Jeremy Nygaard

Every affiliate was involved in a transaction today. The Red Wings placed P Liam Hendriks on the DL with right elbow inflammation. OF Antoan Richardson will take his place. The RockCats, losing Richardson to Rochester, get Deibinson Romero, who finally arrived in the States and is ready to play baseball. The Miracle activated OF Nate “That Pitch Hit Me” Roberts and sent INF Joel Licon back across the street. The Kernels add C Michael Quesada, who had been serving a 50-game suspension. Oh, and hur-ray for Aaron Hicks. I think the monkey has come off of his back… finally. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 5, COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 7 Box Score The Red Wings comeback fell short and the club falls to 15-23. Chris Herrmann can hopefully use today’s game as a springboard to improve for the rest of the season. After a fairly disappointing start, Herrmann went 3-for-4 with a double. He also scored two runs. Jeff Clement hit his 3rd home run, his first at Frontier Field. Chris Colabello added a double. Brian Dinkelman had a pinch-hit two run single with two outs in the ninth. Virgil Vasquez, who will probably remain in the rotation while Hendriks is out, struck out a season-high seven batters. He allowed two runs on a walk and four hits in five innings. After coming out of the bullpen recently, Vasquez only threw 72 pitches. He will probably be allowed to throw closer to 90 in his next outing. Shairon Martis took the loss allowing four runs on four walks and hit. Michael O’Connor relieved him and allowed an inherited runner to score before allowing a run of his own on three hits and two walks. He struck out two in 2.1 innings of work. Kyle Gibson (2-4, 3.32), who would have started today’s game on normal rest, was pushed back a day after his complete game shutout and will make the start for the Red Wings tomorrow at 7:05 ET when Durham comes to town. Cole DeVries will be making a rehab start on Wednesday. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS – OFF DAY The Rock Cats open a series in Bowie on Tuesday at 7:05 ET with xxxxx making the start. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 6, DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 2 Box Score The Miracle pushed six runs across the plate – all with two-outs – to improve to 28-8 on the season. Nate Robers, who missed the first part of the season with a knee injury, returned to the lineup to play his first baseball since destroying the Arizona Fall League. He batted leadoff, hit a double, drove in a run and, of course, was hit by a pitch. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4060[/ATTACH] (photo by Anelle) Miguel Sano was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. He stole his 4th base but also committed his 9th error. Angel Morales was 1-for-2 with a triple, but also reached on HBP twice. Matt Koch continues to rake, hitting his 5th double, and is now batting .337. Jason Wheeler improved to 4-0. He pitched five innings, striking out four. He walked three, scattered eight hits and allowed two runners to score. Nelvin Fuentes and Zach Jones combined to shut the Blue Jays down for the last four innings, both allowing only a single hit. Jones walked two. Fuentes struck out three while Jones struck out one. Matt Summers (1-2, 4.29) takes the hill tomorrow at 7:05 ET CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 2, BELOIT SNAPPERS 3 Box Score A day after playing a very atypical baseball game, the Kernels and Snappers got back to regular baseball. This time, the Kernels fell 3-2 to the Snappers and are now 24-11 on the year. Matt Tomshaw pitched a very solid seven innings. He struck out five and only allowed a walk and four hits. Unfortunately, one of those hits was a two-run homerun. Tim Atherton relieved Tomshaw and was a little out-of-control. He recorded five outs, all by strikeout. But also allowed four walks and a one hit. The lone hit drove in the game-winning walk-off run. The offense apparently used most of their hits and runs yesterday. Only Niko Goodrum had a multi-hit game. He had a double and triple and is now batting .289. Byron Buxton had a hit, two stolen bases (15 on the season) and two runs. Adam Walker, named MWL player of the week earlier in the day, struck out three times while going 0-for-4. The Kernels return home and welcome Burlington to Pefect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium tomorrow. Brett Lee (2-2, 2.92) makes the 6:35 CT start. If you have any questions, comments or sweet mustache pictures, please share!

I think the Salvador Perez might be a better comp for Arcia, though I would tack on a couple more options.

We'll lead tonight's report off with some injury news. Kernels RP Tyler Jones was placed on the D.L. with a strained flexor tendon. (If you're curious to know exactly what that means, I looked it up and, knowing I'm not a doctor, am more confused than I was before.) To take Jones's place in the bullpen is Alexander Muren, who played for the GCL Twins last summer after being drafted out of CS-Northridge. Also heading to the disabled list is Miracle INF/OF Adam Bryant. Bryant, activated before Sunday's game, lasted all of three at-bats (total, not his own) before separating his shoulder in the outfield and leaving the game. Replacing Bryant from across the street is Aderling Mejia. Mejia was a post-season GCL All-Star last year and made a few appearances for the Miracle after his season was over. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 0, TOLEDO MUD HENS 1 Box Score It's a little bit harder to win a game with zero runs than it is to lose a game only giving up one. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, they were on the zero side of tonight's game. Andrew Albers pitched a solid 6.1 shutout innings, striking out three. He turned it over to rehabbing Tim Wood, who gave up three hits, two walks and the only run taking the loss. Wood's recent performance is going to make it hard to crack the Twins bullpen which will ultimately lead to his exposure on the waiver wire. Caleb Thielbar took care of the two runners he inherited by getting out of the eighth. The Mud Hens didn't need to bat in the ninth. On a night where there isn't much to speak of offensively, Chris Colabello had two hits (batting .339). Joe Benson's hitting streak is over. Clete Thomas, the next "solution" in center field struck out three times. P.J. Walters (3-2, 3.82) pitches tomorrow at Toledo at 6:30 ET. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 11, NEW HAMPSHIRE FISHER CATS 6 Box Score The Rock Cats got their second straight win to make it back to .500 for the season. The Rock Cats had 13 hits, led by Josmil Pinto's three hits (including a double and three-run home run) and Danny Santana's two extra base hits (double and triple). Reynaldo Rodriguez added a home run in an exciting ninth inning. Logan Darnell had a rough outing, but made it 5.2 innings and 93 pitches. He gave up five runs, though two of those were runners he left to A.J. Achter. Achter ended up getting credited with the win. Jose Gonzalez pitched a scoreless eighth. Michael Tonkin gave up an unearned run in the ninth. B.J. Hermsen (0-2, 4.91) looks for his first win tomorrow. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 7, TAMPA YANKEES 0 Box Score The pitching star of tonight - and really of the young season - is former Arkansas Razorback D.J. Baxendale. He improved his record to 5-0 and struck out a career-high 10 batters. Not to temper expectations, but Baseball America's John Manuel said this in a chat over the winter: [ATTACH=CONFIG]4004[/ATTACH] (photo courtesy of Bryan - begreen90 - on Flickr) Personally, I don't know how long you can leave him in Fort Myers, but New Britain's rotation isn't exactly in need of help. I would expect though, that when there is a need, Baxendale would be first in line. Adrian Salcedo, adjusting nicely to his role in the bullpen, struck out three in two innings. Fort Myers scored all seven of their runs in the first four innings. The lineup scattered nine hits, including doubles by Mejia, Eddie Rosario, Matt Koch, Angel Morales and Jonathan Murphy. The offensive start by Koch has been especially encouraging. In one of my first posts ever here I said the following about Koch, "Matt Koch hit the ball more squarely than any other Snapper this weekend. He only played Saturday, but the crack of the bat on the ball makes you look up if you're not paying attention." Hey Matt, we're paying attention! Jason Wheeler (2-0, 5.46) pitches tomorrow. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 12, SOUTH BEND SILVER HAWKS 4 Box Score The Kernels won their 21st game tonight by scoring four runs in each of the 1st, 5th and 9th inning. Adam Walker hit another grand slam and also added a double to total 5 RBI. He now has 32 on the season. Not to be outdone, D.J. Hicks and Jorge Polanco each added their 25th, which is tied for 3rd in the MWL. Travis Harrison added his 5th home run. His 3rd since hitting his game-winning "grand single" only eight games ago. Byron Buxton got a hit and a walk, extending his "on-base" streak to "forever". He's batting .373. If Buxton is still in Cedar Rapids on Memorial Day, I might just have to take a road trip. (Shhh... don't tell my wife.) Buxton leads the MWL in OPS and is leading Rock Shoulders by 101 points. Rock Shoulders isn't second, but nobody has even beaten Rock Shoulders by 101 in anything. Before I forget, the Kernels also had pitchers pitch. Matt Tomshaw went five innings and picked up the win giving up four runs on ten hits. Manuel Soliman picked up the four-inning save. He didn't allow any hits, but did walk three. He also struck out four. That's all for tonight. If you have questions or comments, please leave them. You are also welcome to talk about Rock Shoulders or Brian Dozier's hair.

At some point, while researching for a previous draft, I came across a Baseball America podcast where they were discussing their “personal cheeseballs”. At first I was a little confused, but quickly came to realize that these “cheeseballs” were their favorites. In fact, to qualify to be a “personal cheeseball” you have to fit into only two categories: one – be a favorite; two – don’t be too good. For example, one of the BA guys (I think it was Callis, but I could be wrong) really liked Massachusetts prep outfielder Rhett Wiseman. Why I remember that one, I don’t know. Wiseman was ranked #136 in their pre-draft 500, had a solid commitment to Vanderbilt and ended up attending there after being drafted by the Cubs in the 25th round (764th overall). Obviously the “don’t be too good” is a rule only because it would be really easy to look back at a draft and say, “I knew Bryce Harper was going to be a stud, that’s why he was my personal cheeseball.” Not exactly living on the edge. I thought this year was as good as any to publicize my own personal cheeseballs. Today’s edition will focus on three hitters, none of which are ranked in Jon Mayo’s Top 75 draft prospects or appear in Keith Law’s future 50 (plus 10). Stephen Alemais, SS, Elev/8 Sports Institute (FL) [ATTACH=CONFIG]3988[/ATTACH] BRYAN PACE FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Alemais first caught my attention after reading about a showcase in the northeast two summers ago. It was something simple like “slick-fielding shortstop that could stick there professionally”. Given the Twins lack of success drafting shortstops and, really, the lack of Americans who man the position in the MLB, I think Alemais caught my eye because he’d be spending the rest of his high school career (and college or professionaly) in an “underdog” role. Are you asking yourself why a Florida kid was participating in a Northeast Showcase? If you are, good. This is where the story takes a turn. After trying to check his progress this spring, I noticed that Alemais was no longer listed with his prep team, All Hallows High School located in the Bronx. It was then that I found out that he had transferred from All Hallows to the Elev/8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach, Florida. Alemais, who committed to Tulane University last April, injured his shoulder in a playoff game last summer (which led to labrum surgery) and decided that it would be in his best interest to move to a place where he could play against better competition, not have to worry about the weather, and prove that he was back to good health. Luis Alicea, a 13-year big league veteran, is the Executive Director at Elev/8. Alicea expects big things from Alemais telling the New York Daily News a couple weeks ago that “he’s a very talented kid.” He added, “You look at him in a uniform and he has a little resemblance to a Derek Jeter, when you see his body. Athletically he’s very gifted. He’s very fast; he has quick hands. It’s like the game comes easy to him sometimes. He’s got a huge future ahead of him.” He’s currently the 42nd ranked draft prospect in the state of Florida according to Perfect Game. Alemais is strong academically, so dropping too far may force him to Tulane, but you’ve got to believe that uprooting and moving to Florida was done to improve his draft stock. The Twins typically try to add a middle infielder in the first 10 rounds. (Last year, they waited until Round 16 when they drafted Kentucky prepster SS Will Hurt.) I would hope the Twins would consider Alemais somewhere between rounds five and ten. Brian Navarreto, C, Arlington County Day (FL) HS Navarreto makes an appearance on MLB’s Top 100 draft prospects, but its in the back half. All the way down at number 89. Navarreto hasn’t gotten the hype of two other prep catchers in Florida, Chris Okey and Zack Collins, but is an interesting prospect in his own right. Navarreto is a pretty big dude (6’3, 220), but surprisingly athletic and, though raw, has all the stuff including agility and above-average arm strength to stay behind the plate. His big right-handed swing still has a ways to go, but, overall, Navarreto is a high-ceilling prospect. He’s also still somewhat unknown. Navarreto followed the path of Javier Baez, who also attended Arlington County Day, in that he is a Puero Rican native who came to Florida later in his prep days. Though he really just came onto the scene last summer, he’s already committed to South Carolina. Navarreto was in the news over a month ago when his team was involved in a bench-clearing altercation with Norman North (OK) High School. While the cause of the fight alledgedly was the result of racial overtones, Navarreto was a central figure when he punched an oppoent in the face after a play at the plate. (You can read the story and see some video here.) The Twins drafted a similar-type player, Jorge Fernandez, last year in the 7th round. Navarreto is a higher-regarded prospect and could possibly come off of the board in the third or fourth round. Justin Williams, OF, Terrebonne (LA) HS Easily the most well-known of my three “cheeseballs”, Williams also appears late in the Top 100 (at #88). Williams sometimes gets first-round mention, but appears to be a sandwich round pick at best and probably someone that fits into the second round. This isn’t really through a fault of his own, though. Williams’s prep team wasn’t very good (10-18 on the year) and the typical strategy opposing teams employed was to simply not pitch to Williams. So while teams didn’t get to see Wiliams, who won’t turn 18 until August, a lot in game action, they did get to see him in BP where he routinely put on a show. His power-potential ceiling is probably on par with Adam Walker’s, though Williams bats from the left side. Williams evokes a lot of comparisons to Jason Heyward for both the physical resemblence (Williams is a chiseled 6’3, 215) and also his defensive question marks as a prep. Heyward was a first baseman in high school and scouts doubted he could be an outfielder. (Heyward won the Gold Glove last year, at age 22. Whoops.) Williams played shortstop for his high-school team. So along with not getting to see him bat in game situations, scouts didn't get to see him play defense in game situations at his likely home – a corner outfield position. If any scouts were overly impressed by his glove, they could give him a shot at 3B before moving him to the outfield. Williams’ profile really fits the way the Rangers have drafted recently, but the Twins also went out looking for power last year and there might not be a prep prospect with more power potential. Oh, and I drafted Williams for my dynasty keeper league in March of 2012, so there’s that too. Who are some hitters that you consider your "Personal Cheeseballs"?

If you missed Cody's minor league report from yesterday, you can read it here. Seth also made his choice for Twins minor league Hitter of the Month. Andrew wrote up about Alex Meyer's last start. There is a lot of draft info that cmb0252 put together into one thread. And after yesterday's minor shuffle in Rochester, the R&P page has been updated as well. On a separate note, after listening to the new Macklemore song "Can't Hold Us" a few times today, I'm convinced it's about the Twins top prospects - Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. We had put some pretty high ceilings on those guys, but at this point... our ceilings might not be able to hold them. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3972[/ATTACH] (photo by Paul Gierhart) ROCHESTER RED WINGS 7, COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 6 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to a quick start and then withstood a late rally to win tonight's ball game. The hitters handed the pitchers just enough run support with a well-balanced attack. All nine batters registered hits. The charge was led by Nate Hanson (who homered) and Clete Thomas (who doubled). Ray Olmedo also added two hits. Eric Farris led off the game with a home run. Evan Bigley, now batting in the 3-hole, went 1-for-5. He is batting .357 since his promotion to Triple-A. You may recall a game last season during which Tom Kelly sang Bigley's praises. Unfortunately, Bigley is another corner outfielder that can't play center. Thomas, Olmedo and Bigley all stole bases. Chris Herrmann committed a throwing error, his second of the year. P.J. Walters had a decent start tonight. He made it into the seventh inning, going 6.1, allowing three runs on eight hits. He struck out 6. Daniel Turpen allowed a home run. Tyler Robertson failed in his LOOGY role tonight, allowing a hit to the only batter he faced. Tim Wood, who has been lights out for the Red Wings, allowed Columbus back into the game. After walking the first batter he saw, he gave up a home run. The tying run reached on an error and then the go-ahead runner singled. Luis Perdomo relieved Wood and got the final batter of the game to fly out to Joe Benson. Kyle Gibson (1-3, 3.33) gets the starting nod tomorrow at 7:15 pm ET against Columbus. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 1, HARRISBURG SENATORS 6 Box Score B.J. Hermsen made his third attempt at getting his first win of the season. He made it into the six inning and recorded an out in that inning before giving way to Bobby Lanigan. Hermsen's final line was two earned runs (five runs) on seven hits and two walks. He struck out four. His 7:1 groundout to flyout rate was promising. Bobby Lanigan recorded five outs without giving up a run. A.J. Achter gave up a solo home run in his inning. Michael Tonkin struck out the side in the ninth. James Beresford, who had a very good April, went 1-for-3 with a double, but also committed a costly error in Harrisburg's four-run fourth inning. Antoan Richardson had two hits and a stolen base. Danny Santana and Jonathan Goncalves both added singles. The 14-13 Rock Cats play at Portland tomorrow night at 6 pm ET. While the starter is listed as TBD, it appears to be Pat Dean's turn in the rotation. Dean is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA on the young season. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 3, ST. LUCIE METS 2 Box Score Another walk-off win for the Miracle improves their record to a very impressive 22-4. Of course you're wondering how Miguel Sano did. He went 1-for-4, but the "1" was a game-tying single with two outs in the 8th inning. He is batting .364 on the year. Kennys Vargas aka Baby Papi aka Little Papi aka Big Spoon went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk. Stephen Wickens had three hits. Levi Michael (.185) went 0-for-2, but was the offensive hero when he drove in the game-winning run with his third base on balls of the night. Michael was the DH tonight. Jason Wheeler went five innings, giving up six hits and three walks. He struck out two and gave up two runs in a no-decision. Cole Johnson and Dakota Watts both pitched two scoreless innings. Watts, the pitcher of record when Michael walked, earned the win. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 3, WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS 4 (10 innings) Box Score As we've come to expect, Byron Buxton made a positive contribution in today's game. He hit a two-run home run, his 5th of the season, off of the right-field foul pole in the 3rd inning. He's reached base in every Kernel game so far this season and has his average at .388. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot else to talk about. The Kernels went 1-for-2 with runners in scoring position. Hudson Boyd pitched five innings. He allowed six hits, walking three. He struck out four and gave up two runs. Steven Gruver is credited with a blown save, but pitched well out of the bullpen. In four innings of work, he allowed four hits, a walk and a run. He struck out five and left the game with a season ERA of 1.31. Gruver has only made one spot-start on the year, but this is his third appearance of four innings or more. Tyler Jones came into the game in the 10th inning and struggled with his control. He sandwiched two walks around a strikeout before allowing a walk-off single. The Kernels are now 18-7 and will send LP Mason Melotakis (1-1, 4.08) to the hill tomorrow to face West Michigan in an early morning, 10 am CST game.

The Twins blew a three-run lead thanks to one swing of Prince Fielder's bat and lost another one-run game. (The third time that's happened in the past five days.) Congratulations to Adam Walker, who was named MWL Player of the Week. The Milwaukee native went 8-for-21 (.381) with five home runs and 16 RBI. His OPS for the week was 1.238. It was quite an adventurous day on the farm today. You should continue reading, but not before I warn you: The Twins are a few years away from being a monster. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3925[/ATTACH] ROCHESTER RED WINGS 4, BUFFALO BISONS 3 Box Score After seeing their four-game winning streak snapped yesterday, the Red Wings got a new streak started today. The bats were alive, as all nine starters contributed hits. Doug Bernier, Ray Olmedo and Chris Herrmann, the 8-9-1 batters, all had two-hit games. Evan Bigley, Nate Hanson and Joe Benson all had two-base knocks. Benson stole his 4th base of the season and extended his hit streak to six games. After Hanson's 8th-inning double, Eric Farris pinch-ran and scored the game's winning run on a Brandon Boggs single. Virgil Vasquez had a strong start, pitching seven innings, allowing only seven baserunners (six hits, one walk). He struck out five and allowed three runs. Luis Perdomo was credited with the win, striking out one in 1.1 innings. Caleb Thielbar recorded the final two outs for the save. Thielbar now has 23 Ks in 17 IP (12.2 K/9). The Red Wings have now improved to 10-15. They play tomorrow at 11:35 AM on MLB Network. Andrew Albers (0-0, 4.58) gets the start in the final game of this four-game wraparound Buffalo series. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 16, HARRISBURG SENATORS 8 Box Score Trevor May got the starting nod and had his most disappointing start of the young season. The knock on May has been his lack of control. That was on full display tonight. May lasted only four innings. He gave up eight runs on nine hits and three walks. Despite being one of the only "strikeout pitchers" in the organization, May only struck out one batter in tonight's contest. The bullpen trio of Black Martin, Bruce Pugh and Edgar Ibarra pitched five innings of shutout, three-hit baseball. The bats were the story tonight. (I won't be able to cover it all, so please check out the box score.) After May had spotted the Senators five runs, the Rock Cats came out assaulting the baseball in the fourth. Fifteen batters came to the plate, ten crossed the plate. The seventh was more of the same. Ten batters batted and six runs scored. Danny Ortiz went 4-for-5 including a double and three RBI. Both Antoan Richardson and Josmil Pinto had two doubles and two RBI. James Beresford drove in four. The top pitching prospect in the organization, Alex Meyer (2-0, 1.64) takes the hill tomorrow at 6:35 ET. FT MYERS MIRACLE 5, CLEARWATER THRASHERS 4 Box Score It took three runs in the top of the ninth for the Miracle to come back and win their 20th game of the season. They are the first team in affiliated baseball to reach that milestone. Kudos to Doug Mientkiewicz and everyone else involved. After Levi Michael's two-run 6th-inning home run, the Miracle still needed a little bit of luck to pull out the come-from-behind victory. Down to their last out - and with the tying runner on second - Matt Koch reached on an error. This allowed Stephen Wickens the opportunity to triple in the tying and winning runs. Miguel Sano went 2-for-4 with two doubles and is now batting .366. Tom Stuifbergen, whose start was pushed back due to illness, pitched 2.2 innings and struck out one. He allowed a hit. He was removed due to cramping which he attributed to the dehydration he suffered from being sick earlier in the week. Nelvin Fuentes, did a fantastic job pitching 3.1 innings of no-hit ball and striking out five. Dakota Watts blew a save opportunity by giving up three runs on four hits in an inning. Zack Jones pitched two innings and gave up a home run, but got the win. D.J. Baxendale (3-0, 1.54) takes on Clearwater tomorrow night at 7 ET. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 9, LANSING LUGNUTS 1 Box Score The Kernels, trying not to be outdone by their big brother in Fort Myers, won their 8th straight game today. Jose Berrios had another very good game to earn his second win in two starts. He went 6.2 innings and allowed two hits and a run. He struck out eight and walked zero. His fastball sat at 92-94, peaking at 95. Josh Burris struck out three in his 2.1 inning debut. Overshadowed as just "another international signee" in 2009 (when Sano signed) and currently in the shadow of Buxton in Cedar Rapids, we've got a breakout candidate in Cedar Rapids' Jorge Polanco. Polanco, who has mainly been playing second base this season, was tonight's designated hitter and went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI. He's now batting .353, with an OPS of .890. Both Buxton and Walker added triples. Travis Harrison hit his 3rd (but really his 4th- see my report on Saturday's game) home run of the season. DJ Hicks added a two-run double, his eighth. Buxton stole his 9th base of the season. Matt Tomshaw (0-0, 9.00) returns to the mound at 12:05 pm tomorrow. As always, if you have questions/comments, please let me know. Thanks!

Lots of drama today. Fortunately, the drama all ended in celebration. (Even for the Minnesota Wild.) The Twins got back to .500 this afternoon after beating the Rangers 7-2. Pedro Hernandez provided a very strong shutout effort (5 IP, 5 H, BB, 3 K). The bullpen continued to shine, preserving the shutout while the offense added a handful of insurance runs. Glen Perkins pitched a very low-leverage ninth. He walked the first two batters before getting the next two guys out. He then gave up a (misjudged by Hicks) double and two runs, before striking out the game's final batter. Josh Willingham's 6th inning home run gave him his 25th Target Field Home Run, eclipsing Jim Thome's mark by one and setting a new Target Field record. Let's take a look around the farm: ROCHESTER RED WINGS 1, BUFFALO BISONS 0 Box Score The spotlight shone on Kyle Gibson today. Gibson, who recorded his first AAA victory since May 29, 2011, pitched 6.2 scoreless innings. He struck out seven. He walked two and allowed two hits. Caleb Thielbar struck out three of the four batters he faced. Tim Wood made yet another impressive rehab appearance. He retired all three batters he faced on 11 pitches, recording his first AAA save of the season. During the AAA-portion of his rehab, opposing hitters are 1-for-16 against Wood in the five innings he has pitched. The offense only managed four hits: Evan Bigley and Joe Benson had consecutive singles in the 3rd inning, but were stranded. Bigley had a leadoff double in the 5th, moved on a sacrifice bunt and later scored on an Eric Farris sacrifice fly. Nate Hanson added a leadoff single in the 7th before being forced out at second to end the inning. Fortunately, that little bit of offense was enough to get the win. The victory gives the Red Wings their first four-game winning streak since the four-game period from July 29 to August 5, 2012. Liam Hendriks (0-1, 4.63) will be on the mound tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 ET looking to help the Red Wings win their second game in this four-game wraparound series. At 9-14, the Red Wings have climbed out of the cellar. In addition to that, De Vries, Wood and Deduno (whether it's those three or someone else) will benefit the Red Wings as they return to health. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 4, RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS 2 Box Score Despite being out-hit (13-9) and committing three errors, the Rock Cats escaped with a victory. After a 2nd inning James Beresford double scored Danny Ortiz to give the Rock Cats a 1-0 lead, they added to that lead in the 3rd on a Josmil Pinto 3-run home run. Those four runs proved to be enough for victory. B.J. Hermsen made his second start of the year. He lasted 4.2 innings, allowing nine hits and a run. He walked one and struck out two. Not his most effective outing, but he did throw 92 pitches, so that's a good sign. Jose Gonzalez (who got the win) was able to get it to the 8th. Edgar Ibarra made a mess and Michael Tonkin cleaned it up for the save. Pat Dean (0-2, 4.35) up next for the Rock Cats tomorrow at 1:35 ET. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 2, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS 1 Box Score Walk-offs are exciting when you're the winning team. A walk-off walk is less exciting, but, hey, it's still exciting. Much like the Rock Cats, the Miracle managed minimal offense. Three hits to be exact. (Yeah, A.J.'s hit-streak is over.) Drew Leachman singled in the 5th, but was caught stealing third to end the inning. Matt Koch singled to lead off the 8th, was replaced by Stephen Wickens as a pinch-runner and scored on Angel Morales' double. So there are your three hits. But wait there's more... (the recap from milb.com) Fort Myers Bottom of the 9th Pitching Change: Jacob Partridge replaces Lenny Linsky. Miguel Sano walks. Drew Leachman flies out to left fielder Jeff Malm. Kennys Vargas walks. Miguel Sano to 2nd. Kyle Knudson walks. Miguel Sano to 3rd. Kennys Vargas to 2nd. Andy Leer strikes out swinging. Angel Morales walks. Miguel Sano scores. Kennys Vargas to 3rd. Kyle Knudson to 2nd. So there you have it. Literally, a walk-around-the-bases walkoff. The pitchers got it done. Matt Summers went seven strong innings. He struck out three and gave up a run on five hits. No walks. Taylor Rogers gave up a hit in an inning pitched. Cole Johnson gets the win for his scoreless inning pitched. The Miracle have now improved to 18-4. Tomorrow's scheduled starter, Taylor Rogers, pitched an inning tonight. I believe Tom Stuifbergen missed a start due to illness, so he may be the guy that takes the ball tomorrow at 1 ET. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3905[/ATTACH] (Rinaldi Photos) CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 8, GREAT LAKES LOONS 7 Box Score Walk-offs are exciting when you're the winning team. The walk-off in this game is of the most-exciting variety. Let's get you up to speed... Mason Melotakis had a rough five innings. He allowed five hits and gave out four free passes. He struck out seven and left the game down 4-3. Manuel Soliman went 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk. He struck out four. In the 8th inning, Tim Atherton comes in to a 7-4 game. He gets the Kernels out of the inning and also retires the side in the 9th. Turning the page to offense... Byron Buxton walked and scored on a Jorge Polanco double. In the 4th, Tyler Grimes doubled Adam Walked home (who had walked) and a Buxton sacrifice fly drove Grimes in. In the 9th inning, down three, Niko Goodrum walked. DJ Hicks hit a groundball that the Loon shortstop booted. Up walks Adam Walker, the tying run, trying to extend his home-run-streak to four games. And he did. Walker now leads the MWL with six home runs and 25 RBI. I wrote this about him in the Prospect Handbook: He is proving it every night. Atherton continued on the mound, finishing with five Ks in 3.1 inning. David Hurlbut got a flyball out to finish the top half of the 11th. The excitement picked up in the bottom half. Goodrum led off the inning with a single. Polanco bunted him over before Hicks hit a single that advanced Goodrum to third. Adam Walker came up again, but was intentionally walked to load the bases. Mauer decided to go to the bench and have Travis Harrison hit for Tyler Grimes. Hit he did. Harrison turned a pitch around and it cleared the fence. The Kernels win by WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM! Right? Well, after further review, the players went nuts and Hicks and Walker never advanced. Goodrum scored the winning run and, officially, Harrison gets an RBI single. Exciting, yes; but less exciting than a walk-off grand slam... or even a solo grand slam. Here's a good write-up on Adam Walker after last night's game. Josh Burris joined the Kernels. Chris Mazza headed back to EST. That opens up a spot on the roster. Luke Bard tweeted about his flight, but the destination is unknown. Could he be flying into Cedar Rapids or the Cities? Tyler Duffey (2-1, 2.29) will be on mound at 2:05 CT tomorrow

It's April 22, yet we're experiencing another snowstorm. The Twins were postponed and will play a split-doubleheader tomorrow (hopefully; I wouldn't bet on it). And despite having a day-off Wednesday, there won't be a game because the Marlins have 20 straight days with games starting Thursday, so they can't play Wednesday. Only three affiliates were in action today, let's see how they did: [ATTACH=CONFIG]3840[/ATTACH] espn.com (Bruce Kluckhohn/Getty Images) Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, Burlington Bees 4 Box Score Jose Berrios made his highly-anticipated full-season debut tonight. Berrios joined the team after spending some time stretching out in Fort Myers after being used sparingly by the Puerto Rican National Team in the World Baseball Classic (where he struck out Robinson Cano). Had Berrios been on the Opening Day roster, he would have been the 9th-youngest player (and 4th-youngest pitcher) in the Midwest League. He had a solid performance, but appeared to have some nerves early. He gave up runs in each of his first two innings and misplayed a bunt (that was generously ruled a hit) before settling down. He had a final line of five innings, seven hits, two walks, five strikeouts and the aforementioned runs. Reports from the field had him sitting in the low-90s, but touching as high as 96. JD Williams led the offense with two doubles and a home run. He also drew a walk, scored twice and drove in three runs. Oh, and he stole a base too. He calls himself part of the "Soul Patrol" with Byron Buxton and Niko Goodrum, but he might be rejoining Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario if he keeps it up. Adam Walker had a triple and showed off his big-time power with a long home run. Byron Buxton went 1-for-4 with a stolen base. When he was 0-for-3 tonight, his average dropped to .392. The single got it back up to .404. Manuel Soliman walked three in two scoreless innings. Chris Mazza had to be relieved after giving up two runs and leaving the bases loaded in the 9th. Tim Atherton relieved him and closed the game with three strikeouts with the bases loaded. LP Brett Lee (0-0, 0.00), who has been quite impressive in his eight innings of limited work, takes the mound tomorrow at 11:30 am. (The forecast isn't good, so make sure you check the weather before you drive from the Cities.) Congrats to Taylor Rogers on his promotion to Fort Myers. Rochester Red Wings 2, Pawtucket Red Sox 8 Box Score Liam Hendriks again failed to channel his AAA dominance of a year ago, instead showing glimpses of his major league-self. In particular, it took Hendriks 97 pitches (63 strikes) to pitch 5.2 innings. His line was not bad though: eight hits, a walk, two runs and five strikeouts. While his demotion was somewhat puzzling at the time, he has been able to make two starts for Rochester, while Pedro Hernandez (and basically the entire staff) hasn’t pitched at all due to the ridiculous weather we’ve been having in the Upper Midwest. The first wave of the bullpen did a great job keeping the Red Wings in the game. Mike O’Connor and Tim Wood combined for 2.1 scoreless innings. And then Manager Glynn turned a tie ball game over to Anthony Slama. For all of you who supported the #FreeSlama campaign, you may get your wish soon. Tonight’s one-out effort included three hits, two walks and five runs. He’s now dropped to 0-4 with an ERA of 18.47. (Slama may have suffered an injury, stay tuned.) Daniel Turpen got the final two outs and allowed another run, but the damage was already done. The Red Wings offense managed only seven hits. A double by Chris Herrmann and two singles by Evan Bigley were the offensive highlights. Bigley (who just joined Rochester) is batting .400. Chris Colabello (.333) and Clete Thomas (.326) are the only regulars batting over .200. Scary, and sad. While there is no scheduled starter listed at this time, it would appear to be Virgil Vasquez’s turn in the rotation. Vasquez (2-1, 4.80) has pitched pretty well in his three starts to date. Fort Myers Miracle 4, Palm Beach Cardinals 7 Box Score A day after losing to Palm Beach in extra innings, the Miracle drop their third straight. Tonight’s loss was the result of a blown save in the 7th innings. Starting pitcher Matt Summers allowed ten hits in four innings. Those hits, and a walk, resulted in three runs. He struck out three. Cole Johnson pitched two scoreless innings. Chad Rogers, who came out to open the seventh innings, only recorded two outs, but allowed four runs (one earned). Adrian Salcedo struck out three of his four outs. Miguel Sano kept it simple today. He singled twice and stole a base (his first of the year). Kyle Knudson added two hits. Kennys Vargas had a double. Eddie Rosario added a triple. AJ Pettersen, now batting .352 and playing SS almost every day, has extended his hitting streak to seven games. Tomorrow’s scheduled starter, Madison Boer, was placed on the 7-day DL with a broken hand. RP Ryan O’Rourke was also placed on the 7-day DL. The Miracle will play at 6:35 pm ET. New Britain Rock Cats had an off-day today. Trevor May (0-1, 3.14) will be back on the mound tomorrow at New Hampshire at 6:35 pm ET. May, who is rivaling teammate Alex Meyer to be the organizational strikeout king, will look to limit his free passes. He has already issued 10 walks in 14.1 innings. He’s also allowed three home runs in three starts. RP Marty Popham was released to make room for SP B.J. Hermsen prior to yesterday’s game. If you have any questions or comments, please post below. You can also find me on Twitter @jeremynygaard.

The draft is now only six weeks away. Some things are starting to come into focus; other things are as cloudy as ever. A quick reminder: The Twins first pick (fourth overall) has a draft slot value of just around $4.5 million. The strategy that the Twins select the Best Player Available early in the draft remains true. The Twins will follow that strategy yet again this year. Though it should be pointed out – as I do each month – that the Twins very rarely deviate from the norm: In the last 20 years, the Twins have had 24 1st round draft picks (not counting supplemental picks). Of those 24 picks, 11 have been prep position players and eight have been college pitchers. The other two groups: college position players (4) and prep pitchers (1) have been much less represented. In the eyes of those in the front office, when the draft board is stacked, an emphasis is placed on two groups: prep position players and college pitchers. So while there may always be a debate about who is the BPA, the Twins will likely error on the side of one of those groups. Easy enough to follow, right? Typically, yes. This year, I don’t believe so. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3816[/ATTACH] I recently inquired about Kohl Stewart, a prep pitcher from Texas. The response I got from a Twins source read as follows: The answer is four. The first two have not been good. The last two, Jameson Taillon and Dylan Bundy, however, have been excellent. In addition to that, another prepster, Jose Fernandez has made his big-league debut despite being drafted after some college pitchers who are still in the minors. The second part of the text is what took me a little bit by surprise. The piecing together of this draft board just got more difficult… JEREMY’S SMALL BOARD (Keep in mind, please, that this is not a “mock draft”. This is not a reflection of my top players. This is my attempt at stacking a “Twins Draft Board”, based on a number of things.) 1) Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma (previous: 4) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: I don’t think the Twins have a discernible difference between the top two prospects on the board. And because of that, if given the choice between the two, it would be much easier to draft Gray. Gray turned down $500,000 a few years ago, and despite having the leverage to return to school for another year, Gray doesn’t have an agent (yet) that is out trying to break records and make points. (Chance Gray drops to Twins: .01%) 2) Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford (previous: 1) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Appel could be in an Opening Day rotation as soon as 2014. If he lasted until the Twins picked at #4, he would help form quite the two-headed monster with Alex Meyer. Of course, the questions with Appel will always be attached to his price tag and his advisor, Scott Boras. There is some growing thought that getting anything over the $3.8 million that he turned down last year would prove Boras’ point and make Appel a winner. I still think that the Twins would have to borrow against the rest of their draft to get him under contract. But that is a risk I’d be willing to take, if given the opportunity. (Chance Appel drops to Twins: 5%) 3) Kohl Stewart, RHP, Texas HS (previous: NR) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Let me preface this by saying that there is a big gap after Gray and Appel. You could probably list six to eight names here and have an argument. When it comes down to it, the “upside” is what leads Stewart to this position. Equipped with a mid-90s fastball and wipeout slider, Stewart has top-of-the-rotation stuff. The Twins – and every other team in baseball – will need to do their homework, though. Stewart is also a stud QB (and committed to Texas A&M) who’s price tag may determine where he gets drafted. There have already been reports that the Astros are sniffing around the local (to Houston) product with thoughts of popping him 1-1, much the same as they did last year in drafting Carlos Correa. (Chance Stewart drops to Twins: 85%) 4) Austin Meadows, OF, Georgia HS (previous: 8) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: While I prefer the flair of Clint Frazier, the Twins apparently have Meadows, the “more complete package”, rated higher. Meadows is younger (still 17) and, in comparing the two, has favor in all the “Twins Typical” categories: better defender, better baseball-feel, better hit-instincts, better base-runner. The feel I get about Meadows is that he would fit perfectly (eventually) in left field. A .300-type hitter with power and speed might make Twins fans go crazy for the simple fact that he is what he is: ANOTHER TOOLSY OUTFIELDER! (Chance Meadows drops to Twins: 65%) 5) Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State (previous: 2) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: I’ve been a fan of Manaea since he dominated the Cape Cod League last summer. In his last four starts on that circuit, Manaea went 30 innings, allowed seven hits and one walk – that’s a WHIP of .267 – and struck out 47 (for a K/9 of 14.1). He was dialed up and dialed in, throwing in the high-90s. He hasn’t been the same guy since. In fact, if it weren’t for last summer, Manaea would be a “projectable lefty” going in the second half of the first round. Manaea really seems to labor when there are runners on base and, despite having the advantage of being a lefty, has a non-existent pickoff move. He’s much further away from the big leagues than either Gray or Appel, but that Cape Cod success carries a lot of weight with the Twins brass. Personally, I feel this is a “can’t-go-wrong” pick for the Twins and their fans, even though plenty of question marks surround him. (Chance Manaea drops to Twins: 60%) 6) Colin Moran, 3B, North Carolina (previous: NR) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Moran is arguably the top collegiate bat in all the draft. He shares a quality with the Twins most recently drafted collegiate hitter, Levi Michael, in that they both attended North Carolina. I have Moran ranked higher than Kris Bryant, because the likelihood (at least in the Twins eyes) is that, presumably, Moran has a better chance to stick at third. (If they wanted to draft a first baseman fourth overall, they’ll take California prep 1B Dominic Smith – which they won’t do.) (Chance Moran drops to Twins: 80%) 7) Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas (previous: 7) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: It’s plenty ironic that the prospect who has seen his stock fluctuate the most is the only player on this board who sits in the same position as he sat last month. Stanek still possesses both a very good fastball and slider, but hasn’t had the results (up until recently) to back up the hype. He’s had short outings where he’s thrown far too many pitches. And then he goes and blows away LSU, a team that may have the most potent offense in the NCAA. Although drafting Stanek would be an upset, it could pay huge dividends down the road. (Chance Stanek drops to Twins: 99%) 8) Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego (previous: NR) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Bryant ranks near the top of all power hitters in this draft. If he were in the Twins system, only Sano would have more raw power. Like Sano, there are many questions about where Bryant plays defensively. He won’t get a ringing endorsement from scouts that he can stay at 3B or handle RF, making him a 1B. Power was an emphasis last year – and may be again this year – and that could help the big right-hander’s chances of getting drafted by the Twins. (Chance Bryant drops to Twins: 65%) 9) Clint Frazier, OF, Georgia HS (previous: 3) WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Frazier may very well be gone by the time the Twins draft. Scouts are split on him and Meadows and both have a chance to go Colorado. It comes down to preference and the Twins prefer Meadows. (Chance Frazier drops to Twins: 65%) Other notes: OF Ryan Boldt, Red Wing HS, has been dealing with the same weather as the rest of us in the Midwest. He’s been holding workouts in the hockey rink. He did enough last summer, though, to prove that he’s a 1st rounder. While it would be neat for the Twins to draft him, they won’t be able to. P Logan Shore, Blaine HS, is the top prep pitcher in the state. He’s signed to play next year at Florida and may prove to be a difficult sign, unless he goes in the first couple of rounds. A guy that I mentioned as someone I liked in the last update, Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Tennessee HS, underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month. He will miss the remainder of his senior season and enroll in Vanderbilt in the fall. While it’s doubtful that he will sign, it wouldn’t shock me if a team took a flyer on him at some point in the draft as a Plan D fallback option. A name to remember is Tyler Palka, OF/1B, Georgia Tech. The Twins don’t typically draft a lot of first baseman, but they always seem to draft one. Palka has big-time power from the left-side of the plate. Another player with questions defensively, Palka is holding his own in the outfield, but will settle at first base. Palka would be a cheaper alternative to taking Moran or Bryant fourth overall. There will probably be one more installment in mid-to-late May before making minor changes up until the draft on June 6. Feel free to discuss. You can follow me on Twitter (@jeremynygaard) for draft updates.