roger

Thanks for doing this, Seth. Count me among those who would rate Vielema higher, perhaps much higher.

I would think that Mauer will give it a month or two until say mid-December. At that point he will see how his body is recovering and what training he has been able to do. Should both or either of those be not so good, I see him giving consideration to retirement. Expect he, his agent, the new POBO and GM, and Pohlad would sit down and discuss the terms. Likely would include his $46,000,000 being spread over a number of years, perhaps 10-20, with his providing some services to the Twins in off field services.

Living in that place Rodney Dangerfield once mentioned, Fantasy Land, we can hope that one of these college pitchers has a HUGE year and gets talked about as the next Strasburg. The Twins don't need a high school anything with the #1 pick, unless his name is Bryce Harper. They need a potential ACE who can be in their rotation by mid-2018. And maybe the Baseball Gods will be with them and one of those catchers mentioned by Bleachers Report will drop to the COMP round.

Great season for Elizabethton, especially after that slow start. Also, great seeing Vielma take another step forward with an average above .270. Question for you Jeremy. Considering you are the TD draft expert and the Twins are in great shape to get the #1 overall pick, is there a can't miss star waiting for them next June? Someone like Strasburg or Bryant that can help by the end of 2017?

Nice season Baxendale has put together Seth. If my memory is correct, he will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft but not a minor league free agent. Do the Twins add him to the 40-man roster? Or do you feel there is little chance of losing him?

Doesn't Diaz have five years before being eligible for the Rule 5 draft? That would be after the 2018 year, not 2017?

Have noticed Murphy having a lot of good games of late. Has his bat turned the corner Seth?

I second the comments about Blankenhorn being at DH to much. He was drafted as a third baseman, would think Mauer could play him there when not at second, which is understandable with Arraez in the lineup. I know all the home runs from Buxton are exciting, but 6 strikeouts in the last two games is probably more than Walker or Palka. Has to be a concern.

Arraez seems to get a hit or two every night. Has he had any slumps this year, Seth? Great seeing Turner having a great August. And is it best to describe Stewart as 'efficient?'

With almost 4 walks per 9 innings, Gonsalves still has something to work on. Is there a chance we see him in September? You have seen Arraez play Seth? Is he potentially as good as it seems? Also, any word on how Thorpe is doing?

Do you see Kiriloff moving up to Cedar Rapids when the ETon season ends?

Great group, Seth. Hopefully, a couple will make it to the Twin Cities over the next couple years and give the Twins 8-10 years of solid pitching. Any further news on the progress Thorpe is, or isn't, making. Gonna be real head scratcher whether he should be added to the 40-man this fall. This is the year he needs to be, isn't it?

Its great seeing Vielma hitting so well. His average has moved up again, and he seems to be getting more xtra base hits. Took a look at his errors as I recall he had several when he came back from the DL. About a dozen total, so it would seem he is back to his normal great defense.

Does this ETon lineup remind you of the crew they had with Rosario, Sano and others, Seth? That team had better pitching, but this team is putting up a lot of runs. Interesting to see Jay come out of the bullpen last night. Had been expecting this. Would rather he keep pitching the rest of the year out of the pen, rather than make another start or two and then sitting.

I remember maybe one year in the past ten or so that Elizabethton missed the playoffs. I don't remember any years that they began this poorly. Do you, Seth? And what is puzzling is that there are some legit prospects on this team. Kirilloff is a top pick and Blankenhorn and Cabbage are excellent prospects. But I guess they are all young and maybe this group doesn't have the depth or pitching they usually have.

Any word Seth on when Thorpe will begin pitching in games?

Seth, do you see Jay moving to the bullpen to keep him pitching while conserving innings? If so, do you see him moving up to Chattanooga? Enjoy your holiday!

Have always been a fan of Baxendale and seeing him as a reliever is a bit surprising. Do you know whether this is a change or just breaking in to AAA? Great seeing Murray continuing to hit well after his move up. Is his defense good enough to project as a potential big league starter? Enjoy your Sunday, Seth.

Signing Hackimer for $252,900 under the slot is great news. Should guarantee getting Balazovic with a few dollars left over. Then they can go into their 5% overage to work on one of the young catchers...yahoooo!

How long before the Twins flip Rosario and Buxton? I don't think they need to act immediately, but should before Rosario gets disappointed and goes into a funk like Arcia last year. Nothing wrong with sending Buxton down for more seasoning until the end of August. And this move has nothing to do with Sano coming off the DL next week. The smart move, imo, would be to send Park down. Then DH Sano for a week or two until any risk of reinjury is past before alternating him with Plouffe at third until Plouffe is moved. Don't know how AAA pitching compares with Korea, but it might be somewhat better and the step Park needs.

Couple of observations and questions, Cody. The Miracle had half of the ten pitchers appearing in the all-star game...WOW! And what wasn't mentioned is that Rosario got his fifth walk in his last ten games, matching the number of K's. I expect this isn't accurate, however, it feels that Darnell's eight wins is about equal to the wins for the entire Twins starting rotation. Is it? And it is great seeing Murphy's bat come alive this month. After watching Centeno behind the plate yesterday, could Murphy be close to returning to the Twins Cities? As always, thanks for these reports.

The Twins aren't acting very Twins like this year. With the signing of Benninghoff, they almost certainly will dip into the 5% over slot. Now they need to get the Canadian pitcher and their #1 pick signed...and all is good!

The best news of the day, Seth, is Rosario getting his 4th walk in the last ten games. Compared to only five strikeouts, maybe he is turning the corner.

I like your analysis of the Twins emphasis on catchers in the draft. Hopefully, it will help a few years down the road...thanks!

Have been thinking of this also, Doc. Believe that one of the three middle infielders, Escobar, Nunez and Dozier, needs to be moved...preferably by July 31. Polanco steps into the mix with Santana as a super sub in the middle infield and outfield. And yes, one of the top five outfielders needs to be moved. Most likely candidate is Arcia due to his inability to play even average defense. Should be a team out there that could use him a little in the outfield and at DH. As for catching, they got to find a starter. Could either get a super prospect who is ready thru a trade or sign a vet over the winter. Then everyone now at AAA fights it out with Garver and Turner for the back up spot. Like everyone else, don't know what to do with Vargas. Maybe flip him with Park for a month and see how he does. Might make sense to do that when Sano comes back so Sano can DH some until they can move Plouffe and let Sano settle into third base.