Twins Minor Leaguers Report To Ft. Myers

The Twins facilities have been quite busy throughout the offseason. Since the Florida Instructional was completed the Twins held a couple of strength camps for young players. Several minor leaguers (and big league players) live in Ft. Myers throughout the offseason and work out several days a week.

The Twins minor league academy opened last year and was a game-changer for the Twins. It provided minor leaguers the option of arriving weeks early and having a place to live and get meals and use all of the training facilities for a minimal charge.

Over the last two months, players have been gradually arriving. Last week, it was reported that over 55 players were already in camp. Before big league spring training started, Tommy Watkins led the players through their baseball activities. Since Watkins reported to big league camp, some of the other minor league coaches have also been working with players.

So, what happens on report day? Well, the players come to the facilities and basically sign in on a computer. I mean, that’s the extent of the requirement, showing up. For the most part, the players arrive and they still go through another workout.

So, what happens on Wednesday? It’s probably not terribly fun. The players report to the clubhouse early and each player goes through his physicals. Height and weight. Urine test. EKG. Eye tests. Ear tests. And, well, all of the things that go into a male’s physical. And likely all 143 players (maybe more) will be complete by 9-10 o’clock.

And that’s not it. The players then go out on the field and get warmed up and go through a short workout. They used to all have to run a mile. Last year, I know that all of the players had to do a shuttle run. It’s quite competitive and it’s fun to watch which players have the great speed and which don’t. Some also surprise.

On Thursday, the minor leaguers will hold their first official practice. There are four full fields and one half field, each full of players. Pitchers get their fill of pitcher fielding practice (PFPs). It’s just like big league camp, just a bunch more fields and a lot more bodies. They’ll work out from about 9 until noon the next three days, eat and then practice another couple of hours. Starting next week, there will be a couple of days of intrasquad games followed by games against other minor league teams in southwest Florida. I’d say you have to be there to really get a sense of just how much is happening and how well organized it is.

NOTE - I will be traveling to Ft. Myers on Friday morning. I plan to go to the field in the afternoon after arriving for a little while. I am hoping to figure out Periscope and will try to provide video and give people a better sense of what’s going on at the complex.

Once the rosters of the Minnesota Twins, Rochester Red Wings, Chattanooga Lookouts, Ft. Myers Miracle and Cedar Rapids Kernels are set, there will undoubtedly be some releases. The rest of the players will remain in Ft. Myers in extended spring training. Those players will continue to work out most every day. In time, they will be playing games against area teams. Those players will continue to work, making sure they are ready should there be a need in Cedar Rapids or possibly in the short term with the Miracle. Those remaining could go to Elizabethton or the GCL in June.

Here are some more Twins minor league notes as camp gets going:

Between the players in big league camp, minor league camp and those in the Dominican Summer League, the Twins are a melting pot. Here is a breakdown of the countries in which the players are from:

• United States - 135
  
• Dominican Republic - 55
  
• Venezuela - 32
  
• Puerto Rico - 12
  
• Australia - 7
  
• Netherlands - 4
  
• Canada - 2
  
• South Africa - 2
  
• Germany - 1
  
• Brazil - 1
  
• Colombia - 1
  
• Curacao - 1
  
• Korea - 1
  
• Mexico - 1
  
• Moldova - 1
  
• Taiwan - 1
  

Coaching Staffs

Rochester Red Wings

Manager - Mike Quade, Hitting Coach - Chad Allen, Pitching Coach - Stu Cliburn

Chattanooga Lookouts

Manager - Doug Mientkiewicz, Hitting Coach - Tommy Watkins, Pitching Coach - Ivan Arteaga

Ft. Myers Miracle

Manager - Jeff Smith, Hitting Coach - Jim Dwyer, Pitching Coach - Henry Bonilla

Cedar Rapids Kernels

Manager - Jake Mauer, Hitting Coach - Brian Dinkelman, Pitching Coach - JP Martinez

Elizabethton Twins

Manager - Ray Smith, Hitting Coach - Jeff Reed, Pitching Coach - Luis Ramirez

GCL Twins

Manager - Ramon Borrega, Hitting Coach - Javier Valentin, Steve Singleton, Pitching Coach - Luis Ramirez, Virgil Vasquez, Cibney Bello

INJURIES

Several players have been in Ft. Myers most of the offseason due to a variety of injuries. They got a few weeks off around the holidays to go home and see family and friends, but they are all excited to get back on the field. Most likely, each will start the season in extended spring training but should surface with a club during the season.

RHP Fernando Romero, LHP Lewis Thorpe, LHP Onas Farfan, and RHP Brusdar Graterol are at various stages in their rehab following Tommy John surgery. Romero likely starts the season in extended, but he could move up to Cedar Rapids fairly soon. I would think Farfan and Thorpe would likely be ready in June sometime if all goes well. Graterol is likely to miss the season as he had Tommy John surgery late last summer.

RHP Jason Adam, the pitcher the Twins received in the Josh WIllingham trade, had a couple of elbow surgeries last year. Neither was Tommy John surgery although Dr. James Andrews was involved.

LHP Cameron Booser had a shoulder injury late last season. He will likely miss time early in the season. Infielder Aderlin Mejia has also had shoulder issues throughout the offseason.

POSITION CHANGES

Every year, it seems like a couple of players switch positions. We’ve seen that with guys like Dereck Rodriguez who moved from the outfield to the mound. In a previous year, Tyler Grimes was moved from the middle infield to catcher.

Not too many this year, but there are a couple. Rafael Valera played a lot of second base in the second half for Cedar Rapids last year. At Instructs, he was moved to catcher which is where he’ll spend his time during spring training.

Since signing as a catcher, there were always rumors of Jorge Fernandez working in the outfield at Instructs. This offseason, he is working at first base.

Not really a change, but on the Ride with Reusse on Monday night, Doug Mientkiewicz said that Travis Harrison will move back to left field. He played right field a year ago with Adam Brett Walker in left.

MINOR LEAGUE FREE AGENTS

We have heard about the many minor league free agents that the Twins signed in the offseason with an invitation to big league spring training. The Twins also signed other six-year minor league free agents who reported on Tuesday.

The #MNTwins have signed RHP David Martinez. He pitched briefly for Astros in 2013 and 2014. Last year pitched in AA and AAA for the Rangers. They also signed RHP Raul Fernandez. He was on the 40-man roster for Colorado and the White Sox the last two years. Finally, they signed RHP Marcus Walden. He was on A's and Blue Jays 40-man rosters in 2014. He played indy ball in 2015.

The Twins also signed infielder Leonardo Reginatto. He is a 25-year-old who split 2015 between AA/AAA with the Rays. Outfielder Keury De La Cruz, a 24-year-old outfielder, played for Red Sox AA in 2015. The Twins signed catcher Jose F. Ortiz (21) to minor league deal. He played the last two seasons in Reds Low A. Recently, they also added catcher Kevin Garcia, a 23-year-old who has been in Low A with the Blue Jays. Finally, the Twins signed 25-year-old catcher Joe Maloney who spent the last two years with Rockland in the independent Can-Am League. Last year, he hit .337/.432/.559 (.991) with 33 doubles, 14 homers. He also stole 18 bases in 22 attempts.

SYSTEM RANKINGS

Regardless of the national publication, the Minnesota Twins farm system is consistently in the Top 10 organizations. Usually they are in the Top 5. That comes in a year when Miguel Sano, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May and Eddie Rosario all ‘graduated’ from prospect status. The system is still quite strong.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with some of the top prospects in the system. Here are our Top 20 Twins prospects:

Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects For 2016

20. Jake Reed, RHP

19. Randy Rosario, LHP

18. Lewin Diaz, 1B

17. Engelb Vielma, SS

16. Taylor Rogers, LHP

15. JT Chargois, RHP

14. Jermaine Palacios, SS

13. Wander Javier, SS

12. Lewis Thorpe, LHP

11. Adam Brett Walker, OF

10. Nick Burdi, RHP

9. Kohl Stewart, RHP

8. Alex Meyer, RHP

7. Jorge Polanco, SS

6. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP

5. Tyler Jay, LHP

4. Nick Gordon, SS

3. Max Kepler, OF

2. Jose Berrios, RHP

1. Byron Buxton, OF

For much more on over 150 Minnesota Twins prospects, be sure to buy the 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook here.