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Videos from the GCL on Saturday: Huascar Ynoa was 91-97 mph with his fastball averaging 94. His slider was 77-81mph, his curve was 72-74mph and his change was 81-83mph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtCpwjiITw8 Akil Baddoo's 2run homer down the right field line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQmk9dOPrIY Lean Marrero double off the Green Monster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePr4j6Bv39w Matz Schutte on the mound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKf9I8D28pM Aaron Whitefield on the bases, stealing second and getting picked off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD10E5S7Vno Justin Hazard at the plate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjVIb2WqoXE Kidany Salva 2016 17th round pick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZHVRvgJN_c

Right there with you. What is the point of that? Because what was said above is that 6 years of team control is valuable and that's what the Angels traded for. I guess, if their spit in the wind hope that he'll ever be anything other than a chronically injured, erratic player ever reverses, than that could be a relevant point. It's just unlikely because A) his chronic injuries have frequently involved his shoulder (pretty much the worst thing you could have as a pitcher) and he'll be 27 by the time next season starts. I understand not liking Santiago. But let's be honest about who Alex Meyer is as of August 2016. So, yeah, "6 years of team control" is about the most valuable thing you can say about him at this point. And it's a terrible argument.

It's true if your argument for Meyer's value is limited to team control.

Good thing they traded for a reliever with six years of control then I guess. Busenitz also has more options left than Meyer. Even without the Nolasco/Santiago components, it's still a push at worst under these standards.

Your premise is a little wrong. Slowey was legendary in the minors before his first call-up. He had 4 years in a starter's role with the Twins. He had numerous spats with the front office. If the Twins did not like him, they had a great opportunity to trade him when his stock was high. Instead they killed his career and this event helped set it up that no pitcher wanted to come to Minnesota. Sure, it was a mistake. Trevor May's minor league career does not hold a candle to Slowey's. His numbers as a starter with the Twins are nowhere close to Slowey's. I read several scouting reports on May when the Twins acquired him and many had him pegged as a reliever or a marginal end of the rotation starter. Twins fans were drinking the Terry Ryan kool-aid back then and I think many of us still think May is someone he isn't. I think a better example for the Twins continued mishandling of pitching was the fact that they once had Glen Perkins as a starter, in spite of him having only two pitches. To their credit they did not give up on him and found him the right role. Fast forward to 2015/2016 and you have Tyler Duffey, another 2-pitch pitcher struggling in a starting role. Duffey could be an elite set-up man or a good closer and the Twins are wasting his talents as a starter, just like what they did with Perkins.

Players can take a significant step up in performance as they approach their prime. It could happen to Rosario as he improves pitch recognition. He is worth the investment of playing time.

In the entirety of his minor-league career – 365 games and 1,600 plate appearances spanning four seasons – Brian Dozier hit a total of 16 home runs. In the past two calendar months, he has hit 18.Dozier's evolution as a power hitter is one of the most remarkable developments in modern Twins history. He is easily the game's most prolific home run hitter at his position; since 2014, he leads all second basemen, with 16 more than the next closest player (Robinson Cano). Even with his proneness to extended slumps, Dozier has established himself as one of baseball's top offensive middle infielders. His 2016 campaign, which started so poorly, is now on track to become his best. After going deep in a third straight game on Sunday, he's two homers short of his career high (28), set last year. He should approach triple digits in runs scored and batted in. He is striking out at his lowest rate ever (16.7%). If he stays hot the rest of the way, he could sneak onto some MVP ballots. Dozier is also still 29 years old with a contract that covers the next two years for only $15 million. His extension, signed last spring, didn't add any additional team control, but did put the Twins in position to save millions in the event he kept improving. That is just what's happened. In 2017 he'll be an elite second baseman coming off a 30+ homer season and he'll make $6 million. For all of these reasons, Dozier is going to be an extremely appealing trade target in the offseason. Many teams would welcome a slugging second baseman amidst his prime that they could slot into the middle of the lineup. Add in the veteran's impeccable durability and excellent rep as a teammate, and you've got a uniquely valuable piece to float. Of course, Dozier is also extremely valuable to the Twins. Clearly there is no reason to shop him around intently and settle for the best offer. But he's the kind of player that could bring back some serious impact talent. This dynamic might present the key to the entire offseason for Rob Antony or his successor. On the one hand, it's a tough thing to come in and shake up the core of the roster by dealing a staple guy. On the other hand, when you look at the lopsided makeup of this team – a dominant offense and a pitching staff that, many nights, simply can't compete – the logic in swapping Dozier for high-caliber arms is undeniable. The Twins have a very respectable fallback option in Jorge Polanco, who profiles best at second. While the next general manager stands to inherit a number of headaches, having an asset like Dozier on hand presents an enticing opportunity. I'm very curious to see how it's handled. Click here to view the article

From the moment the Twins drafted Eddie Rosario in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, I was smitten. Baseball America called him the “best pure hitter” from Puerto Rico and compared him to Bobby Abreu. He had a chance to stick in centerfield with an arm to fit in right field.I paid extra attention to Rosario in his professional debut, because he was teammates with Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco in the GCL (you may have heard of them). Rosario didn’t disappoint. It was he - not Sano - who led the team in home runs. He batted .294 and, yeah, he struck out a bit (13.5%) but also drew a fair amount of walks (7.5%). Rosario also stole 22 bases in 51 games. It was definitely enough to put him on the prospect radar. His star only grew in 2011. Again it was Rosario’s 21 home runs that edged out Sano’s 20 and led the team. His .337 batting average also led the team as did his 17 stolen bases. You know what else he led the team in? Don’t guess. I’ll tell you. Walks. Rosario’s 27 walks paced the team. His walk rate of 9.1% was greater than that of walk-oholic Miguel Sano (7.8%). He led the whole Appy league in triples, home runs (three shy of league record), runs, total bases and slugging percentage and was league co-MVP. He was the best player in a league where his teammates included Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, Kennys Vargas and Jorge Polanco. (The latter trio combined to hit four home runs that year.) Rosario exited the season as Baseball America’s #3 prospect in the Twins organization and he was about to make his full-season debut in 2012 with the Beloit Snappers. I had the opportunity to watch the Snappers during a early-season trip and a late-season trip. Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas were monsters, but Eddie Rosario always left an impression on me. I was ready to write his name in pen in the 2-spot in the lineup for the foreseeable future. I didn’t know where he’d end up defensively - he was playing second base at the time - but he was the most impressive minor-league hitter I’d see in all of my visits. But then Tuesday, June 12, 2012 happened. During batting practice that day, Rosario, who was standing along the third base line, was struck between the nose and the mouth by a line drive off the bat of a teammate. He was hospitalized with a broken bone in his face and missed the next six weeks of the season. Rosario still put up impressive numbers for the Snappers on the season: .296/.345/.490 with 32 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs. His walk rate was 7.2% (and actually improved to 7.4% the following season) and his strikeout rate was 16.1%. The splits using the day that Rosario got drilled in the face, though, tell a different story. Pre-drilling in the face walk-rate: 9.9% Post-drilling in the face walk-rate: 2.5% Pre-drilling in the face K-rate: 14.1% Post-drilling in the face K-rate: 19.6% As I mentioned previously, Rosario was able to bounce back in 2013 with an improved walk-rate, but the strikeout rate continued to trend the wrong way (17.6%). The 84-game sample size of the Arizona Fall League showed plenty of the same thing: 3.6% walk-rate and 15.5% K-rate. It was in the AFL that Rosario tested positive for a drug of abuse. In the 1458 plate appearances since returning from the suspension (which, should be noted, has come against higher-quality pitchers as well), Rosario has 59 walks (4.0%) and 308 strikeouts (21.1%). What’s clear to me is that the Eddie Rosario that fills our screen in 2016 is not the same player that took the line-drive to the face on the summer night in 2012. Click here to view the article

While the Twins focused their draft and signings on pitching in recent years, it’s clear that the focus has again been put on hitting and we’re seeing that in the lowest levels. The organization’s top pitching prospects (still in the minors) are in Ft. Myers and Chattanooga. However, there are certainly some intriguing bats on the rookie league rosters. On this night, the Twins got some nice starts from some of their second-tier pitching prospects, showing that they continue to add depth in terms of pitching prospects. There were a couple of transactions of note on Saturday as well: On Friday night, we learned that Andrew Albers had been designated for assignment by the Twins. On Saturday afternoon, we learned that fellow-lefty Ryan O’Rourke had been added to the 40-man roster and the 24-man roster.The Red Wings roster was down to just 22, so they needed help. As we noted yesterday, lefty David Hurlbut was promoted from Chattanooga and was supposed to start for the Red Wings on Saturday. Jake Reed and Omar Bencomo were also promoted from the Lookouts to Rochester.With that, let’s get to the Minor League Report for Saturday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester, Scranton/Wilkes Barre Box Score This game was rained out. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart struggled with control again, and fell to 6-6 with a 3.25 ERA with the loss. The right-hander gave up three runs on four hits and five walks in 4.2 innings on the mound. He also hit two batters. He struck out three. Alan Busenitz came into the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth and allowed two of the three runners to core. He gave up two hits and struck out one in 1.1 innings. Mason Melotakis struck out three in a scoreless seventh inning. Raul Fernandez worked a perfect eight inning. The Lookouts managed just five hits in the game. Ryan Walker hit his third triple. Jairo Rodriguez hit his first double. Zach Granite had a single and added to his league-leading stolen base total with this 41st steal. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Charlotte 1 Box Score It’s hard to remember that Dereck Rodriguez had a 7.71 ERA through his first seven starts in Cedar Rapids. Over his final nine starts in Iowa, he posted a 3.02 ERA. After throwing 6.2 innings of one-run ball on Saturday night, Rodriguez has a 1.98 ERA through his first two starts with the Miracle. He earned his first Florida State League win. The right-hander gave up four hits, walked none and struck out seven in this game. Todd Van Steensel gave up a single before he got the final out of the seventh inning. He then threw a perfect eighth frame. Nick Anderson struck out two in a one-hit, scoreless ninth. The Miracle scored seven runs despite having just four hits in the game. They were assisted by ten walks. Infielder Chris Ibarra went 2-4 with a walk and his first Florida State League double, well, and his first Florida State League single, his first two hits since joining the Miracle last week. Joe Maloney and Tanner English each walked twice. AJ Murray and Daniel Kihle both had a walk and went 1-3. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Kane County 1 Box Score Through six innings, the game was tied at one. However, the Kernels scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take the lead. They added two insurance runs in the ninth to complete their seventh straight win over Kane County this season. Lachlan Wells started the game with five scoreless innings. He gave up an unearned run in the sixth, but that was it. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five to improve to 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA. Max Cordy gave up a hit and walked two, but he didn’t give up a run in his inning. Tom Hackimer worked the final two innings without allowing a run for his third save. Sean Miller had hits in his first three at bats. His sacrifice fly in the seventh inning gave the Kernels a lead they didn’t relinquish. He ended the game 3-4 with two RBI. Luis Arraez with another multi-hit game. He weas 3-5. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Bluefield 9 Box Score It was a rough game for the Twins pitching and defense in this one. Five errors certainly didn’t help the cause. Jose Martinez gave up seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out three. Alex Robinson came on and gave up a run on one hit, three walks and a hit batter over two innings. Johan Quezada walked a batter and hit a batter in a one-run eighth inning. Alex Kiriloff went 2-5 and hit his sixth home run. Ariel Montesino went 3-5. Shane Carrier went 2-5. Lewin Diaz added his 13th double. For Bluefield, Vlad Guerrero, Jr. went 3-5, his second straight three-hit game. The 17-year-old is hitting .277 on the season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Red Sox 1 Box Score For the second straight day, the Twins topped the Red Sox. Huascar Ynoa set the tone with another strong start. The right-hander gave up one run over five innings. He surrendered four hits, walked one and struck out six. He improved to 3-4 and dropped his ERA to 2.13. Matz Schutte allowed two hits over 1.1 scoreless innings. Zach Strecker struck out three over 2.2 perfect innings to record his fourth save. The Twins had nice offensive performances from several players on Saturday. Zach Featherstone went 2-3. He was hit by a pitch and hit his third and fourth homers. Aaron Whitefield went 2-4 with a walk, his fifth double and his 25th stolen base. Akil Baddoo went 1-2 with two walks and his second home run. Lean Marrero hit his second double. Dane Hutcheon walked three times and stole his fourth base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Akil Baddoo/Zach Featherstone, GCL Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (12:35 CST) (doubleheader) - LHP David Hurlbut and RHP Omar Bencomo Chattanooga @ Birmingham (6:30 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 CST) – RHP Tyler Beardsley Elizabethton @ Bluefield (6:05 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

I will enjoy watching Meyer play for the Salt Lake Bees for the next 3 seasons :-)

Santiago is bad, but the Twins defense--Oh My!

Santiago has certainly been bad so far, that doesn't necessarily change things. 6 years of Alex Meyer matters about as much as me offering my services to the team for six years. Hell, to this point, by not even being on the team I might have helped more than Meyer has to this point.

The team needed help in all parts of the pitching staff. A starter is more valuable than a reliever, and IMO May had not pitched himself out of a starting job, and had earned a chance to continue to develop in that role. It's true that a five-inning starter is not ideal, if that's indeed how he was viewed at the time. Five innings from a starter is still more valuable than four innings from your long man, or one inning if you tell him to go max effort. And there's still the chance to grow into the job and complete six or seven eventually. There's always time to convert him to a max-effort guy later, if the starting role becomes closed.

This. And then the team doubled down on it's stupidity by teasing May with having a shot at the rotation that never really existed. You teach pitchers for years to be creatures of habit and then you give them little to no transition to a totally different set of habits and you expect it to just work out? I know it does sometimes, but this team always seems to go 0 to 60 with these pitcher conversions and that's just unwise.

I don't really care why they moved May to the pen. Whatever the reason, they should have move him back to the rotation for this year. His back trouble and inability to get loose in a relief role was known at the end of the 2015 season.

I think the decision to move May to the pen was made based on a need for bullpen help.

Quote: "Rettenmund played 13 games in the big leagues after one season in Rochester. That season he was The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .331 with 22 homers for the Red Wings. He was the International League’s Rookie of the Year and MVP in 1968" My first reaction was how does a guy have so much success in AAA and then only go on to play 13 games in the majors? So I looked him up. Turns out it was 13 years.

Played SS in high school, drafted as a 3B... They have Trey Cabbage at third base, so they moved him over to 2B. Blankenhorn's 3-4 years from the big leagues, so giving him some flexibility is a good thing.

Whew....... read the topic and thought the Jenner clan was at it again....

Joe Nathan pitched 78 games in relief and none as a starter for the Giants in 2003, before the trade. Fire Brian Sabean and Felipe Alou, I guess.

Thing is, those guys were bad as starters, or had injury problems as starters. The decisions to move May and Slowey out of the rotation were based on a perceived overabundance of starting depth more so than their own situations.

May was a workhorse as a SP throughout the minors. Never missed time. Threw a ton of innings every year with no issues. Now in the majors before they even found out what they had with him as a starter, his transition to RP has resulted in multiple DL stints. It's not hard to see the correlation there. I hope they make the switch back sooner rather than later. Never should have been done in the first place.

I got hit in the face with the ball playing soccer when I was 12. Never did turn pro. These things happen, I'm afraid.

Crawford was also in his 5th season in the Majors by the time he was Rosario's current age.

Correlation isn't causation. I watched Rosario lean across the plate to wave at what would've been ball four the other night. A defensive, traumatized hitter doesn't do that. One might look at MLB daily meal money allowances versus those in the minors and correlate increased meal money to increased strikeouts, i.e., Rosario got greedy as he progressed to MLB. BS, too.

Or the splits got worse because the competition got better. . . .

I never heard the hit in the face by a baseball story regarding Rosario. Thanks for sharing, Jeremy. My brother when he was about 8 got a pitched ball in the face because he was standing in the batter's box looking for a sign from the third base coach. He never played another game. When on to a success career as a face transplant surgeon. The sentence before this one is a lie. The others are true.

That was in fact the advice a hitting instructor gave to our 8 year old son, who had become afraid of the ball after being hit (square in the back, leaving marks of the stitching ) by a pitched ball. He told him the best way to deal with a pitch right at you is to put the bat on the ball. I had never heard such advice and was skeptical. It probably contains a kernel of truth, but I think most people still are best served to dive back.

I am not following the “why”. Do you think that the ball to the face has impacted his vision long term? His biggest issue is a strike zone discipline issue, which I suppose could be brought on via a vision induced recognition issue. But I suspect it is more of the recognition issue and another failure of the Twins to work through that with a player in the minors and gearing him up for MLB success. For example, in 2014 he started in high A, went to AA, and then the fall league. He compiled a .674 OPS with a .286 OBP across 350 AB’s. Based on those numbers he started 2015 in AAA and was with the Twins in early May.

Are you suggesting he swings at everything in order to minimize the chance he gets hit in the face again? The best defense is a good offense? Actually makes sense. What the hell, why not. If you think your life may be on the line, making contact becomes a much more powerful incentive.

To be fair, it's more like 24.5% in the Majors... If he doesn't learn to stop swinging at pitches way outside the zone, I have to imagine that number will climb, as pitchers simply won't throw him strikes.

I saw 6 Snappers games that year, four in May (I believe), and two in July... Sano was impressive in size. Vargas was huge (he was just there the second set of games due to suspension. But Rosario's bat speed was as impressive as anyone I had seen. I'm not at all worried about the 21% K-Rate... That's not bad. But it would be nice to see the walk rate up a little... He'll never get to 8-10%, but if he can go from 4% to 6%, that would be significant.

So perhaps the answer to our problems is to hit Rosario in the face with another baseball so he can return to the days where he had plate discipline! At least that's what I've learned in the movies....

If Meyer pitchers six years in the majors, I will be shocked. I don't care about the money, but Antony and Pohlad should.