Jeremy Nygaard

The Twins have a scheduled off day before starting a series in Anaheim against the Angels. The club is expected to make a move before tomorrow's game. The belief is they'd like to get down to 12 pitchers. While the exact moves are unknown, it should be noted that Chris Herrmann was replaced in tonight's game for no apparent reason. We should know more tomorrow. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Moving on to Monday's action: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 4 Box Score It would be great to read about Alex Meyer's return to the win column... or at least a return to pitching a good game. However, it wasn't good. It lasted only 3.2 innings (and 73 pitches), but not before giving up seven hits, four runs (two home runs), two walks and three strikeouts. This is Meyer's third consecutive start where he's failed to make it to the fifth inning. It should be noted, too, that Meyer is only ten innings short of his innings total of last year. Edgar Ibarra (two innings) and A.J. Achter (2.1 innings) each allowed two hits in scoreless appearances. The lineup left some things to be desired. Deibinson Romero, Daniel Ortiz and Chris Rahl each had two hits, including Rahl's home run and Ortiz's triple. James Beresford also tripled. Ortiz was stranded on third base to end the game. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 3, Altoona 4 Box Score Like all good things, the Rock Cats 12-game winning streak has come to an end. Despite winning 15 of their last 16 coming into tonight, New Britain (39-33) still trails Portland (50-26) by nine games in the Eastern League East Division. Virgil Vasquez was tasked to continue the streak and allowed four runs in six innings. The bullpen trio of Jim Fuller, Matt Summers and Dan Turpen combined for three shutout innings and five strikeouts, but the offense didn't offer enough support to get the win. Offensively, Eddie Rosario paced the lineup with three hits. He drove in a run and scored once also. Tony Thomas and Aaron Hicks added doubles. Hicks scored on a Rosario hit in the bottom of the ninth, but Rosario - the tying run - was stranded on third on when Reynaldo Rodriguez foul-popped out to end the game. Seth informed us on Twitter around 10 PM that it "appears" that Kennys Vargas will be on the Futures Game roster when it is announced tomorrow. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 12, Charlotte 1 Box Score The Miracle got it done early and often tonight. Nate Roberts collected his first hit of the year. And his second, third and fourth. He also hit three doubles, scored three runs and drove in two. If you're not familiar with Roberts - and you probably aren't unless you've followed the system closely for a long time - he is an on-base machine who has struggled (and that's not putting it too strongly) to stay healthy. Jorge Polanco, Niko Goodrum and Jairo Rodriguez all had two hits. This is the fifth-straight multi-hit game for Polanco. Rodriguez and Tyler Grimes both doubled. Goodrum stole his 13th base of the season. Travis Harrison was the only member of the lineup who didn't score a run; one of two (Dalton Hicks being the other) who didn't get a hit and one of two (Aderling Mejia, too) who didn't drive in a run. Harrison saw his 14-game hit streak come to an end. Jose Berrios was on the hill and was his normal self. In six innings, he allowed five hits and no walks. He struck out eight and allowed only one run. Two triples and the run occurred after Berrios had sat in the dugout and watched the hitters bat around and force a pitching change. In his last 10 games, Berrios is 7-1 with a 1.56 ERA. He's struck out 82 in 63.1 innings. He's only walked 16 and allowed 42 hits (for a WHIP of 0.92). No one is really sure why Berrios is still in Fort Myers and he's probably solidified his status as a mid-season Top 50 prospect in all of baseball. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids had a scheduled day off on Monday. Tomorrow they will begin a series in Peoria. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Pulaski 2 Box Score The E-Twins fell to 3-2 on the season. E-town's pitching allowed only two runs on 12 hits. Derrick Penilla, back from Cedar Rapids, pitched 4.2 innings. He struck out five and allowed an unearned run on seven scattered hits. Randy LeBlanc allowed four hits in 2.1 innings. Cameron Booser allowed one hit in two innings. Offensively, the offense was pretty stagnant. Max Murphy and Brett Doe doubled and Austin Diemer, who had the only RBI, and Tyler Mautner singled. That was it for the offense. The team was 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Since his four-hit debut, Nick Gordon has gone 1-for-17 (0-for-4 tonight) and is batting .227. Fortunately, the cold streak has only included three strikeouts (but no walks). GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 7 Box Score The rookie league team dropped their 3rd straight game to start their young season. Amaurys Minier failed to get a hit for the first time this year, but he did walk twice and score a run. Again, he started the game in left field and finished it in first base. Minier remains the top prospect on the roster. Manuel Guzman, a shortstop, had the only multi-hit game for the team. Miguel Gonzalez made his season debut and it was forgettable. In 3.1 innings, he allowed eight walks and five earned runs. He did strike out four though and walked none. Onas Farfan made his professional debut. He collected five outs (two by strikeouts) and walked three. Reyson Zoquiel took the loss, giving up two runs in two innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Nate Roberts, Fort Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jose Berrios, Fort Myers TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/WB (6:05 CST) – Logan Darnell (Listen) Altoona @ New Britain (5:35 CST) – Pat Dean (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (9:00 AM CST) – D.J. Baxendale (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00 CST) - Ethan Mildren (Listen) Pulaski @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Michael Cederoth (Listen) GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD

Oh, it's going to be a good one on Tuesday night! Seth and Jeremy are going to be joined live by John Manuel (of Baseball America fame) and Jim Crikket/Steve Buhr (of Knuckleballs Blog fame) on the newest edition of Twins Hangouts. Miss an episode? Well, they're all available on our webpage and iTunes. There is plenty to discuss, like the draft (that's why John is coming on) and the first half of the minor-league season (Boom! Here's Steve.) [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There's also the Twins. We obviously need to cover Trevor Plouffe's injury and the recall of Pedro Florimon. But we're looking straight into the face of a pitching "situation" and I have a feeling that people aren't going to be happy about it. Hangout run-down: 0:00 - We're back 0:05 - Pino a little bit... 0:06 - John Manuel!!! 0:37 - Draft recap 0:38 - Steve Buhr - TMI 0:41 - Steve talks Kernels 1:20 - Yohan Pino and the roster decisions 1:35 - Perkins vs Pinto 1:43 - Jeremy makes a great point, according to Seth After Jeremy's good point he forgot to updated this... 2:03 - Jose Berrios 2:15 - Preview the Etown/GCL rosters 2:20 - Viewer questions Oh, and if you have questions... leave them below! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS4HFY-kLV0

The Twins opened up their annual Fenway Series on Monday night with Kevin Correia looking to defend his spot in the rotation. Saturday's injuries to Trevor Plouffe (who went on the disabled list with a rib cage muscle injury) and Eduardo Nunez (who's day-to-day with a hamstring issue) led to Sunday's recall of Pedro Florimon. The Deduno Rotation Watch continues but, as you'll read later, we can eliminate one possibility. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The Twins also announced the signing of 17 additional draft picks (which brings the total to 24). One of the 16 unsigned players is 2nd round pick Nick Burdi, whose college career (hopefully) came to an end today. He allowed an unearned run in one inning pitched. Louisville lost to Texas 4-1. Burdi can now negotiate with the Twins. Texas closer/draftee John Curtiss will see his career continue. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Pawtucket 1 Box Score The day belonged to Trevor May. Most Twins fans hoped that May would be making only a brief tune-up on his way to joining the parent club; instead, he exited with one out in the ninth after losing his shutout. Entering the ninth, May had only allowed two hits on 11 strikeouts. He issued his only two walks of the game in the ninth and also allowed a hit before giving way to the bullpen. He threw 120 pitches on the way to picking up his 7th win of the season. The offense was led by the combo of Deibinson Romero and Josmil Pinto. Pinto paced the lineup with three hits, including a double. Romero had two extra-base hits: a double and a home run. The 8- and 9-hitters, Doug Bernier and Chris Rahl, each had two RBI. The Red Wings improve their record to 40-30, which has them in a tie with Syracuse for the IL North lead. UPDATE: Per our Rochester reporter, C.J. Fee, Sean Gilmartin will be promoted from New Britain to Rochester and make the start tomorrow night. The rest of the rotation will be pushed back. The action around Thursday's original starter, Logan Darnell, and Thursday's new starter, Alex Meyer, should get the speculation wheels turning. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain had a scheduled day off. They start a series in Harrisburg tomorrow with Tyler Duffey on the bump. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 2 Box Score Very quietly, Jason Wheeler is having a heckuva season. He struck out 10 in six innings tonight, allowing only two runs on five hits and two walks. His ERA sits at 2.51 and no one will be mad (besides his manager and teammates) if this was his last start for the Miracle. Brandon Peterson pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out two and Tim Shibuya picked up a two-inning save, striking out three. Of course, after lighting the FSL All-Star Game on fire, Adam Walke returned to his team and was the only hitter in the lineup who failed to get a hit. Jorge Polanco had two hits, including a triple and a walk. Stephen Wickens drove in two. Dalton Hicks had a two-run home run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids is enjoying their All-Star break before starting their second half on Thursday. The Midwest League All-Star Game is on Tuesday night. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Trevor May, Rochester Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Josmil Pinto, Rochester TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Sean Gilmartin (Listen) New Britain @ Harrisburg (6:00 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen) Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Matt Tomshaw (Listen) Cedar Rapids – All Star Break (Listen) - Kohl Stewart should make an appearance. Please leave questions/comments below.

If you haven't noticed, it's Tuesday again. This week's Hangout had been listed as day-to-day which, in TwinsSpeak, could mean a day, a week, or possibly that we'd never do another Hangout again. You just. Don't. Know. But we're trying to give the term day-to-day a new meaning and that starts now: We're back. With no missed time. We've dealt with some not so great circumstances the last couple of weeks. Namely, key contributors (our computers) crapping the bed. But fear now. The Hangout lives on. So tonight, what are we going to talk about? We're going to cover the two biggest things to happen to the Twins over the last seven days: The Draft and Kendrys Morales. We've have to talk more, obviously, but that's where it begins... Miss an episode? Well, they're all available on our webpage and iTunes. 9:00 Intro and talk about icy balloons. 9:06 Kendrys Morales 9:15ish Joe Mauer - and that only happened when we started to talk about where Morales fit into the "best lineup". 9:33 Back to Morales 9:43 Minor League update 9:44 A.J. Pettersen retirement 9:48 Kernels update 10:04ish Miracle update 10:20ish Rock Cats update 10:35 Red Wings update 10:40 Questions 10:47 Draft (and we talked for a half hour) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3Vh9-TcKmc

The big news today was that the Twins reached an agreement on a contract with Nick Gordon, the 5th overall pick in last week's draft. His career will shortly begin in Elizabethton. The other news was that Kendrys Morales has had enough watching and started the game at DH before getting pinch run for late in the game. If you missed the action in that game (the beginning and end), make sure you catch it. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Gwinnett 2 Box Score Brad Nelson's home run to dead-center field in the 4th inning cut Gwinnett's lead in half. Unfortunately, the Gwinnett pitchers were able to minimize the Red Wings' bats. Eric Fryer was the only batter to record multiple hits with two. Kris Johnson took the loss - a complete-game loss - pitching all eight innings. He gave up eight hits (NO WALKS) and struck out five. He threw 71 of his 116 pitches for strikes. The Red Wings fall to 36-28 and a half of a game behind Syracuse in the IL North. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain - CAR! Game off! The Rock Cats had a day off today, but will be back on tomorrow. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Jupiter 8 Box Score Fort Myers took a three to one lead in the top of the 8th and the duo of Brian Gilbert and Madison Boer, usually so reliable, promptly combined to give up seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks. They recorded two outs. B.J. Hermsen (remember him?) stranded three runners while recording the final out. Starter D.J. Baxendale gave up a run in five innings; Mason Melotakis pitched two scoreless frames. So allowing seven runs while up two means the Miracle still scored four in the ninth inning? Yep. That happened. The team was able to string together a number of singles and scored four runs before Adam Brett Walker flew out to deep right field to end the game. Tyler Grimes was the offensive star: 4-for-4, a triple, two runs scored and two RBI, all while playing center field. Aderling Mejia, Stephen Wickens and Michael Gonzales added doubles. Walker went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. The Miracle fall to 36-27. Fort Myers still has a 1.5 game lead on St. Lucie as the first half is drawing to a close. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 2 Box Score When Chad Christensen drove in Ryan Walker on a 1st inning fielder's choice, it represented the one and only run the Kernels would score on Monday. Only singles by Joel Licon and Jon Murphy were added to the box score. Additionally, the Kernels struck out 14 times. Kohl Stewart pitched six innings and allowed only one earned run. He walked two and struck out two. He hit one batter and got 11 outs by groundball, compared to four by air. Reports had Stewart throwing an easy 95, with an 86-88 slider and a 77 mph curveball. The command of his pitches needs to come, but everything else is there. Yes, the lack of strikeouts is enough to cause an eyebrow to raise, but nothing to get alarmed over. Can you imagine when people start swinging and missing? No one's hitting him hard though they are actually hitting him. Jared Wilson finished the game off with two scoreless innings. The Kernels drop to 28-36 this year. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kris Johnson, Rochester Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tyler Grimes, Ft. Myers. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett (5:35 CST) – Trevor May (Listen) New Britain @ Reading – TBD (Listen) Ft. Myers vs Charlotte (6:05 CST) – Tim Shibuya (Listen) Cedar Rapids vs Quad Cities (6:35 CST) – Aaron Slegers (Listen) Feel free to question or comment below...

This is the third and final (as of now) mock draft in advance of this weekend's MLB draft. You can view the first mock and second mock as well. Before I get into it, I'm going to post what I believe is the Twins draft board (explanation to follow): 1) Brady Aiken, LHP, California prep 2) Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep 3) Alex Jackson, C/OF, California prep 4) Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas prep 5) Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford I think, talent-wise, that Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State should be included, but I don't get the feeling that the Twins are confident they could fit Rodon into their budget. While Boras represents Rodon, I don't think that really matters; Rodon doesn't appear to be willing to settle for anything less than Top 2 money.I'm also not entirely confident that Kolek, Newcomb and Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU (who would be #6) are in the correct order. In essence, any one of those guys could be #4 on their board. As it is, if the Top 3 (plus Rodon) are off the board when the Twins go on the clock, they might just pull the trigger on Newcomb, who could be #1 on their board and immediately know they'll be able to aim higher for the rest of the draft. But enough about the Twins (even though that's why you're here). There are four other teams ahead of them that could really mess things up. Let's get right into it... 1. Houston - Brady Aiken, LPH, California prep - I'm going to leave this one alone, for the simple fact that I have no reason to change it. My mind says Aiken; but my body, my body is telling me Alex Jackson. I think this will be debated in the Houston draft room until the clock starts ticking. (Last week: No change) 2. Miami - Alex Jackson, C/OF, California prep - I actually switched this to Rodon, did the write-up and talked myself out of it. The deciding factor for me - and it may mean nothing - is giving up that Comp pick last weekend (and the money attached to it). If they knew it was going to take extra money to get Rodon done, wouldn't they have used some of that money on Rodon, if that's what it took? Yeah, plus the Marlins owners are dumb. So who really knows. (Last week: No change) 3. Chicago White Sox - Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State - I've had Kolek in this place the previous two times, but it sounds like teams are getting cold feet when it comes to drafting a guy that, essentially, only has big velo. Unprecedented really, but a big risk. If they roll with Kolek, the Rodon drop could get long. (Last week: Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas prep) 4. Chicago Cubs - Kyle Schwarber, C, Indiana - Not necessarily the first, second or third direction I'd go here, but I can't ignore the late buzz despite my better judgment telling me it's a smokescreen to drive down the money demand from Nick Gordon. (Last week - Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State) 5. Minnesota - Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep - Gordon goes here because he's the top-ranked player left according to the board above. Honestly, the Twins would love for it to play out this way. People are going to hate on passing on Kolek. Not this guy. (Last week: Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU) 6. Seattle - Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford - (Last week: Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep) 7. Philadelphia - Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU - (Last week: Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford) 8. Colorado - Kyle Freeland, LHP, Evansville - (Last week: No change) 9. Toronto - Trea Turner, SS, NC State - (Last week: No change) 10. New York Mets - Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas prep - Once the tumble starts, there's no telling where it will stop. While I could see Kolek going to Colorado, the drop could continue to at least San Diego at 13. If it's Rodon that falls - with Kolek going at #3 - this should also be his floor. (Last week: Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State) 11. Toronto - Touki Toussaint, RHP, Florida prep - (Last week: Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina) 12. Milwaukee - Grant Holmes, RHP, South Carolina prep - (Last week: No change) 13. San Diego - Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - (Last week: Touki Toussaint, RHP, Florida prep) 14. San Francisco - Luis Ortiz, RHP, California prep - (Last week: Tyler Beede, RHP, Vanderbilt) 15. LA Angels - Tyler Beede, RHP, Vanderbilt - (Last week: Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State) 16. Arizona - Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State - (Last week: Monte Harrison, OF, Missouri prep) 17. Kansas City - Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Hawaii prep - (Last week: Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Florida prep) 18. Washington - Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina - (Last week: Bradley Zimmer, OF, San Francisco) 19. Cincinnati - Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU - (Last week: Kyle Schwarber, C, Indiana) 20. Tampa Bay - Bradley Zimmer, OF, San Francisco - (Last week: AJ Reed, 1B, Kentucky) 21. Cleveland - Casey Gillaspie, 1B, Wichita State - (Last week: Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV) 22. LA Dodgers - Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Florida prep - (Last week: Derek Hill, OF, California prep) 23. Detroit - Nick Howard, RHP, Virginia - (Last week: Nick Burdi, RHP, Louisville) 24. Pittsburgh - Monte Harrison, OF, Missouri prep - (Last week: Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU) 25. Oakland - Ti’quan Forbes, SS, Mississippi prep - (Last week: No changes) 26. Boston - Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - (Last week: No change) 27. St. Louis - Jacob Gatewood, 3B, California prep - (Last week: Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Hawaii prep) 28. Kansas City - Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV - (Last week: Jacob Gatewood, 3B, California prep) 29. Cincinnati - Michael Kopech, RHP, Texas prep - (Last week: Spencer Adams, RHP, Georgia prep) 30. Texas - Michael Chavis, 3B, Georgia prep - (Last week: Jack Flaherty, RHP, California prep) 31. Cleveland - Derek Hill, OF, California prep - (Last week: Jacob Lindgren, LHP, Mississippi State) 32. Atlanta - Michael Gettys, OF, Georgia prep - (Last week: No change) 33. Boston - Spencer Adams, RHP, Georgia prep - (Last week: Luis Ortiz, RHP, California prep) 34. St. Louis - Forrest Wall, 2B, Florida prep (Last week: Justus Sheffield, LHP, Tennessee prep) 35. Colorado - A.J. Reed, 1B, Kentucky 36. Miami - Luke Weaver, RHP, Florida State 37. Houston - Nick Burdi, RHP, Louisville 38. Cleveland - Justus Sheffield, LHP, Tennessee prep 39. Pittsburgh - Foster Griffin, LHP, Florida prep 40. Kansas City - Mike Papi, LF, Virginia 41. Milwaukee - Alex Blandino, 2B, Stanford 42. Houston - Jacob Bukauskas, RHP, Virginia prep 43. Miami - Josh Morgan, SS, Florida prep 44. Chicago White Sox - Matt Chapman, 3B, Fullerton 45. Chicago Cubs - Brian Anderson, OF, Arkansas 46. Minnesota - Cody Reed, LHP, Alabama prep Thanks to the Twins win over the Brewers Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com.

IF YOU MISSED EITHER OF THE HANGOUT (6-7pm) OR THE KFAN SHOW (9-10pm), YOU CAN LISTEN TO THEM HERE OR DOWNLOAD THEM HERE. Jeremy and Seth will be covering the draft live via Google Hangouts tomorrow night. The duo will be joined by The Twins Geek himself for this show, so be sure to come back tonight to watch. Our show will start right at 6:00 as we preview the Twins selection, which should happen around 6:30. We'll recap that selection and, potentially, preview the 2nd round selection before signing off at 7pm. We'll pick it up from there at 9pm live from the KFAN studios for another hour. Questions or comments? Leave them below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlp3K6gZd50 Thanks to the Twins win over the Brewers Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com.

Don't forget, a special Hangout will happen on Thursday at 6pm to cover the draft. It's Tuesday again, so be sure to join Seth and Jeremy at 9 pm for another Hangout. We'll be joined live by Eric Pleiss of Talk2Contact fame. Feel free to ask him lots of questions (like, why the perma-sweater?) As far as baseball goes, we'll be talking about the Yankees series, the Brewers series, the minor leagues (as always) and some very impressive pitching lines from the last week. There's been some exciting transaction news in the last 24 hours and last, but probably most importantly, the upcoming MLB Draft. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] (The time that is listed is the actual time, so if you want to here the #AskERolf segment, go to the 25 minutes mark.) 9:00 - Yes, I inadvertently stole the GatG intro. John will take me over his knee on Thursday night. 9:00 - Joined by Talk2Contact's Eric Pleiss - we covered his life, basically, facial hair and what the heck does "Rolf" mean? 9:15 - Seth took over the conversation and made it more baseball related. We got the history of Talk2Contact. 9:25 - #AskERolf 9:30 - Upcoming plans for ERolf, and then ERolf and Seth talk Twins Baseball. 9:50 - How we feel about the "powder blues". 9:52 - Steve Buhr's interview with Terry Ryan. 9:57 - Seth breaks down Joe Mauer. 10:06 - Kurt Suzuki and Josmil Pinto. What gives with the lack of Pinto's at-bats? 10:13 - Buying Eduardo Escobar? Is he the everyday shortstop? Short-term? Long-term? 10:15 - The musical chairs that are the centerfield position. 10:22 - Twins take 2 of 3 from the Yankees behind three stellar pitching performances. 10:26 - Willingham and Arcia are back... much to the appreciation of those that like the Twins to score runs. 10:29 - Minor League Transactions 10:30 - Seth's report on Lewis Thorpe and Fernando Romero and the minor league scoreboard and other "minor" tidbits. 10:50 - Seth's "Players of the Month" 10:55 - Draft preview/recap Miss an episode? Well, they're all available on our webpage and iTunes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5EiverJfu0 The Twins evened up the series vs the Brewers yesterday, winning 6-4, so you can get 50% off your large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com with the promo code 'WINTWINS' on Wednesday.

As Twins fans have endured three straight 90-plus loss seasons, it’s been obvious that one of – and probably the biggest – roots of the problem is the lack of quality starters. Essentially, the Twins have employed a collection of #4 starters and have failed to draft or sign frontline starters. We saw the late 2012 trades to acquire Alex Meyer and Trevor May followed by the drafting of Texas prep hurler Kohl Stewart as signs that the Twins recognized this issue and have started to correct it. Yet in the back of every fan’s mind is the idea that the Twins can never have enough “toolsy” players in their system. (They might be right)... and that the Twins love to draft those players right out of high school. (Because they do!) So when the clock starts ticking on the Twins, which direction do they go? Well, that’s not for us to decide. But if they choose to go the way of the “tools”, you better know about this guy. Who is this guy? Alex Jackson has been on the prospect map since 2010, when he started at Rancho Bernardo (Escondido, CA) HS as a freshman. That’s no small feat at a school that has produced Cole Hamels and Hank Blalock, among others. He smashed 17 home runs as a sophomore and was the most impressive player at the 2012 Area Code Games… as an underclassman. His star started rising when he was only 15 years old and it continues to go up. Jackson, who has played catcher through high school, has two plus tools: power and arm strength. Though there are college guys with more present-day power, no one offers more raw power than the 6’ 2”, 215-lb Jackson. His arm strength is equally impressive: he was clocked at 91 mph from behind home plate at the 2013 Perfect Game National Showcase, setting a Perfect Game record. Why the Twins will pick him The Twins would pick Jackson – just like they’d pick anyone – because he’s the top guy on their board when they come to the podium. But why he’d be the top guy on their board is much more important. His right-handed power would play perfectly at Target Field. His likely ability to be able to stick behind home plate long-term in a system that lacks a single top-flight catching prospect would be an added benefit. In a draft that lacks a lot of hitting quality, Jackson is the cock of the walk. None of this even mentions his character. Last summer, Jackson was one of three high schoolers who helped raise over $10,000 for a local children’s hospital. Why the Twins will not pick him As the introduction stated, the Twins “organizational need” is pitchers. And paragraphs later was an allusion to the need in the organization for catchers. Truth is, Jackson isn’t a pitcher and there’s a pretty good chance he’s not going to be a catcher either. With a bat that is considered the highest-ceiling in the draft, there is a very good chance the first thing Jackson does after signing his first professional contract is hang up the catchers’ gear. Jackson has the ideal power/arm strength combination to make a smooth move to right field, where his bat could sooner reach The Show. There’s also belief that if he’s athletic enough to catch professionally – and he is, with work – there is little doubt he wouldn’t be athletic enough to play third base. In any scenario, the value is in the bat. The Oregon-commit is being advised by Scott Boras. That’s not to say the Twins should avoid drafting him solely for this reason; however, Boras does a great job getting his clients as much money as possible… and the #5 spot in the draft is not getting him as much money as possible. (Long explanation longer: Expect Jackson to be off the board when the Twins select.) It should be noted that Scott Boras pushed for the Nationals to move Bryce Harper to the outfield, and though that wouldn’t necessarily be a fair comparison, Jackson could simply be next in line to make the same change, much like Wil Myers did more recently. And the end of the day, there are not many reasons to argue against the Twins selecting Alex Jackson, besides the fact that he’s viewed by many to be too talented to be on the board when the Twins pick. ---- Follow me on Twitter at @jeremynygaard for much more draft coverage this week. Special thanks to Justin Rinaldi for his picture of Alex Jackson featured in this article.

The Twins and Brewers started a four-game home-and-home set Monday night. Between this series and the upcoming draft, there should be plenty of newsworthy topics. But the newsiest news was dropped after the Kernels game when Jake Mauer informed the media that pitchers Derrick Penilla and Felix Jorge were being sent back to extended spring training. He couldn't confirm who would be taking their places, but floated pitchers Lewis Thorpe and Fernando Romero as possibilities. TwinsDaily was able to confirm these corresponding moves. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Before moving on to the farm report, please remember that Seth and I will be joined by Eric Pleiss Tuesday night on our weekly Hangout. We'll also have a special 6-7 pm draft night Hangout on Thursday night that includes the Geek himself, John Bonnes. And then of course, we'll be taking it to KFAN at 9pm Thursday night for a live show from the big stage. There will be plenty of draft talk, but other Twins and minor league talk too, because that's what we do. Now down on the farm... RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Gwinnett 6 Box Score How do you spend your days when Alex Meyer starts? Do you turn the lights down and listen to Kenny G? I only ask cause if you did, that would be really weird. His start wasn't great. He threw 78 pitches and only lasted five innings. He gave up four runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit batter. He struck out five. The three-run blast he allowed in the fifth really skewed his stat line. Edgar Ibarra and Michael Tonkin had scoreless outings. Deolis Guerra gave up two runs. Offensively, it took a Brad Nelson solo home run in the 9th to avoid a shutout. Nelson and Deibinson Romero had two-hit games. Chris Colabello continues to struggle. He struck out in all three plate appearances tonight before being ejected in the 6th inning. As great as his first month was, his frustration has now obviously reached a boiling point. Chris Herrmann was placed on the 7-day DL with a sprained wrist. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain - OFF DAY C Jairo Rodriguez is being added to the roster. There's some other news right now too. Apparently, the Rock Cats are discussing moving to a new stadium in Hartford; of course, team officials are refuting this claim. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 8 Box Score David Hurlbut got roughed up in the fourth inning for five runs (only two earned). Those were all the runs he gave up. He struck out five and didn't return for the fifth inning. Brandon Peterson struck out five in two innings. Brian Gilbert struck out two in two scoreless innings. The ninth inning, though, was different. Steven Gruver was roughed up for three runs on four hits and two walks. The offense was lacking. Aderling Mejia drove in both runs... on no hits. Dalton Hicks scored both runs and had the only multi-hit game on the team. Jorge Polanco (17) and Niko Goodrum (14) both committed errors. Stuart Turner was re-activated from the inactive list. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 6 Box Score Derrick Penilla made his third start - and seventh appearance - in Cedar Rapids and the results weren't encouraging. He held on for five innings, but it wasn't particularly pretty: ten hits and six runs. He struck out only two and allowed three long balls. He was sent back to EST after the game. The duo of Chris Mazza and Hudson Boyd provided four innings of two-hit shutout ball. Jason Kanzler had three hits, a walk and two RBI to bring his batting average up to .309. Mitch Garver had two hits, including a double, to bring his average to .308. Bryan Haar added two hits. Chad Christensen hit his fifth home run of the season, his third in the last seven games. BONUS DOMINICAN DELIVERY DSL Twins 3, DSL Orioles 5 Box Score Lewin Diaz, the prized International Free Agent signee, played his first game in the field (first base) and committed two errors. He also went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He's now 1-for-8 with five strikeouts in his first two games. Roni Tapia, who played third base, has an identical 1-for-8, 5 K line after two games, but Tapia has a double. Tapia trailed only Diaz in the size of their bonus. Williams Ramirez, who was an effective, but wild reliever last year, had a great season debut as a starter, striking out six in four innings. He gave up six hits, but only issued one walk. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brandon Peterson, Fort Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jason Kanzler, Cedar Rapids TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05 CST) – Logan Darnell (Listen) New Britain vs Akron (5:35 CST) - TBD (Listen) Fort Myers vs Tampa (6:05 CST) – Jason Wheeler (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) – Aaron Slegers (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games.

People love mock drafts. I think, mostly, so that you can mock the people that put some guesses down on paper for the world to scrutinize. I'm not above that. I regret not putting one together two years ago. Somewhere, on a message board on this site, I predicted that the Twins take Adam Brett Walker (though I had the round incorrect). Last year, I noted how much I liked Brian Navaretto, who the Twins also drafted. I was a big fan of Stephen Gonsalves (though I never saw him falling as far as he did) and pegged Kohl Stewart for the #4 pick pretty early in the whole process. I'm telling you that not for the virtual pats on the back. I'm simply preparing you for the fact that there is a very good chance that I go 0-for-10 and would like you to forgive me. The reason I put this together, actually, was to try to get a sense of the positions the Twins may look to add on Days 1 and 2. While I know how the Twins feel about some guys, I don't have access to their scouting reports and, personally, don't have the mental capacity to take that much information in. So, without further ado, here's one of approximately 86 billion different ways the Twins may draft on Thursday and Friday. Round 1 (Pick 5 - $3,851,000): SS Nick Gordon, Florida prep. While I'm not sure who will be on my final mock on Thursday morning at this spot, it's been a pretty consistent belief that Gordon would be the choice. There's no point in disputing that. Plus, the Twins would love to add a potential middle infielder. They'll take a prep SS (or more) every year in the first 15 rounds and this year isn't any different. (Other prep shortstops they may consider - obviously later in the draft: SS Milton Ramos, Florida prep; SS Justin Twine, Texas prep; SS Jonathan Oquendo, P.R. prep.) Round 2 (Pick 46 - $1,218,800): LHP Cody Reed, Alabama prep. Reed is all over the place if you put any stock into the Top 100s you can find scattered over the internet. The facts are this: Reed is from a place that doesn't have a great track record of producing major league pitchers and Reed is accumulating an incredible number of strikeouts due to his mid-90s fastball. Reed will have to watch his conditioning, but definitely has a fan in the Twins. (Other pitchers to pop here: Well, there're likely a few dozen that would be looked at. I'd focus most on LHP Mac Marshall, Georgia prep and RHP Luke Weaver, FSU. Round 3 (Pick 79 - $703,900): RHP Grant Hockin, California prep. Hockin has everything you'd want ablitiy-wise to get drafted here including a four-pitch mix. Though scouts don't see a lot of projection in his 6' 3", 215-lb frame, he's got an added connection to the Twins: His mother is Erin Killebrew, daughter of the late, great Harmon Killebrew. Hockin is committed to UCLA, so there is also that piece to be considered. Round 4 (Pick 110 - $476,100): RHP A.J. Vanegas, Stanford. Not a real likely pick, but the Stanford senior offers a lot that could interest the Twins. For one, he's a senior. More importantly, though, is that he's got a mid-90s fastball and a plus slider. So what the heck, right? Yeah, well Vanegas has had some serious injury issues. It's put him in the position where he's destined to be a reliever in the pro ranks. We've seen what the Twins have done with that recently. The ceiling of a guy with his ability - though he'd need to add a third pitch to return to starting - mixed with the floor of a fast-track reliever seems to make a lot of sense. (There would also be a gajillion other college relievers the Twins could look to convert. And that remains in play for all 40 of their selections.) Round 5 (Pick 140 - $356,400): C Brett Austin, NC State. Austin was drafted in the supplemental first round out of high school and has struggled in his three years in college. There are questions about his bat and his defense, but when you get to this point in the draft, you're going to have that. Austin could profile as a Chris Herrmann-type who can play the corners of the outfield too. Not a sexy pick, but the Twins always seem to add catching on Day 2 and this would be a solid pick. (Other catchers: C Matt Morgan, Alabama prep; C K.J. Harrison, Hawaii prep; C Shane Zeile, UCLA) Round 6 (Pick 170 - $266,900): RHP Josh Richy, UNLV. Richy probably won't last this long, but if he did, it would be a steal for the Twins. It's usually around this time the Twins pluck a guy who has the reputation of pitching a lot of innings a la Ethan Mildren in 2013. Richy throws a little harder and shows a feel for a couple breaking pitches as well. Round 7 (Pick 200 - $199,900): RHP Jake Jewell, Oklahoma JC. Jewell has come out of nowhere with a big fastball and an easy motion. He's a project, but that's not uncommon for the Twins to peg, especially when the payoff could be huge. Round 8 (Pick 230 - $161,300): RHP Chandler Shepherd, Kentucky. Though the Twins are more likely to tap the left-handed "pitching well" at UK, Shepherd could join Alex Meyer as a right-handed Wildcat turned Twin. Shepherd has undergone Tommy John surgery already and has returned to throw a solid three-pitch mix, including a swing-and-miss curveball. Shepherd has had success in the Cape Cod League and still offers some projection in his 6' 2", 215-lb frame. Round 9 (Pick 260 -$150,600): OF Max Murphy, Bradley. The organizational dearth of outfielders may have the Twins going to the college ranks to draft outfielders even earlier. Murphy is a guy who makes a ton of sense for the Twins, partially because he played his high school ball in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Murphy's best tool is he power. He's compact (only 5' 11"), runs well and has a clue in the outfield. While his arm could play in right (his current position), some think he could move to center. The question about Murphy is his hit-tool. Round 10 (Pick 290 - $140,700): RHP Brock Dykxhoorn, Arizona JC. This is about where Dykxhoorn should go, so I originally was going to put him here solely on the account that he has a sweet name. But after some digging, there's more to him. He's 6' 8" (Twins have done that - and taller - lately), but isn't overpowering (like Jason Wheeler), doesn't have an out pitch, but commands his repertoire low in the zone (and induces a lot of worm killing). The final ingredient is that he hails from our neighbor to the north (and because of Justin Morneau, the Maple Leafs will always hold a special place in Twins fans' hearts). In all honesty though, Dykxhoorn would be another pitcher with a some projection to add to an already impressive Day 2 haul. While you don't have to like or agree with these picks, you should have a better idea of one way the Twins can handle their first ten selections. Look for a continuation of hard-throwing bodies. The Twins aren't likely to re-visit their three-catchers-in-the-first-ten-rounds magic of last year, but they always seem to add one with defensive abilities. The Twins have an overall lack of outfield depth, so adding some college seniors, or any outfielders, would jibe well with both what the Twins do and how they like to go about it. And while the likelihood remains that I go all Jason Kubel and strike out on all ten of these, it was worth a shot. Right? Now let's see your projections! Follow me on Twitter at @jeremynygaard, where I'll be kicking it draft-style all week. Twins beat the Yankees on Sunday, so you win today. Get 50% of a Large or XL pizza at PapaJohns.com when using the promo code 'TWINSWIN'.

This is the second go-around at putting a mock draft together. The final installment will come on draft-day morning. In this installment, you will see that I also included where the players were listed in last week's mock draft (version 1.0). Please feel free to comment and ask questions below. 1. Houston - Brady Aiken, LPH, California prep - It’s becoming more apparent that the Astros are looking to save some cash here. If they can do that and get the top pitcher in the draft, great. If they can do that and not take a pitcher, that might be better. But for now, it’s Aiken. (Last week: Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State) 2. Miami - Alex Jackson, C/OF, California prep - There’s some belief that the decision may be made solely by the owner - and that it will be Carlos Rodon - I’m going to stick with smarter heads prevailing. (Last week: Brady Aiken, LHP, California prep) 3. Chicago White Sox - Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas prep - I’ve been back and forth on this one. Either way, White Sox are in a good position. (Last week: No change) 4. Chicago Cubs - Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State - This would be a coup for the Cubs. The possibility remains that they could work a deal on the cheap and steal someone later. (Last week - Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina - which I still believe is a real possibility, if Rodon goes to the Marlins) 5. Minnesota - Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU - Nola is everything the Twins love in a pitcher. There’s also a ton of safety in the pick. While “Top 5” shouldn’t be a safe pick, this is a situation where it just makes sense. (Last week: Alex Jackson, C/OF, California prep) 6. Seattle - Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep - (Last week: Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU) 7. Philadelphia - Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford - (Last week: Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep) 8. Colorado - Kyle Freeland, LHP, Evansville - (Last week: No change) 9. Toronto - Trea Turner, SS, NC State - (Last week: No change) 10. New York Mets - Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - (Last week: Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford) 11. Toronto - Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina - (Last week: Touki Toussaint, RHP, Florida prep) 12. Milwaukee - Grant Holmes, RHP, South Carolina prep - (Last week: No change) 13. San Diego - Touki Toussaint, RHP, Florida prep - (Last week: Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State) 14. San Francisco - Tyler Beede, RHP, Vanderbilt - (Last week: No change) 15. LA Angels - Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State - (Last week: No change) 16. Arizona - Monte Harrison, OF, Missouri prep - (Last week: Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU) 17. Kansas City - Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Florida prep - (Last week: Bradley Zimmer, OF, San Francisco) 18. Washington - Bradley Zimmer, OF, San Francisco - (Last week: Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV) 19. Cincinnati - Kyle Schwarber, C, Indiana - (Last week: Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Florida prep) 20. Tampa Bay - AJ Reed, 1B, Kentucky - (Last week: Kyle Schwarber, C, Indiana) 21. Cleveland - Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV - (Last week: Nick Burdi, RHP, Louisville) 22. LA Dodgers - Derek Hill, OF, California prep - (Last week: No change) 23. Detroit - Nick Burdi, RHP, Louisville - (Last week: Michael Chavis, 3B, Georgia prep) 24. Pittsburgh - Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU - (Last week: AJ Reed, 1B, Kentucky) 25. Oakland - Ti’quan Forbes, SS, Mississippi prep - (Last week: Monte Harrison, OF, Missouri prep) 26. Boston - Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - (Last week: No change) 27. St. Louis - Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Hawaii prep - (Last week: No change) 28. Kansas City - Jacob Gatewood, 3B, California prep 29. Cincinnati - Spencer Adams, RHP, Georgia prep 30. Texas - Jack Flaherty, RHP, California prep 31. Cleveland - Jacob Lindgren, LHP, Mississippi State 32. Atlanta - Michael Gettys, OF, Georgia prep 33. Boston - Luis Ortiz, RHP, California prep 34. St. Louis - Justus Sheffield, LHP, Tennessee prep