Tom Froemming

I always figured you'd make for a real nutty GM

It's a bummer Odorizzi doesn't go more than five innings all that often, but on the plus side he's a solid bet to go five. He's done that in 19 of his 26 starts, just about the same as Berrios (18 of 25). Also, Odorizzi has pitched to Garver way more often than the other two guys who have been in the rotation all year. With Garver 94.1 - Odorizzi (72.2% of his IP) 44.0 - Berrios (28.6% of his IP) 41.2 - Gibson (27.1% of his IP) I love Mitch, and the only way he's going to get better is by playing, but I see that breakdown and I feel like Odorizzi deserves some extra credit. I don't think there's any question that Wilson and (before he went down) Castro are miles ahead of Garver in terms of game calling. It's not like Odo was ever Mr. Efficiency, but he did average 5.67 innings per start over the four years prior to joining the Twins, and that's down to 5.03 this year. I feel very comfortable penciling Jake into the rotation next season.

Facing Eddie Rosario has to drive pitchers crazy. No location is safe. No count is safe. Rosario hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth on an 0-2 pitch that was out of the strike zone. It was up and in, Rosie sent it high and deep. The Twins entered this game with just an 11-19 record in one-run games, but Trevor Hildenberger (just barely) managed to make that lead hold up.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Odorizzi: 53 Game Score, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 7 K, 2 BB, 59.6% strikes (59 of 99 pitches) Home Runs: Kepler (16), Cave (5), Rosario (22) Multi-Hit Games: Austin (2-for-3) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Hildenberger .226, Rosario .224, Kepler .120, Austin .100 WPA of -0.1 or lower: None Download attachment: WinChart819.png Here’s Rosario’s rocket ... There was quite a bit of roster news to come out of Target Field the last 24 fours. Ervin Santana was placed back on the DL, Johnny Field was optioned back to Rochester. Alan Busenitz and Robbie Grossman are on their way back up. Also, Stephen Gonsalves will make his Major League debut tomorrow. Gonsalves won’t be the only significant debut the Twins see this week, as the White Sox are calling up Michael Kopech, ranked the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, to face the Twins Tuesday. The Twins will need to make a move to add Gonsalves to the active roster. Logan Forsythe cleared waivers and can be traded to any team in baseball ... UPDATE: Tyler Duffey will be sent back down to Rochester to make room for Gonsalves. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen819.png AL Central Standings CLE 71-52 MIN 59-64 (-12) DET 51-74 (-21) CHW 46-77 (-25) KC 38-86 (-33.5) Next Three Games Mon vs. CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Stephen Gonsalves vs. Lucas Giolito Tue at CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. TBD Wed at CHW, 1:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. TBD Last Three Games DET 7, MIN 5: Stewart Bombs Second Audition MIN 5, DET 4: Take a Bow, Joe MIN 15, DET 8: Five Hits for Forsythe in Busy Night on the Bases Click here to view the article

Kohl Stewart made his second big league start Saturday night at Target Field. It didn’t go so well. The lineup flexed its muscles, socking four home runs. It wasn’t enough. The Tigers did a better job of taking advantage of opportunities, getting a huge three-run homer off Tyler Duffey, and ended up squeaking out a victory.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Kohl Stewart: 35 Game Score, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 4 BB, 47.7% strikes (31 of 65 pitches) Home Runs: Mauer (5), Austin (11), Sano (11), Garver (7) Multi-Hit Games: Mauer (3-for-5, 2B, HR), Austin (3-for-4, HR), Sano (2-for-4, HR, BB) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Mauer .141 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Rosario -.122, Duffey -.177, Forsythe -.203, Stewart -.216 Download attachment: WinChart818.png I’d be willing to bet Stewart threw the lowest percentage of strikes any Twins starter has all season. I haven’t kept a running tally or anything, but 47.7 percent is awfully low. Nobody can be effective pitching like that, let alone a guy in his second major league start. Stewart has now given up six earned runs on eight hits and five walks over the first seven innings of his career. You’d have to imagine another young starter will get an opportunity the next time this rotation spot rolls around. Duffey was tasked with providing some length out of the bullpen. He only allowed four baserunners in his 2 1/3 innings of work. The problem was one of the hits was a three-run homer. Ouch. Tough to win a ballgame when you give up six runs in the first five innings. That three-run shot from Mikie Mahtook was Detroit’s only homer. The Twins hit four homers — one each from Joe Mauer, Tyler Austin, Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver — but only got a grand total of five runs off them. After Duffey, the Twins’ bullpen was great. Trevor May pitched a perfect inning, Gabriel Moya shut out Detroit in his inning of work, Addison Reed gave up an unearned run in his frame and Oliver Drake pitched a perfect ninth. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen818.png Next Three Games Sun vs. DET, 1:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. TBD Mon vs. CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Lucas Giolito Tue vs CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Ervin Santana vs. TBD Last Three Games MIN 5, DET 4: Take a Bow, Joe MIN 15, DET 8: Five Hits for Forsythe in Busy Night on the Bases MIN 6, PIT 4: New-Look Bullpen Boosts Twins Over Buccos Click here to view the article

There are still three AL teams who don't have a pinch-hit homer, including the Yankees. The AL average is one and the White Sox are the only team with more than two.

Molitor mentioned how he wanted to get Magill some looks in late-inning situations. Why tonight was the time to give him a shot to close, I'm not sure. On Rogers, he seems to be Molly's go-to guy in a jam. Rogers has only allowed nine of his 32 inherited runners to score (28.1%) while, just for comparison's sake, 14 of 23 have scored on Hildenberger (60.9%). I'm happy to see different guys getting opportunities in different spots. I don't think they should lock anybody in as the closer or only reserve certain guys for blowouts like Molitor has done so often in the past. Being flexible and using guys to their strengths is the best way to really get the most out of your entire bullpen, in my opinion.

If there’s one good reason to keep tuning into the Twins the rest of this season, it’s because we could very will be watching the end of Joe Mauer’s career. He provided a special moment for the home crowd Friday night. With the Twins trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Joe Mauer came off the bench to blast a three-run homer that put the Twins up for good.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Kyle Gibson: 56 Game Score, 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, 65.7% strikes (67 of 102 pitches) Home Runs: Rosario (21), Austin (10), Mauer (4) Multi-Hit Games: Austin (2-for-4, HR) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Mauer .418, Austin .170, Rogers .146 WPA of -0.1 or lower: None Download attachment: WinChart817.png No use in wasting time … Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen817.png AL Central Standings CLE 70-51 MIN 58-63 (-12) DET 50-73 (-21) CHW 44-76 (-25.5) KC 37-84 (-33) Next Three Games Sat vs. DET, 6:10 pm CT: Kohl Stewart vs. Ryan Carpenter Sun vs. DET, 1:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Blaine Hardy Mon vs. CHW, 7:10 pm CT: TBD Last Three Games MIN 15, DET 8: Five Hits for Forsythe in Busy Night on the Bases MIN 6, PIT 4: New-Look Bullpen Boosts Twins Over Buccos MIN 5, PIT 2: Odorizzi, Polanco Spark Comeback Click here to view the article

A conga line broke out on the basepaths at Target Field last night. The Twins’ pitching staff gave up eight run on 10 hits and six walks, yet they still won by seven runs. The offensive outburst was led by Logan Forsythe, who was a perfect 5-for-5.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Ervin Santana: 7 Game Score, 4.0 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 K, 3 BB, 62.5% strikes (45 of 72 pitches) Home Runs: Polanco (2), Sano (10), Adrianza (5) Multi-Hit Games: Forsythe (5-for-5, 2 2B), Mauer (2-for-4, 2B, BB), Polanco (2-for-4, HR), Sano (2-for-4, HR, BB) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Forsythe .216, Adrianza .179, Polanco .165, May .152, Mauer .109 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Santana -.349 Download attachment: WinChart816.png After tonight’s hit parade, Forsythe is now 22-for-49 since joining the Twins, posting a .449/.500/.531 batting line. He only had 40 hits in 198 at bats with the Dodgers this season. The Twins have struggled to score runs in bunches this season, but they managed to rack up 15 runs despite only scoring in three separate innings. Jorge Polanco hit a three-run homer in the first inning, the five-run second inning was highlighted by a Miguel Sano two-run homer and they managed to tally seven runs in the sixth thanks in part to an Ehire Adrianza two-run blast. This was Ervin Santana’s fifth start of the season. He now has an 8.03 ERA. Not sure how a team out of contention could possibly justify continually trotting out a struggling 35-year-old on an expiring contract (there’s no way they’re picking up his $14 million option). Santana loaded the bases without recording an out in the fifth inning. Trevor May took over and walked in two inherited runners, bringing Detroit back within a run of the Twins. May also pitched a scoreless sixth inning. Addison Reed gave up a run over his two innings of work and Oliver Drake delivered a clean ninth inning. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen816.png AL Central Standings CLE 69-51 MIN 57-63 (-12) DET 50-72 (-20) CHW 44-76 (-25) KC 37-84 (-32.5) Next Three Games Fri vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Matthew Boyd Sat vs. DET, 6:10 pm CT: Kohl Stewart vs. Artie Lewicki Sun vs. DET, 1:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Blaine Hardy Last Three Games MIN 6, PIT 4: New-Look Bullpen Boosts Twins Over Buccos MIN 5, PIT 2: Odorizzi, Polanco Spark Comeback DET 4, MIN 2: Stewart Debuts, Bats Slump in Loss Click here to view the article

You’re not going to win many games in which your starting pitcher goes less than four innings. On the other hand, you’re probably not going to lose many games in which Bobby Wilson hits a home run. Both of those things happened in Wednesday afternoon’s game, but it was the Twins’ bullpen that really turned in the performance that mattered.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Jose Berrios: 30 Game Score, 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 K, 2 BB, 66.3% strikes (57 of 86 pitches) Home Runs: Bobby Wilson (2) Multi-Hit Games: Logan Forsyhte (2-for-3, BB), Bobby Wilson (2-for-3, HR) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Forsythe .225, Wilson .183, Duffey .170 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Adrianza -.103, Berrios -.288 Download attachment: WinChart815.png This was Berrios’ second-shortest outing of the year, but the third time in his last five starts he failed to complete five innings. It took him 86 pitches just to record 11 outs. He gave up seven hits, walked two batters and hit another. To make matters worse for Berrios, the defense committed two errors behind him. Jorge Polanco skipped a throw that first baseman Ehire Adrianza couldn’t scoop, resulting in a run, and Eddie Rosario, playing right field for the second-straight game, couldn’t cleanly field a single. Miguel Sano made a pretty nifty play on a foul popup. His momentum carried him into the Pittsburgh dugout, but luckily the Pirates were quick to come to Miguel’s rescue. Oh wait, that’s not how it happened at all … How about a li'l help here fellas? Bad karma right there ... The Twins managed to get to Chris Archer, taking a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, and the new-look Twins bullpen stood strong. Oliver Drake kept things clean for 1 1/3 innings. He’s now up to 4 1/3 shutout innings since joining the Twins. Gabriel Moya gave up singles to three of the seven batters he faced, but thanks to Tyler Duffey, he also ended the day with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Since being called back up in late July, Moya has given up three earned runs over 11 2/3 innings (2.31 ERA). Going back to Duffey, he took over with runners on first and second and one out in the seventh. A huge spot with the Twins clinging to a one-run lead. He got the next two batters to fly out, ending the threat. Since his return, Duffey has now thrown 3-1/3 no-hit innings. A couple more familiar faces took over from there, as Taylor Rogers handled the eighth before Trevor Hildenberger got the job done in the ninth for his third save. Altogether, the bullpen combined for 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball, giving up five hits and two walks while striking out four batters. Logan Forsythe was 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs. He’s gone 17-for-44 (.386) since joining the Twins. Bobby Wilson had an RBI single in the second inning, then added a solo homer in the seventh. Karma. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen815.png AL Central Standings CLE 68-51 MIN 56-63 (-12) DET 50-71 (-19) CHW 44-76 (-24.5) KC 36-83 (-32) Next Three Game Thu vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT: Ervin Santana vs. Francisco Liriano Fri vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Matthew Boyd Sat vs. DET, 6:10 pm CT: Kohl Stewart vs. Artie Lewicki Last Three Games MIN 5, PIT 2: Odorizzi, Polanco Spark Comeback DET 4, MIN 2: Stewart Debuts, Bats Slump in Loss MIN 4, DET 3: Austin Homers, Hildy Survives Save Chance Click here to view the article

I know for sure Bryant filed a grievance, but I believe that's still unresolved. The big difference is those guys had their MLB debuts delayed. I think it's a lot more reasonable to say you couldn't find a spot for a rookie on your 25-man roster. Byron Buxton was honored as the best defensive player in baseball last season, finished 18th in AL MVP voting and the would be held off of an expanded roster. This situation may also be addressed differently because, unlike those other guys at the time, Buxton is already in the union.

I can't see anyway the Twins can get away with Option B if he's healthy. No minor league games for him to play in, MLB rosters have expanded, but you're just going to send him home? What defense would they have against a claim that it's blatant service time manipulation? There should absolutely be a grievance filed if that happens. Now would/should the Twins care about that? I don't know, those take years to resolve, so in reality maybe it doesn't matter much. Still, it'd be a bad look. I'm sure the Twins would love it if Buxton just suffered another injury that was bad enough to shut him down for the year, but not serious to the point where it would threaten his 2019 season. Watch your back out there, Byron ...

Jake Odorizzi looked like he was going to completely derail in the second inning. He gave up a pair of runs on two hits and a couple of walks. Meanwhile, Pirates starter Jameson Taillon was perfect through the first three frames. That script flipped real quick. Odorizzi averted the train wreck. The Twins got to Taillon.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Jake Odorizzi: 65 Game Score, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 2 BB, 65.7% strikes Home Runs: Miguel Sano (9) Multi-Hit Games: Joe Mauer (2-for-3, BB), Jorge Polanco (2-for-4, 2B), Max Kepler (2-for-4) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Duffey .170, Polanco .100 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Forsythe -.109 Download attachment: WinChart814.png Outside of that rocky second inning, Odorizzi was outstanding. He held Pittsburgh to two runs on four hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings while striking out nine. He ran into some trouble in the sixth and was lifted after giving up back-to-back singles. It was a big spot in the game, as the Twins were clinging to a 3-2 lead, and Paul Molitor turned to Tyler Duffey. He got Francisco Cervelli swinging to end the threat. Duffey stayed in and delivered a 1-2-3 seventh inning as well. The Twins’ big three-run fourth inning was kicked off by a Joe Mauer single, followed by an Eddie Rosario double then a two-run single from Jorge Polanco. He scored on a Mex Kepler single later in the inning. The Twins got a pair of insurance runs in the eighth thanks to a Miguel Sano home run that plated Polanco. Trevor Hildenberger earned his second save of the season. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen814.png AL Central Standings CLE 68-51 MIN 55-63 (-12.5) DET 50-70 (-18.5) CHW 43-76 (-25) KC 36-82 (-31.5) Next Three Game Wed vs. PIT, 12:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Chris Archer Thu vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT: TBD vs. Francisco Liriano Fri vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT: TBD vs. Matthew Boyd Last Three Games DET 4, MIN 2: Stewart Debuts, Bats Slump in Loss MIN 4, DET 3: Austin Homers, Hildy Survives Save Chance DET 5, MIN 3: Is There Anything Left? Click here to view the article

It's been awesome to see how he's come along. Pre All-Star Game: .259/.314/.463, 10 HR, 78 K, 20 BB in 65 games Post All-Star Game: .290/.385/.568, 11 HR, 52 K, 27 BB in 46 games Everything trending in the right direction.

Welcome to another edition of the Twins Prospect Pulse. Over the past month the system got a big boost from additions made around the trade deadline and we’ve seen some of the 2018 draftees already promoted up to full-season leagues. Here’s a rundown of how each affiliate is performing, a quick look at how the Twins Daily top 20 prospects are performing and a look at how some of those new names are doing.This is a feature designed to keep those of you who are more casual followers of the system up to speed on what’s happening in the minor leagues. This will be posted mid-month going forward, the intention being that it will complement Seth’s Minor League Player of the Month Award articles nicely. Speaking of which, here are the award winners from July: Hitter: Ryan Jeffers Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober Relief Pitcher: Jovani Moran Below are the stats for this edition of the Prospect Pulse. All numbers were pulled on the morning of August 14. Affiliates -Rochester Red Wings: 53-65, fifth in the International League North -Chattanooga Lookouts: 20-28 second half, last place in the Southern League North (56-61 overall) -Fort Myers Miracle: 30-20 second half, second in the Florida State League South (58-60 overall) -Cedar Rapids Kernels: 31-19 second half, second place in the Midwest League Western (63-56 overall) -Elizabethton Twins: 28-21, first place in the Appalachian League West -GSL Twins: 25-19, second place in the Gulf Coast League South -DSL Twins: 42-19, tied for first place in the Dominican Summer League South Top Prospects Here’s a snapshot at how the top 20 prospects have performed. We unveiled our Midseason Top Prospect List in mid-July, so it does not include any of the prospects added around the trade deadline. More on them in just a moment … 1. Royce Lewis, SS, Fort Myers Last 28 days: .303/.395/.485 (.880 OPS), 16.7 K%, 12.3 BB% Full season: .315/.379/.484 (.863 OPS), 15.3 K%, 8.7 BB% 2. Alex Kirilloff, RF, Fort Myers Last 28 days: .430/.446/.624 (1.069 OPS), 12.9 K%, 4.0 BB% Full season: .346/.389/.576 (.965 OPS), 16.0 K%, 6.4 BB% 3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP, Fort Myers Last 28 days: 23.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 3.71 K:BB Full season: 79.0 IP, 3.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 4.35 K:BB 4. Nick Gordon, SS/2B, Rochester Last 28 days: .150/.213/.160 (.373 OPS), 23.1 K%, 6.5 BB% Full season: .254/.295/.372 (.667 OPS), 18.0 K%, 4.8 BB% 5. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Rochester Last 28 days: 30.1 IP, 2.08 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 2.08 K:BB Full season: 114.2 IP, 2.90 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 1.83 K:BB 6. Trevor Larnach, RF, Cedar Rapids Last 28 days: .299/.382/.494 (.877 OPS), 13.7 K%, 10.8 BB% Full season: Same as above. 7. Brent Rooker, 1B/LF, Chattanooga Last 28 days: .318/.443/.600 (1.043 OPS), 17.0 K%, 18.9 BB% Full season: .271/.344/.506 (.850 OPS), 26.8 K%, 9.7 BB% 8. Akil Baddoo, CF, Cedar Rapids Last 28 days: .224/.328/.378 (.705 OPS), 22.4 K%, 13.8 BB% Full season: .241/.354/.413 (.767 OPS), 24.3 K%, 14.8 BB% 9. Wander Javier, SS, Out for the season due to injury. 10. Zack Littell, RHP, Rochester Last 28 days: 27.1 IP, 3.95 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 1.44 K:BB Full season: 115.0 IP, 4.46 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 2.17 K:BB 11. Blayne Enlow, RHP, Cedar Rapids Last 28 days: 22.1 IP, 3.63 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 3.00 K:BB Full season: 79.0 IP, 3.53 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 1.83 K:BB 12. LaMonte Wade, LF/RF, Rochester Last 28 days: .234/.338/.266 (.603 OPS), 24.3 K%, 13.5 BB% Full season: .271/.383/.403 (.786 OPS), 14.0 K%, 14.3 BB% 13. Travis Blankenhorn, 2B/3B, Fort Myers Last 28 days: .208/.299/.403 (.701 OPS), 29.2 K%, 9.0 BB% Full season: .240/.310/.404 (.714 OPS), 26.5 K%, 7.4 BB% 14. Lewis Thorpe, LHP, Chattanooga Last 28 days: 23.2 IP, 2.28 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 4.17 K:BB Full season: 108.0 IP, 3.58 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, 4.37 K:BB 15. Ben Rortvedt, C, Fort Myers Last 28 days: .229/.339/.354 (.693 OPS), 14.3 K%, 12.5 BB% Full season: .261/.333/.370 (.703 OPS), 18.8 K%, 9.1 BB% 16. Yunior Severino, 2B, Elizabethton Last 28 days: .229/.299/.343 (.642 OPS), 26.0 K%, 9.1 BB% Full season: .270/.327/.423 (.750 OPS), 23.3 K%, 8.0 BB% 17. Lewin Diaz, 1B, Fort Myers Last 28 days: Only 15 PAs, has been out due to injury. Full season: .224/.255/.344 (.598 OPS), 18.1 K%, 3.2 BB% 18. Ryan Jeffers, C, Cedar Rapids Last 28 days: .341/.434/.588 (1.023 OPS), 15.2 K%, 12.1 BB% Full season: .371/.483/.576 (1.059 OPS), 14.4 K%, 13.4 BB% 19. Jacob Pearson, LF, Cedar Rapids Last 28 days: .172/.238/.328 (.566 OPS), 28.1 K%, 7.8 BB% Full season: .257/.331/.396 (.726 OPS), 21.3 K%, 9.7 BB% 20. Luis Arraez, IF, Chattanooga Last 28 days: .338/.409/.429 (.838 OPS), 4.5 K%, 10.1 BB% Full season: .309/.363/.397 (.760 OPS), 9.4 K%, 7.4 BB% Another 10 to Know This is a rotating list. I’m trying to make sure to feature a brand new set of 10 players each month. Let’s hone in on some of the brand new prospects to the system this time. Jorge Alcala, RHP, Chattanooga Last 28 days: 7.1 IP, 9.82 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 1.14 K:BB Full season: 86.0 IP, 3.56 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 2.28 K:BB Gilberto Celestino, CF/RF, Elizabethton Last 28 days: .319/.372/.431 (.802 OPS), 14.1 K%, 6.4 BB% Full season: .306/.363/.435 (.798 OPS), 17.6 K%, 6.3 BB% Ryan Costello, 1B, Fort Myers Last 28 days: .247/.344/.351 (.695 OPS), 25.6 K%, 11.1 BB% Full season: .272/.364/.487 (.851 OPS), 20.4 K%, 12.4 BB% Chase De Jong, RHP, Rochester Last 28 days: 36.0 IP, 3.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 3.00 K:BB Full season: 135.2 IP, 3.91 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 2.45 K:BB Ernie De La Trinidad, OF, Fort Myers Last 28 days: .373/.466/.475 (.940 OPS), 10.4 K%, 14.3 BB% Full season: .318/.408/.446 (.854 OPS), 12.6 K%, 11.9 BB% Jhoan Duran, RHP, Cedar Rapids Last 28 days: 23.0 IP, 3.52 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 5.60 K:BB Full season: 83.0 IP, 4.45 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 2.91 K:BB Gabriel Maciel, CF/RF, Cedar Rapids Last 28 days: .293/.369/.413 (.782 OPS), 14.3 K%, 8.3 BB%) Full season: .280/.354/.343 (.698 OPS), 16.0 K%, 9.0 BB%) Luke Raley, 1B/OF, Chattanooga Last 28 days: .286/.355/.524 (.879 OPS), 21.5 K%, 6.5 BB% Full season: .278/.354/.485 (.838 OPS), 24.5 K%, 6.3 BB% Luis Rijo, RHP, Elizabethton Last 28 days: 17.2 IP, 2.04 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, 2.4 K:BB Full season: 44.2 IP, 2.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 6.33 K:BB Devin Smeltzer, LHP, Chattanooga Last 28 days: 8.1 IP, 5.40 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.67 K:BB Full season: 86.0 IP, 4.92 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 3.29 K:BB That’s it for this edition of the Prospect Pulse. This will be the final update for 2018, as the minor league season is winding down in a matter of weeks, but keep checking back in at the site for our regular daily coverage of the system. At this time next month I’ll already be doing some groundwork on the 2019 Twins Prospect Handbook Click here to view the article

For Granite it would have been great just to get him some more live pitching before he closes up shop for the year. I think as far as the parent clubs are concerned, the purpose of the AFL is mainly to extend the season for certain guys. So some players you'd think would make sense probably won't go because they've played a ton (Lewis, Kirilloff, Rooker) or they don't need to increase their innings any farther (Graterol, Jax?). Then some other less obvious guys will go simply because these teams still have to be functional (maybe a middle infielder like Alex Perez or a catcher who can play multiple positions like Mitchell Kranson).

Darn, I don't think Granite's going to be eligible since he still hasn't come off the DL yet. Would have been nice to get him some extra work out there.

I think Jax would make a ton of sense. I'm sure they'd love to get him some more innings, though there's obviously a limit to how far you want to push a guy from one year to the next. Also, I believe you're only allowed to send one guy below Double A, and there are some other strong options in Fort Myers. Zander Wiel, Luis Arraez, Zack Granite, Jorge Alcala and Cody Stashak are also guys that would seem to make sense as far as I can tell.

Kohl Stewart’s MLB debut got off to a great start, but he eventually ran into some trouble in the fifth inning. The bigger issue, however, was how punchless the Twins’ offense was. It’s pretty hard to win if you can only score two runs. The Twins could only muster four hits on the afternoon.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Kohl Stewart: 40 Game Score, 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 60.8% strikes (45 of 75 pitches) Home Runs: Max Kepler (15) Multi-Hit Games: None. WPA of 0.1 or higher: None. WPA of -0.1 or lower: Stewart -.134, Sano -140 Download attachment: WinChart812.png This looked a lot like the minor league version of Stewart, which makes sense because he was basically facing a Triple A lineup. OK, all joking aside, he looked pretty good before running into some trouble in the fifth inning. I can’t imagine the emotion these guys must be going through when they reach the majors for the first time. Some players have a lot of build up to their debut. I’d imagine that allows them to be a little more mentally prepared when it happens. Kohl wasn’t even on the 40-man roster prior to his call-up, and while I’m sure he was confident this day would come in the not too distant future, the timing had to have caught him from out of the blue somewhat. You never would have guessed this was Stewart’s first time on a major league mound. He was very composed. We saw the good, as Stewart didn’t allow any extra-base hits and was getting grounders like crazy, but we also saw the bad, as he failed to miss many bats. You allow enough balls to be put into play, eventually you’re going to get stung. A curious decision by Ehire Adrianza, playing third base today, didn’t help. He had a chance to just tag the lead runner out on his way to third, but chose to throw across to first instead, resulting in an infield hit to load the bases. Still, things like that are liable to happen from time-to-time when everybody’s putting the ball in play. Stewart walked in a run to give Detroit a 2-1 and was lifted with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning. Taylor Rogers allowed an inherited run to score on a sac fly, giving Stewart three earned runs over his 4 ⅓ innings of work. He topped out at 95.2 mph, but only got two swinging strikes on his 74 pitches. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next. I think Stewart showed enough to warrant another turn in the rotation, but at the same time there are some other starting pitchers down on the farm who also deserve a look. Runs were very difficult to come by for the Twins. Mitch Garver hit a triple and scored in the second inning and Max Kepler hit a solo homer in the eighth. Altogether, the bats managed to score just nine runs in this three-game series at Detroit. Logan Forsythe now has a hit in all 10 of the games he’s started for the Twins. That represents a career-high hitting streak for him. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen812.png AL Central Standings CLE 65-51 MIN 54-63 (-11.5) DET 49-69 (-17) CHW 42-74 (-23) KC 35-81 (-30) Next Three Game Mon: Off Tue vs. PIT, 7:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Jameson Taillon Wed vs. PIT, 12:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Chris Archer Thuvs. DET, 7:10 pm CT: TBD Last Three Games MIN 4, DET 3: Austin Homers, Hildy Survives Save Chance DET 5, MIN 3: Is There Anything Left? CLE 5, MIN 4: Walks and a Walk-Off Click here to view the article