full! On a regular trajectory, Tucker (or any high school outfielder) should be nearing MLB-readiness as Arcia reaches free agency and/or Rosario reaches arbitration time. That’s projecting far into the future, but so is saying, “The Twins don’t need another outfielder.” 6) Jon Harris, RHP, Missouri State. Harris has a ton of spring helium and that’s a fantastic thing for draft hopefuls. Harris has a similar body type to Kyle Gibson and profiles similarly to the pre-original-injury Gibson, though with a different repertoire. Harris features a low-to-mid 90s fastball, an excellent 12-6 hammer curve (one of the best in the draft) as well as a slider and a changeup. His command is also excellent, making him - in draft terms - a mix of Gibson’s and Wimmers’s ceilings, if that makes any sense. The nice thing about adding a somewhat-advanced college arm to the current mix is that Harris would join the wave that already includes pitches like Chih-Wei Hu, Kohl Stewart and Lewis Thorpe, among others. 7) Daz Cameron, OF, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, GA). Cameron has been on the scouting radar for the last four years, which, in this case, has probably hurt Cameron. It’s given scouts hundreds of opportunities to find holes in his game. Where Tucker rated high for his offensive game and has serviceable tools elsewhere, Cameron has superb defensive skills, smarts and speed, but questions about his hit tool haven’t been answered. One way to combat that (in your mind anyway), is to remember that Daz’s dad Mike was one of the most underrated center fielders of recent times. Pairing Tom Gordon’s kid with Mike Cameron’s kid would be all sorts of #bloodlines awesome, considering the two dads combined to play for 14 different teams (both played for the White Sox and Red Sox) and for 38 seasons but never managed to play together. 8) Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Louisville. The Twins have been connected to Funkhouser plenty and obviously were able to get extra looks at him when they continued to follow Nick Burdi through the College World Series last year. Unlike Harris, however, Funkhouser is going the opposite direction. He had an OK - but not great - start last night. And despite his two-plus years of success, he’s been less than his best this season. Could it be that the pressure of the draft process is getting to him? It’s possible. At his best, Funkhouser is a powerful high-90s fastball/low-80s slider pitcher, and that helps elevate the ceiling. But his command has never been great and that might be enough to make a team nervous. Cutting a deal with Funkhouser also isn’t in the cards, as he is represented by Scott Boras. Two names that are notably omitted from this list are Brady Aiken and Kolby Allard. The Twins should have interest in both, but the medical question marks should *currently* keep them off of their board. Aiken's medicals will be made available before the draft. If the Twins feel comfortable with what they see, he should definitely be in the mix. Allard has just begun working out again. If he can get back on the mound, he'll also be in the mix at #6. Feel free to leave questions/comments below. I’ll have a mock draft (length yet to be determined) to consume next Friday. Click here to view the article

Zaino let me know that his initial assignment will be in the DSL. He was really hoping he'd be in the GCL with their facilities and vows to work hard to get there. Should be a fun follow this summer.

Agreed. I wonder, too, about other things like times you throw to first to keep the runner close or the stress on your arm when you are in the full wind-up vs the stretch. With hardly any runners on base, it seemed like a very LOW STRESS game.

Seth, are we going to do updated Top 30s for the inaugural Draft Handbook in mid-June?

YES! Cool points, Seth. You get cool points.

I don't know what the Birmingham pitchers typically throw, so it's hard to compare. I think the speed variation has to do with the ball slowing down as it approaches the plate. Physics and stuff.

A full slate of afternoon baseball games today for the minor league affiliates. So, basically, a perfect day if you played hookie from work. Stephen Gonsalves was named Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April. Gonsalves had two wins, 30 strikeouts, two walks and an ERA of 0.90. On the minor-league transaction front, Stephen Pryor was placed on the AAA disabled list after having surgery on his torn left meniscus. Rochester currently only has 22 players on its roster, but rehabbing Tim Stauffer gives them an extra body.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Toledo 0 Box Score Who is this Tommy Milone guy? The Tommy Milone that I’m familiar with doesn’t strike out 12 batters in eight innings. But the Tommy Milone that pitched for Rochester on Wednesday did. This new Milone also didn’t walk any and scattered only three hits. He’s now thrown 14.1 innings of shutout baseball in AAA. Is he biding his time until he comes back to Minnesota or should the Twins be calling some National League teams to see if they’re interested. I’m leaning towards the latter. A theme you’ll read about today is the lack of run production on Wednesday in the Twins minor leagues. Fortunately, Milone was good enough there didn’t need to be a lot of runs, though the Red Wings did pound out nine hits. Eric Fryer continues to rake and his two hits today upped his average to .409. Nate Hanson also had a two-hit game. Jose Martinez drove in the game’s lone run in the seventh inning. Wilkin Ramirez tripled and scored on an error by Toledo’s third baseman. Ramirez’s three-bagger was the team’s only extra base hit. At 18-14, the Red Wings remain one game behind the PawSox. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Birmingham 0 Box Score How good is Jose Berrios? Seriously? Berrios pitched about a month ago - a home game - and had his worst start of the year to date. He didn’t make it out of the fifth inning. He allowed eight hits and three walks. His WHIP - a season worst - over 2.00. You know who the opponent was? Birmingham. How did Birmingham do on Wednesday? Berrios threw 113 pitches, 77 for strikes. He struck out eight, walked two, hit a batter and allowed two hits. Oh, and he pitched a complete game shutout. All told, his hits allowed were of the infield variety and a “soft liner”. Three balls - including the soft liner - left the infield. THREE! Two of his outs were fly balls to the left fielder. The rest in the infield or in the batter’s box. It’s not a “perfect game” or even a no-hitter, but what more can you ask for?! For those watching on MiLB.tv, you may have noticed that Berrios’s fastball was in the 88-90 range, but the assumption is that it was a function of the gun. He maintained his velocity the entire game and was, plainly and simply, awesome. If there was concern, there is no way he goes the distance. Talking about the offense, they scored all three runs in the second inning. After Miguel Sano struck out, Travis Harrison walked and Adam Walker and Max Kepler both doubled, each hit scoring a run. Heiker Menesis later singled to score Kepler. On the prospect watch - be honest, that’s why you’re here - Byron Buxton went 0-3 (.246) with a strikeout. He drew a walk and stole his ninth base of the season. Miguel Sano went 1-3 (.211) with a line-drive double. He drew a walk and also struck out. The 20-13 Lookouts have a 2.5 game lead over Tennessee in the Southern League North Division. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Dunedin 1 Box Score The Miracle got a walk-off victory today to win their second game in a row and their seventh in the last eight. They improve to 16-17. Chih-Wei Hu started the game and, despite getting a no-decision, was masterful. This performance - six innings, six strikeouts, six runners allowed (four hits and two walks) - dropped his season ERA to 1.03. Hu has been so dominant this season that his 1.00 WHIP on Wednesday actually increased his yearly total to 0.79. High-A has been no challenge (yet) for the 21-year-old from Taiwan. Ethan Mildren, a typical starter, picked up his first win of the season by pitching two innings of shutout ball in relief. Luke Westphal, another member of the Opening Day rotation, bridged the gap between the two with an inning in which he allowed Dunedin’s only run. The offense produced two runs but did very little. Chad Christensen provided two hits and scored the team’s first run on an RBI groundout by Niko Goodrum. Mitch Garver drove in Christensen to win the game in the ninth. Alex Swim, who had a hit in every game from April 22nd until today, saw his hit streak end at 16 games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 4 (10 innings) Box Score By the time you've read the other three recaps, you’re probably expecting another top-shelf pitching performance from the starting pitcher. But you’re not going to get it. Unlike the other recaps, though, you’re going to get some offense. John Curtiss got roughed up for five runs (four earned) in five innings. He struck out four, walked three and allowed five hits, including three home runs. Yikes. (There were people on hand to confirm it was Curtiss that was pitching, not Phil Hughes.) Curtiss was relieved by Zach Tillery, who pitched four innings of one-hit ball. He struck out six, walked two and breathed life into a team that was trailing 4-2 when he entered the game. Trey Vavra was 3-4 with two RBI and is now batting .327. Tanner English, Nick Gordon, T.J. White, Tyler Kuresa and Blake Schmit all had two-hit games. The Kernels got on the board in the third inning when Vavra singled home Gordon, who had stolen second base after singling to start the inning. In the fourth inning, English scored on a sacrifice fly by Vavra. English also took second on a stolen base, his 10th of the season. The Kernels plated two more runners in the fifth, when a Tyler Kuresa two-out double scored both Max Murphy and White. Cedar Rapids was finally able to tie the game in the 8th inning. An English double preceded a Gordon single. Tyler Kuresa led off the 10th inning and was lifted for Zack Larson. Two bunts moved Larson over to 3rd base and due to an error on the first bunt, there was only one out. Nick Gordon stepped up to the plate and played hero (sorta): he hit the ball to the first baseman, who tried to throw Larson out at home. The throw was wild and the Kernels walked off. The Kernels, now 21-12, trail Quad Cities by five games in the MWL Eastern Division. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, RHP, Chattanooga or Tommy Milone, LHP, Rochester? Leave your vote in the comments below. Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Trey Vavra, 1B, Cedar Rapids THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) – RHP Alex Meyer (It is definitely Meyer's spot in the rotation that is up, but the probable starter is still eerily TBD. Maybe nothing... or maybe something...) Chattanooga at Birmingham (7:05 CST) – RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers vs Dunedin (6:05 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades (It is Ethan Mildren’s spot in the rotation, but he pitched in relief on Wednesday.) Peoria vs Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves Feel free to leave your questions and/or comments below. Also 10 cool points to the first person that gets the hip-hop reference. Click here to view the article