Tom Froemming

Just updated this to include links to the freshest mock draft out there. Perfect Game just published their final mock, which has the Twins picking Florida's Jackson Kowar. Here's what Andrew wrote about the 6-foot-5 right-hander in his rankings: "Kowar will rely heavily on his fastball and changeup as his curveball can be inconsistent at times. His fastball will sit around 93-95 but he can pump it up to 97 when he needs it. Kowar’s changeup is easily his best pitch. He has the uncanny ability to throw it to both righties and lefties and will produce a lot of swing and miss with the pitch."

Slama also walked 4.7 guys per nine in Triple A. The only pitcher on this list with those kind of control issues is Jovani Moran.

I think between the two approaches Andrew detailed in the most recent update, I'd rather see the Twins go with the best player available approach. With a big strength of the system right now being guys between the ages of 18-20, I don't think it would be that bad of a thing if they were handcuffed into taking more college seniors earlier than they typically would on Day 2. It may be a little nerve-racking to basically put all your eggs into one basket, but I say go for it.

FYI, this article has now been updated to include some of the projected picks from the experts in their mock drafts. Five different sources, five different projected picks. This is gonna be fun.

Eddie Rosario is not going to let this Twins season die. Rosie wore out Cleveland pitching all weekend, but today was something else. Eddie hit three home runs, the last of which was a walk-off to give his team a series victory.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Current record: 25-30 Kyle Gibson: 61 Game Score, 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 K, 2 BB, 63.6% strikes Bullpen: 3.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB Lineup: 1-for-8 w/RISP, 7 LOB Top three per WPA: Rosario .531, Dozier .315, Gibson .202 Download attachment: WinEx63.png Pitches beware! No zone is safe when you’re facing Eddie Rosario right now. Inside? Outside? High? Low? Nope, you’ve got nowhere to go. Take a look at the chart below via Baseball Savant that shows the location of Rosario’s three home runs on the day: Download attachment: Eddiechart1.png What a performance, and what a season Rosario is having. He’s hitting .317 with a .925 OPS and those were his 11th, 12th and 13th home runs of the year. It’s June 3, and he’s already tied the second-most homers he’s hit in a single season (he hit 13 in 2015, his rookie year). Cleveland also got a dominant effort of their own today from Edwin Encarnacion, who hit two homers and drove in four of their five runs. Pretty nice day at the park, but he’s no Rosie. Kyle Gibson started this game and was perfect through the first four frames, but he only lasted 5 2/3 innings. He exited the game with the Twins up 3-1, but Ryan Pressly gave up a three-run, go-ahead homer. The Twins stormed back to take the lead thanks to back-to-back home runs in the seventh, but Addison Reed gave up a round tripper in the top of the eighth to tie the game at 5-5. Brian Dozier led off the bottom of the ninth with a nine-pitch walk before Rosario destroyed a 2-1 fastball to walk it off. Here are the highlights: Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen63.png AL Central Standings CLE 30-28 DET 28-31 (-2.5) MIN 25-30 (-3.5) KC 21-38 (-9.5) CHW 18-38 (-11) Next Three Games Mon OFF Tue vs. CHW, 3:10 pm CT (DH) Wed vs. CHW, 7:10 pm CT Last Three Games MIN 7, CLE 1: Twins Battle Their Way to Another Victory MIN 7, CLE 4: Escobar é o Fogo CLE 9, MIN 8: Twins Fight Back, Fall Short More From Twins Daily WOLFSON: Zack Littell to Make MLB Debut Tuesday 2018 MLB Draft: Minnesota Connections Top Five Twins Prospects Who Should Be Promoted Click here to view the article

The Graterol move was just announced yesterday at around 3 pm, that's all the information that's out there right now.

He throws five: Two fastballs, a curve, changeup and slider. This front office clearly likes this move of getting a guy's debut in as the 26th man for a doubleheader. If I remember correctly, they did just that with both Felix Jorge and Aaron Slegers last season. So it could be that had more to do with it than anything. But, it's not like this doubleheader came up outta nowhere. They could have moved things around to line anyone up to make this start.

You know it. I'm sure I stole that from somebody on here but I don't remember who it was.

Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported Saturday night that the Twins would be calling up Zack Littell to start one of the games of their doubleheader Tuesday against the White Sox. Littell was promoted to Rochester at the start of May, where he's pitched to a 2.57 ERA over five appearances.Here's the full Tweet from Doogie: It comes as a bit of a surprise to see Littell getting the call above other, more experienced starters such as Aaron Slegers, Adalberto Mejia and Stephen Gonsalves, but Littell is coming off an excellent month. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but of that quartet, Littell is also the only one who was acquired under the Derek Falvey regime. Click here to view the article

Akil Baddoo had a monster night for Cedar Rapids, going 4-for-5 with a double and two triples. Also, LaMonte Wade did something for the first time all season, Fort Myers swept a doubleheader and Chris Paul, Mark Contreras and Trey Cabbage all hit home runs.Transactions & Other Notes Moises Gomez was added to Fort Myers with Kevin Marnon being transferred from the Miracle to Elizabethton. Cedar Rapids activated Bryan Sammons and placed Brusdar Graterol on the DL due to a right hand contusion. Also, I just wanted to mention real quickly that the DSL Twins had their Opening Day. Unfortunately, they lost 15-5. RED WINGS REPORT Norfolk 7, Rochester 3 Box Score SP: Gabriel Moya (2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Jake Cave I guess Nick Anderson is human after all. He’d given up three earned runs in 23 1/3 innings entering this game (1.16 ERA) but gave up twice that many runs while recording just two outs tonight. The Red Wings were trying to bullpen their way through this one, and other than Anderson it worked out pretty well. Gabriel Moya made his first start since 2014 and gave up one run over 2 2/3 innings. Jake Reed (1 1/3 innings), Alan Busenitz (2 1/3 innings) and John Curtis (one inning) all had scoreless outings. Jake Cave was 2-for-3 with a walk. He’s been on a tear since his brief cup of coffee with the Twins, going 13-for-39 (.333) with four homers in 11 games. Nick Gordon had a double and Chris Carter had a double of his own to go with a couple of RBIs. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 5 Box Score W: Paco Rodriguez (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) SP: Cody Stashak (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) HR: Chris Paul (3) Multi-hit games: LaMonte Wade, Brent Rooker, Zander Wiel LaMonte Wade has been one of the better performing prospects in the entire Twins system, so much so that a lot of fans have been calling for him to be promoted all the way up to the majors. He’s been getting on base (of course) and hitting for some more power, but coming into tonight there was one thing he hadn’t done. Hit a double. That’s right, Wade had six home runs and even a triple in 38 games played, but zero doubles. How weird is that!? Wade finally hit a double in what was a two-hit night. Brent Rooker continued to roll, hitting both a double and a triple. Zander Wiel also had a double in a multi-hit effort. Chris Paul homered in what was a three-RBI night. The Lookouts scored all seven of their runs in the first three innings. Todd Van Steensel pitched two more scoreless, no-hit innings to go with a pair of strikeouts. He’s given up just one run on three hits over his last 16 innings pitched. Hey, remember that one time Michael Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons? How crazy is it that he was a like "I wanna play baseball” and the White Sox were just like “OK, go to Double-A, I guess.” Hmmm ... how do you think LeBron James would do on the Lookouts right now? MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1: Fort Myers 3, St. Lucie 1 (7 innings) Box Score W: Andro Cutura (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Lewin Diaz This was a makeup game that was originally postponed on May 20. Andro Cutura, a seventh-rounder from the 2014 draft, picked up his first career complete game, though being part of a doubleheader it was only scheduled for seven innings. Still counts. Cutura threw 54 of his 87 pitches for strikes (62.1 percent). This was the second-consecutive start in which he went seven innings. He’s given up just six hits and one earned run over his last 14 innings pitched. This game was tied at 1-1 heading into the seventh inning, but the Miracle got their only extra-base hits of this game all in a row in the top of the seventh. Jimmy Kerrigan hit a one-out double, Lewin Diaz brought him around to score on another double, then Caleb Hamilton doubled in Diaz for a nice insurance run. Game 2: Fort Myers 5, St. Lucie 1 Box Score W: Ryan Mason (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) SP: Charlie Barnes (6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) HR: Mark Contreras (3) Multi-hit games: Luis Arraez This game was also tied at 1-1, but instead of Fort Myers breaking through in the seventh, this game went into extra innings. There, the Miracle offense awoke. Luis Arraez led off the inning with a single, then Travis Blankenhorn, who was the “free” runner that started the inning at second base, scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. St. Lucie unraveled from there, as Mitchell Kranson walked, Taylor Grzelakowski hit an RBI single and Lewin Diaz followed with a run-scoring single of his own. Charlie Barnes struck out six batters over six innings of one-run ball. He got off to a slow start, but has pitched to a 3.04 ERA over his last four starts (23 2/3 innings). Ryan Mason finished the game with two scoreless innings. This was his 14th appearance with Fort Myers and already his seventh decision. He’s 5-2. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Burlington 5 Box Score W: Bryan Sammons (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) SV: Jovani Moran (2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) HR: Trey Cabbage (4) Multi-hit games: Akil Baddoo, Alex Kirilloff, Ben Rortvedt, Trey Cabbage What a night for Akil Baddoo. He led off this game with a double, added a bunt single in the second inning and tripled in the fourth inning. That’s right, he was already a home run shy of the cycle after just four frames. Baddoo struck out in the seventh, then cracked yet another tripe in the eighth inning, giving him nine total bases on the night. Bryan Sammons struck out eight batters over six innings of two-run ball. In his first full season as a pro, Sammons now has a 2.74 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over nine starts. Jovani Moran’s line tonight syncs up pretty well with the rest of his season so far. He was nasty, striking out five batters in 2 1/3 innings while surrendering just one hit, but he also walked three batters. Andrew Bechtold played second base for the first time in his professional career. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Bryan Sammons, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Akil Baddoo, Cedar Rapids TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis, CR: 0-for-4, BB 2. Fernando Romero, MIN 3. Nick Gordon, ROC: 1-for-4, 2B 4. Stephen Gonsalves, ROC: Did not pitch. 5. Alex Kirilloff, CR: 2-for-4, BB, RBI, 2 Rs 6. Wander Javier: Out for the season with a shoulder injury. 7. Brent Rooker, CHAT: 2-for-5, 2B 3B, RBI, R 8. Blayne Enlow, CR: Did not pitch. 9. Brusdar Graterol, CR: Out with a right hand contusion. 10. Akil Baddoo, CR: 4-for-5, 2B, 2 3Bs, R 11. Zack Littell, ROC: Did not pitch. 12. Lewis Thorpe, CHAT: Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz, FM: 3-for-7, 2B, R, 3 RBI 14. LaMonte Wade, CHAT: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, R 15. Mitch Garver, MIN 16. Ben Rortvedt, CR: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBIs 17. Travis Blankenhorn, FM: 1-for-4, R 18. Yunior Severino: Inactive, expected to join E-Town later this month. 19. Tyler Jay, CHAT: Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge: Out with knee injury. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Norfolk, 12:05 pm CT (Stephen Gonsalves) Chattanooga vs. Mobile, 4:15 pm CT (Lewis Thorpe) Fort Myers at St. Lucie, 11:00 am CT (Tyler Wells) Cedar Rapids at Burlington, 2:00 pm CT (Edwar Colina) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

No way! I'm pushing it to the top. Clearly some next-level reverse jinxing going on there by Jamie.

The Twins gutted out a 7-1 victory Saturday to ensure a series split at the very least in this massive four-game set with Cleveland. Lance Lynn wasn’t at his best, but he fought through six innings and 113 pitches to help lead the Twins. Eddie Rosario came up big once again, turning on an inside pitch for a two-run home run that put the Twins up for good.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Current record: 24-30 Lance Lynn: 64 Game Score, 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 K, 5 BB, 57.5% strikes Bullpen: 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 K, 0 BB Lineup: 5-for-13 w/RISP, 5 LOB Top three per WPA: Lynn .240, Rosario .175, Dozier .136 Download attachment: WinEx62.png Lynn only gave up one run on two hits, but he was working through trouble all game long. He walked five batters and hit another, but every time he was in a jam, Lynn prevailed. That’s three quality starts in a row for Lynn. He’s only given up three runs over his last 18 2/3 innings pitched, lowering his ERA from 7.47 to 5.46 over that stretch. It’s not always pretty, even when he’s on, but Lynn is a battler. The Twins offense also battled today. Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer entered the game with a 2.61 ERA on the year, and he had some good stuff working. Bauer struck out 11 batters over 5 2/3 innings. The Twins still managed to score seven runs off him (though only three were earned runs). Along with his impressive home run, Rosario also drew a pair of walks. Brian Dozier was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and two RBIs. Logan Morrison also had a multi-hit game. Trevor Hildenberger, Ryen Pressly and Tyler Duffey each pitched a shutout inning out of the bullpen. Here are the highlights: Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days:Download attachment: Bullpen62.png AL Central Standings CLE 30-27 DET 28-30 (-2.5) MIN 24-30 (-4.5) KC 21-37 (-9.5) CHW 17-38 (-12) Next Three Games Sun vs. CLE, 1:10 pm CT Mon OFF Tue vs. CHW, 3:10 pm CT (DH) Last Three Games MIN 7, CLE 4: Escobar é o Fogo CLE 9, MIN 8: Twins Fight Back, Fall Short KC 11, MIN 8: We Can’t Have Nice Things More From Twins Daily 2018 MLB Draft: Minnesota Connections Joe Mauer's Concussion Symptoms Return A Solution for the Twins Outfield Click here to view the article

I'm really impressed with Jax's control despite the lack of competitive innings. In his five starts last year, he only averaged 2.0 BB/9 and now he opens 2018 with zero walks in his first 4 2/3 innings. If he was at all rusty, you'd figure that's where it would have shown up.

From the article: "Important note on the selection process: In this list, I avoided putting players in their first year with the level. Because of that, I did not put Alex Kirilloff on this list, even though he has been the best player in the organization this season."

The Twins needed a spark, Eduardo Escobar brought the whole fire. Escobar blasted a three-run home run in the first that really seemed to loosen up the Twins and added another mammoth homer in the seventh for insurance. When asked by FSN's Marney Gellner if he got all of that second homer, Escobar responded, "yes, Fogo de Chão power."Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Current record: 23-30 Jose Berrios: 53 Game Score, 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 K, 1 BB, 69.7% strikes Bullpen: 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB Lineup: 3-for-12 w/RISP, 7 LOB Top three per WPA: Escobar .276, Hildenberger .075, Duke .047 Download attachment: WinEx61.png Escobar has credited his frequent visits to Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão as the source of his power, as he did once again in a postgame interview (see below). Well, a few weeks ago I confirmed with my Twitter friend Thiéres Rabelo from the Minnesota Brazil site and @TwinsBrasil that Fogo means "fire" in Portuguese. So today’s headline translates into English as “Escobar is the Fire.” Don’t say I never taught you nothin’ Anyway, the Twins needed somebody to provide an early fire, and Escobar was the man for the job. He hit two homers and drove in four runs. Both Eddie Rosario and Robbie Grossman reached safely three times and Brian Dozier had a pair of hits. Miguel Sano hit a double that was 112 mph off the bat. All that firepower was in support of Jose Berrios, who struck out seven batters over six innings. He gave up four runs on five hits and a walk, but it’s funny how that doesn’t seem to matter much when the offense is bringing the fogo. Trevor Hildenberger, Zach Duke and Fernando Rodney all pitched scoreless innings. Rodney earned his 12th save. Here are the highlights: Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Pen601.png AL Central Standings CLE 30-26 DET 27-30 (-3.5) MIN 23-30 (-5.5) KC 20-37 (-10.5) CHW 17-37 (-12) Next Three Games Sat vs. CLE, 3:10 pm CT Sun vs. CLE, 1:10 pm CT Mon OFF Tue vs. CHW, 3:10 pm CT (DH) Last Three Games CLE 9, MIN 8: Twins Fight Back, Fall Short KC 11, MIN 8: We Can’t Have Nice Things KC 2, MIN 1: Every Game is the Same Game More From Twins Daily Twins Daily Roundtable: Minnesota's All-Star Selection 2018 MLB Draft: Minnesota Connections Click here to view the article

Outstanding stuff. There are always going to be dead pull hitters who will have success no matter where you put the fielders, but I have to imagine a hitter like Alex Kirilloff, who uses the whole field, is going to be valued more in today's game than he would have even five years ago.

Mitch could certainly afford to have softer hands, but this has to count for something: ERA throwing to ... Garver 3.62 Wilson 3.97 Castro 5.37 RerC (catcher pitch calling runs above average, via Baseball Info Solutions) Garver 3 (tied for the best in baseball) Wilson 0 Castro -2

If you're looking for the hot hand, that'd certainly be Cave. Since being sent back to Rochester, he's hit three homers in nine games and has a .313/.371/.594 line (.965 OPS). Unlike Granite, however, I'm not sold that Cave is a legit CF.

Another fun tidbit: Last night's loss dropped the Twins to 3-12 in one-run games (.200 winning percentage). Last season, I believe the Rangers had the worst record in one-run games at 13-24 (.351). In four seasons under Paul Molitor, the Twins are 54-79 (.406) in one-run games. Cleveland under Terry Francona? They're 127-102 (.555) in one-run games.

There were 14 AL pitchers who appeared in 14 or more games in May, so fewer than one per team. The Twins had three guys who did that: Pressly (tied for the league lead at 16 games), Reed (15) and Duke (14). The main reasoning behind that is the Twins played so many close games last month, but Paul Molitor is going to find a way to ease off that trio. With 10 games over the next 10 days, that may be a challenge.