Jeremy Nygaard

Yesterday was one of the better days the Twins organization has experienced in the last year. They followed that up with a day that ranks somewhere near the bottom. The Twins, attempting to sweep the Brewers in Milwaukee for the first time in over thirty years, fell flat on their face, mostly thanks to the right arm of Jason Marquis. While Mauer collecting four hits and Butera impressing in a relief appearance were both silver linings, many of us are left wondering: What is the next (or correct) step to take with Marquis? Suffice it to say that not only is Marquis’ rotation spot in jeopardy, but so is his roster spot… and, to be honest, his future as a major league baseball player. Unfortunately, the farm system experienced an equally dismal day. A quick spin around Sunday’s action:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 1, GWINNETT 2 Luke French battled through 5 1/3, allowing six hits, two earned runs, a walk and two strikeouts. Lester Oliveros – who was recently promoted after dominating in New Britain– accounted for two outs (one strikeout). Matt Maloney finished the game with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. It was believed that Maloney would eventually join Rochester’s rotation, so this appears to be the first step of stretching him out. Wilkin Ramirez is gaining a lot of notice as he continues to swing a hot bat after his promotion. After going 2-for-4 with a double today, he has hit safely in all six of his AAA games, including four multi-hit games. Ramirez is still relatively young (26), so as the Twins continue to look towards the future, there is a good chance Ramirez will be given a chance to prove his worth. Danny Valencia, Clete Thomas and Matt Carson each added one hit. NEW BRITAIN 4, READING 10 Brad Thompson made his first Double-A start since 2004 and it was a forgettable one. In 2 1/3 innings, Thompson allowed seven hits, five runs (four earned) without striking out any. Brett Jacobson entered in the third and put up similar numbers – six hits, five runs (three earned) – but lasted 3 1/3 innings and struck out three, walking one. Blake Martin pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, scattering three hits and a walk, but not allowing any runs while striking out one. The bats didn’t offer much support. Deibinson Romero and Evan Bigley each had two hits. A couple of things worth noting: Joe Benson has not played since homering Friday night. No word on injury or otherwise. Aaron Hicks went 1-for-4 with a double and a stolen base, driving in two runs, but was lifted in-between innings after his double. No word on Hicks either. Former Red Wing/Twin Juan Morillo pitched against the Rockcats in relief today. He was up to his old tricks – he struck out one and walked two. He now has eight Ks in eight innings, to go with his seven hits and 23(!) walks. FT. MYERS 2, BREVARD COUNTY 13 Another report; another loss. The Miracle took one on the chin this afternoon to the tune of 13-2. They only managed three hits: doubles by Danny Ortiz and Oswaldo Arcia and an Anderson Hidalgo single. Levi Michael is 3-for-24 (.125) over his last seven games. Lance Ray is 2-for-27 (.074) since being named FSL’s player of the week last week. Angel Morales is 4-for-38 (.105) with 15 Ks over his last ten games. The bats, as they say, have gone cold. Miguel Munoz started and lasted three innings. He gave up six hits, four earned runs, two walks and a strikeout. Cole Nelson relieved him and went 2 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and five earned runs. He did manage to strike out six batters though. Bruce Pugh allowed two unearned runs in 1 1/3 innings. Ricky Bowen struck out two in a perfect eighth. BELOIT 0, BURLINGTON 12 …and the worst for last. The Snappers were blanked by the Bees and it was gut-wrenching ugly. Tim Shibuya (7 ER, 4.1 IP), David Hurlbut (2 UER, 1.2 IP) and Bart Carter (2 ER, 2 IP) were all bad. The bats were just as bad (if not worse): Miguel Sano (0-4, 3 K) and Eddie Rosario (1-3, 2 K) contributed very little to a 5-hit attack (J.D. Williams had two hits). The Snappers only had one batter reach second base… and that happened in the first inning. And as bad as both the pitching and hitting was, the defense may have been worse! Sano (12), Tyler Grimes (11), Rosario (9) and Drew Leachman (2) all added to their already-high number of errors. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, May 20, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Matt Maloney Download attachment: maloney.jpg Hitter of the Day – Aaron Hicks Download attachment: hicks.jpg (from milb.com) --- A Look Ahead – Monday, May 21, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Gwinnett – RHP Jeff Manship (3-1, 3.48) New Britain at Reading - RHP Steve Hirschfeld (2-4, 3.28) *assumed, no listed starter Ft. Myers at Brevard County – RHP Jhon Garcia (0-5, 4.01) *assumed, no listed starter Beloit at Burlington – LHP Jason Wheeler (4-1, 2.86) --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome. Click here to view the article

Back to write-up for tonight: ROCHESTER RED WINGS 3, PAWTUCKET RED SOX 2 (10 innings) Box Score Another night with very little offense, but, more importantly, another win for the Red Wings. Tonight's win was their 5th consecutive and, impressively, gets them over .500 on the season. I remember there being lots of panic and disappointment when they started the season 2-11. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]People questioning why Rochester re-upped with the Twins. People saying the Twins wouldn't support them now that they had them signed for two more seasons. To you people, well... you can finish that sentence for yourselves. Tonight's win came courtesy of a walk-off error. Eric Farris hit a routine groundball to the second baseman, who booted it. Brian Dinkelman scored. Game over. There wasn't many offense highlights to speak of... Of the team's five hits Ray Olmedo had the only extra-base hit: a double. Eric Farris stole two bases. Logan Darnell made his second AAA start. The southpaw went seven innings, striking out four. He scattered five hits and two walks, allowing only one run. Luis Perdomo recorded four outs and was credited with the win, despite giving up the go-ahead run in the top half of the 10th inning. Cole De Vries was placed on the DL before the game with a right elbow strain. Vance Worley will pitch tomorrow at 1:05 ET. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 9, PORTLAND SEA DOGS 4 Box Score The Rock Cats have climbed back to one game within .500 and are in the Eastern League playoff mix, only two games behind Portland for the wild card spot. The biggest hit of the game was delivered in the first inning. Lead-off hitter Danny Santana lined a ball off pitcher Matt Barnes' hand and forced him to leave the game. That set the tone early as the Rock Cats hit their way to a 9-0 lead before giving up four runs late. The top four batters in the order combined to go 8-for-19. All four - Santana, Eddie Rosario, Nate Hanson and Josmil Pinto- had two hits and each doubled. Rosario and Pinto homered. It was Rosario's 1st in AA; Pinto's 13th. Miguel Sano went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and a walk. D.J. Baxendale made his AA return and was excellent. He was clearly on a pitch-limit (he threw 55), but you wouldn't know it since he completed five innings. He allowed only three hits and struck out one. This was the pitcher the Rock Cats expected to see, not the one they saw before he was shut down with a shoulder issue. B.J. Hermsen gave up four runs (three earned) in two innings. Last year's organizational pitcher of the year will probably find himself left off the 40-man roster this winter. Edgar Ibarra finished the game. He allowed a hit in two innings. Ibarra was named a replacement pitcher for the Eastern League All-Star Game (presumably for A.J. Achter, who was promoted to AAA). The Rock Cats have not named their starter for tomorrow's 1:00 pm ET game, but it would appear to be Tom Stuifbergen's day. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 3, ST. LUCIE METS 6 Box Score The Miracle dropped the game and fell to only 25 games over .500 on the season. Levi Michael led the offensive charge tonight. He homered, singled and walked in four plate appearances. Since missing time following an on-field collision, Michael has returned to collect four multi-hit games in the six he's played. People have been disappointed in the former first-round pick who has battled injuries and put up suspect numbers in a year-plus at Fort Myers. But if you squint hard enough you can see a Nick Punto/Brian Dozier love-child in there, and that guy - as messy as it sounds - can be a productive player at the Major League level. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4725[/ATTACH] Byron Buxton went 1-for-5 and watched his batting average drop 25 points (from .400 to .375). Manuel Soliman took his turn in the rotation (which is still confusing) and went 4.1 innings. He had a WHIP of nearly 3 (9 hits, 3 walks) and didn't strike out any on the way to giving up 5 runs. Chad Rogers allowed a homer in 2.2 innings and Adrian Salcedo gave up a hit in an otherwise quiet inning. Matt Summer will make the 1 PM ET start tomorrow. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5, CLINTON LUMBERKINGS 6 (11 innings) Box Score The Kernels were aided by a mistake-prone Clinton defense, but the offense only mustered seven hits. Two singles by J.D. Williams and D.J. Hicks and three singles by Joel Licon provided all the offense. Travis Harrison committed his 18th error of the season. Tim Atherton held his own, striking out five in five innings. He allowed two runs on five hits and a walk. Caleb Brewer was a mess. Madison Boer kept the Kernels in the game. Alex Muren got one out before giving up the walk-off winner. (Some would think Boer has earned his chance to move back up to Fort Myers.) Lefty Mason Melotakis, fresh off his first save of the season last Monday, will start the 2 PM CT game n Clinton, Iowa. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 3, BLUEFIELD BLUE JAYS 0 Box Score It looks like the Twins just had a thing with shutting out the Blue Jays Saturday. E-Town scored their three runs on 13 hits. Javier Pimentel (2-for-4) doubled and drove in a run. Kelvin Ortiz (3-for-5) doubled. Mitch Garver (1-for-4) tripled. Romy Jimenez and Zach Granite both had two-hit games. The team was a collective 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Frustrating. The pitching made up for it, though. Yorman Landa struck out three in five innings and in three games has an ERA of 0.60. Tim Shibuya and Brian Gilbert combined to complete the shutout. GCL TWINS 8, GCL RED SOX 2 (Completion of 7/5 game: BOX SCORE) Stephen Gonsalves made his professional debut yesterday. He gave up two hits, two walks and struck out three in two innings. Adonis Pacheco was 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBI. Brian Navaretto had two hits, including a double. Amaurys Minier continued his hot-and-cold season, going 0-for-5 with 2 Ks and a throwing error. GCL TWINS 6, GCL RED SOX 5 (8 INNINGS, scheduled for seven: BOX SCORE) Adonis Pacheco, who was hot in game one, stayed so. He went 2-for-4 with three runs scored; his third, the most important, coming as the result of a walk-off home run. Engelb Vielman, who has been the primary SS, is now hitting over .300. He went 3-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI. Evan Bigley had two doubles in rehab (can you say ready?) and Will Hurt added two singles. Speaking of Hurt, last year he got off to a historically poor star, getting his first hit in game 10 and starting his career 1-for-33. Nelson Molina, this year's 11th round pick, is giving Hurt a run for his money. Through 8 games, Molina is 0-for-23. On the bright side, he has struck out only four times. The report was that he's hitting the ball hard but "right at guys". That would make sense with a BABIP of .000. That's a number that's got to improve. Lewis Thorpe struck out six in three innings, but gave up two runs on five hits. "The Thorpedo" (as I'll call him) has struck out a ton of batters (20 in 13 innings), but has given up 12 hits. He's given up only two walks, which is very encouraging. A guy to watch for sure. The GCL affiliate is off tomorrow. Click here to view the article

This profile was written about Kohl Stewart a week prior to the draft. Who IS This Guy? Download attachment: kohlstewart-draftfocus-90.jpg Young Texan Kohl Stewart (6’ 3, 195) is widely considered the top prep pitcher in the nation. Kohl Stewart is also, according to ESPN, the 6th best high-school quarterback in the nation and is committed to Texas A&M. Stewart is equipped with a mid-90s fastball (an improvement over last summer) and a “nasty” slider. The mid-80s slider projects as – if it’s not already – a plus pitch. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It’s a legitimate strikeout pitch. He’s shown flashes of being able to throw a low-80s curveball and throws an occasional change-up as well. Of course, he’s able to do all of this despite splitting his time between baseball and football. He stands to show improvement as he shifts his focus to strictly baseball. A scouting director recently told Baseball America that "Stewart's pure stuff is as good as [Appel’s and Gray’s], and he's more athletic than they are." Scouts also believe that Stewart is more advanced than Jameson Taillon was at the same point in his career (when the Pirates actually claimed they preferred Taillon over Bryce Harper). Though not as big, Stewart profiles similar to Archie Bradley, a Diamondbacks draft pick in 2011, who needed $5 million to be bought out of his football commitment to Oklahoma. (Bradley signed a two-sport contract, which can be paid over five years; Stewart could too, but the entire bonus would count against this year's draft pool.) The ironic part is, as a quarterback, the ESPN football scouting report mentions twice that Stewart’s arm is “not elite”. It should also be mentioned that Stewart is a Type 1 diabetic. He is represented by Frontline Sports Management’s Darek Braunecker. Braunecker, a former MiLB pitcher, also represents Cliff Lee, A.J. Burnett and prospective 1st rounder Trey Ball. You can follow him on twitter: @KohlStewart1. www.perfectgame.org Who Could He Be? Stewart could be a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter. But the track record of right-handed prep pitchers is limited, so making this selection at number four is not without risk. Since 2000, only seven prep right-handers have gone in the top 5. Dylan Bundy, Baltimore, 4th overall, 2011 Jameson Taillon, Pittsburgh, 2nd overall, 2010 Matt Hobgood, Baltimore, 5th overall, 2009 Mark Rogers, Milwaukee, 5th overall, 2004 Chris Gruler, Cincinnati, 3rd overall, 2002 Clint Everts, Montreal, 5th overall, 2002 Gavin Floyd, Philadelphia, 4th overall, 2001 Gavin Floyd has made 187 career major-league starts. The rest of that list has made a combined nine (all by Mark Rogers). Obviously, though, both Bundy (who’s currently been shut down to rest an ailing elbow) and Taillon (who’s pitching well in AA) are two of the highest-ranked pitching prospects in baseball. So while there is risk, there is also the chance for a very, very high reward. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? It would be unfair to compare any prep pitcher to Bundy, but Taillon and Bradley are much better comparisons. Unlike those two, though, Stewart would have the opportunity to get significant professional experience under his belt in 2013. If the Twins drafted Stewart, he would likely start with the GCL Twins and finish his year in Elizabethton. Next season (2014) would likely start a little later, but be spent in Cedar Rapids. He would probably start in Fort Myers – and finish in New Britain – in 2015 before returning to New Britain in 2016 and be a candidate for a mid-season promotion. Archie Bradley is currently dismantling AA and if he continues to, he could be in the majors this year. If Stewart was on that accelerated path, it would equate to being ready at some point in 2015. I would rather err on the side of caution and say that being in the Opening Day rotation in 2017 is be a realistic goal, with his first major league experience coming in the summer of 2016. If The Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because.... …they didn’t do their homework. If the Twins draft Kohl Stewart, they took the right guy. But, if the Twins fail to sign Kohl Stewart because of his commitment to college, they screwed it up. They would lose $4.5 million out of this year’s draft pool (but acquire pick #5 in the 2014 draft). If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because…. …they got one of the three pitchers with the highest upside in the draft and, in all likelihood, had to shell out the smallest bonus to lock one of them up. Drafting fourth in what is widely considered to be a three-man draft isn’t ideal, but getting a pitcher with this upside – even with the risk – is like making lemonade out of lemons. --- Just like any other pitcher the Twins may consider, drafting Stewart would be a welcome addition to the organization. Though he is a year or two further away from making a contribution than many fans would prefer, you can’t try to turn the baseball draft into band-aids. At the end of the day, you want to have as much talent in the organization as possible and adding a talent - albeit someone who is a little raw (due to time spent on another sport) and comes with a significant amount of risk – is a giant leap in the right direction. Twins Daily MLB Draft Player Profiles: · Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SP · Tuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF · Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF · Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP · Friday, May 24-- Clint Frazier, OF · Tuesday, May 28-- Reese McGuire, C · Wednesday, May 29—Braden Shipley, RHP For MLB Draft Day Coverage, make sure you follow @TwinsDaily on Twitter! Click here to view the article

The Twins finished their sweep against the Indians this afternoon (in dominant fashion too, outscoring the Indians 28-6), but that’s not nearly the biggest news to transpire since Saturday evening’s convincing win. At exactly 10pm last night – exactly the time I decided to go to bed a little early – the White Sox announced on their Twitter account that they had acquired Francisco Liriano for Eduardo Escobar and Pedro Hernandez. It didn’t take long for everybody to hate the deal. The Twitter-world turned upside-down and mostly everybody began (or continued) to question whether or not Terry Ryan is capable of doing the job that he currently holds (or is the “interim”). You can read Baseball America's take here which may get you to come back in from the ledge. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] You can rehash the trade in a number of other places on the site, so I’m going to move on. This morning, the Twins announced – to fill the Twins roster and get the Red Wings roster to 25 guys – that they would be promoting RHP Jeff Manship (or is it Manshift? Or is it Shipman? Or is it Mansihp?) to take Liriano’s roster spot. Brian Duensing started in Liriano’s spot today (and threw a 6-inning gem), but it could be Manship or Duensing that fills that roll the next time it comes up. (Manship threw 105 pitches Friday night, so he’s not an option to throw until, probably, Wednesday.) I dropped a lot of minor-league Twitterbombs this morning courtesty of Terry Ryan's radio show on WCCO that you can catch up on if you so choose. (Seth retweeted them all - so if you follow him - you probably read them.) And now today’s minor-league round-up: ROCHESTER 8, COLUMBUS 5 Box score Shairon Martis is doing the best he can to make it back to the majors for the first time since 2009. In his best AAA performance since coming over from the Pirates in an early season trade, Martis, from the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, went 6 1/3 innings, striking out four, scattering nine hits and a walk, allowing four runs (two of which came after he left the game). Martis will be a six-year FA at the end of the season, but might be drawn to returning to the Twins/Red Wings as they’ll be plenty of opportunities in the starting rotation(s). He still has a ways to go, but tonight was a good start. Deolis Guerra recorded five outs, allowing two hits and a run (plus two inherited runners scored) while striking out two. Lester Oliveros picked up his 6th save for the Red Wings by inducing three fly ball outs in the ninth inning. Matt Carson led the 8-run, 16-hit effort by going 3-for-5 with a HR, two runs and an RBI. Evan Bigley had his 2nd 3-hit game as a Red Wing, adding a double. Both Wilkin Ramirez (solo, 3 hits) and Rene Rivera (2-run) homered. Neither player acquired for Liriano appeared in tonight’s game. Rochester will play two more games in Columbus as part of this four-game wrap-around set. NEW BRITAIN 3 , READING 8 Box score Blake Martin got roughed up for the Rock Cats tonight. He threw 88 pitches, but was only able to get two outs in the fourth inning. He did strike out five, but allowed nine hits and three walks, which resulted in six runs. Dakota Watts got the through six without allowing any additional runs. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out one. Matt Hauser made his AA debut in relief (he started in five of his last six appearances in Fort Myers, though he’s only started six minor league games out of 85 professional games) and had a perfect inning with a flyout and two groundouts. He returned for a second inning and had a tougher go of it, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned). The bats didn’t offer much in terms of support. Aaron Hicks, who started off the game with a walk, did his best Denard Span impression getting picked off and caught stealing. That might have been a sign of things to come. Dan Rohlfing (3-for-5, 2B, 2 runs) and Deibinson Romero (2-for-5, 2B, 2 runs) were the offensive bright spots. Joe Benson saw his five-game hitting streak come to an end. Oswaldo Arcia (1-for-4) threw a runner out at home from right field to end the scoring in the 4th inning. The RockCats, after getting swept in this four game series, have the day off tomorrow to lick its wounds before heading to Bowie for a three-game series. FT. MYERS 11, BREVARD COUNTY 3 Box score The Miracle bats got off to a hot start (12 hits and 9 runs through 5 innings) and maintained that lead to win three games in this 4-game series. Steven Liddle left the game in the 4th inning and was replaced by Michael Gonzalez, who hit a grand slam in the 5-run fifth. Levi Michael had a very good game, collecting three singles in five at-bats (he’s batting .233; .246 in the 2nd half, but hasn’t been very good in July.) Josmil Pinto was 3-for-4 with a 2-run HR. Angel Morales was 2-for-3 with a triple, 2 BB and 3 runs. Lance Ray had a double and was 2-for-5. Matt Summers continues his excellent full-season debut with his best outing yet in Fort Myers. He pitched five innings of one-run ball, striking out three. Nelvin Fuentes continues to strike out lots of batters (today: 6 in 3 innings), but also allowed two runs on three hits. Michael Tonkin struck out two in a perfect ninth. Kyle Gibson will spend two more weeks with the GCL team before joining the Miracle. BELOIT 6, PEORIA 10 Box score Matt Tomshaw spotted Peoria Chiefs nine runs after three innings. Tomshaw, making his second start since returning from the disabled list, lasted only three innings, giving up nine runs (six earned) on eight hits and four walks. He’s had some good starts, but when it rains it pours… and it was pouring today. You have to wonder how much string last year’s 42nd round pick has left. Steven Gruver, who was bounced from the rotation after a handful of bad starts, was magnificent in relief. The soft-tossing lefty’s 4-inning, 2-hit, 2-walk, shutout performance was his best (and longest) in recent memory (and it’s been a rough couple of months). 2nd round pick Mason Melotakis allowed his first earned run as a Snapper: serving up a long-ball to Dustin Geiger (a right-handed hitter). After allowing a single to the next batter he settled down and went groundout, strikeout, strikeout. He’s now struck out 18 in 14 professional innings. If he stays in a relief role (which is the current belief), he may end up on the fast-track. The defense sure didn’t help out the pitchers’ cause. They committed 6 errors (Vargas, Wickens 2, Grimes, Sano 2). Sano now has 35. Offensively, the Snappers managed six runs on eight hits. Miguel Sano had a double (his 19th), a walk, a strikeout and two RBI. Kennys Vargas drove in two on the 5th home run of his short season. The Snappers will look to win this wrap-around series tomorrow night before heading back home for a seven-game homestand. Snappers Ace LHP Jason Wheeler will be on the hill looking for his 13th win. Wheeler, who threw 103 innings last year at Loyola Marymount, is already up to 113. As the Snappers have a playoff berth locked up, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Wheeler maybe skip some starts and work a few relief stints to keep his innings down. The big-bodied (6-8, 265) southpaw could handle a 200+ inning workload but the Twins are notorious for wanting to keep their pitchers innings around 110% of the previous year’s total. (Wheeler will, no doubt, be exceeding that.) Eddie Rosario will be re-joining the team shortly, probably within the next week. ELIZABETHTON 12, GREENEVILLE 6 Box score The E-town Twins extend their West Division lead to 4.5 games over the Greeneville Astros by beating them again. Elizabethton had 12 runs on 16 hits. Adam Walker led the charge with three hits, including a home run, and drove in four. Everybody else in the lineup made a positive contribution with extra base hits (doubles by Polanco, Goodrum, Rhodes, Kepler; a triple by Rhodes; home run by Pimentel), runs batted in (Goodrum and Kepler both had two) or scoring runs (Pimentel three times; Goodrum and Polanco twice). Pimentel and Goodrum also each stole a base. Hein Robb picked up his second win of the season. His five-inning outing was his longest to date. He allowed seven hits and four runs. Only one run was earned, however, and he struck out three. The lefty continues to struggle to with right-handed batters, while dominating against lefties. Josh Burris has started to meet some resistance since starting off his season with such dominance (2 ER, 18 K in 17 IP over his first 8 games). Tonight’s outing lasted 1 1/3 innings, he walked four and gave up two hits resulting in two runs. He still struck out two. He was able to pitch around his walks – which really started only four outings ago - up until two games ago. Since his dominating start, he’s walked six, allowed three hits and three earned runs in only 2 1/3 innings. He’s going to have to continue to harness his fastball for his hammer curveball to wipe people out. If he can do that – and he has a long way to go – he could be a dominating presence in a bullpen. Chris Mazza struck out two in 1 2/3 innings. Tyler Herr finished the game of striking out one in a perfect ninth. E-town heads to Bristol for a three-game series starting tomorrow night. GCL TWINS remember the Sabbath Day, and keep it holy. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, July 29, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Adam Walker Download attachment: walker.jpg @walkoff28 Pitcher of the Day – Steven Gruver Download attachment: gruver.jpg knuckleballsblog.com --- A Look Ahead – Monday, July 30, 2012 Schedule Rochester at Columbus – RHP Esmerling Vasquez (4-5, 3.68) New Britain – DAY OFF Ft. Myers at Daytona – TBA – this was Matt Hauser’s spot, who has since been promoted. Beloit at Peoria – LHP Jason Wheeler (12-4, 3.48) Elizabethton at Bristol – LHP Corey Kimes (3-0, 3.04) GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox – TBA --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome. Click here to view the article

Trevor Plouffe hit another home run tonight. But so did Jim Thome, so Plouffe was unable to close the gap at all (607 to 22). Thome’s damage was also a three-run shot, while Plouffe’s was solo. The rest of the offense was pretty stagnant, and failed to plate any more runs (while also failing to win their fifth straight series). [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It’s been an interesting past few weeks for the no-longer-shaggy Trevor Plouffe. After Luke Hughes was DFA’d, many wondered how closely Plouffe would follow. Plouffe now has a 2012 OPS of .841, despite batting .232 (which is about 100 points higher than it was when this hot-streak began). Suffice it so say, not DFAing Plouffe was a great call and it appears that Plouffe will be the everyday third baseman for the foreseeable future. Let’s check on the minor leagues on this Thursday night: ROCHESTER 8, LOUISVILLE 6 Box score The Red Wings had an offensive outburst tonight, scoring eight runs on thirteen hits. Danny Valencia (two doubles) and Matt Carson paced the offense with three hits each. Valencia had three RBI and walked twice, reaching base in all five plate appearances (which would lead to being named “hitter of the day”… most days). Carson added two RBI as did Clete Thomas, who hit his 3rd AAA home run of the year. The pitching staff just fared well enough to give their team a chance to win, and it took all of their offense to do so. Luke French had a rough go of it. He only made it 3 1/3 innings and he only allowed four hits. French’s problem was his control, as he walked four and threw only 45 of 76 pitches for strikes. He struck out three. Kyle Waldrop replaced French and did what Kyle Waldrop does: get groundball outs, including one double play. He allowed two hits. Deolis Guerra allowed a two-run home run, but struck out two in his two innings of work. Casey Fien picked up the win for his two innings of work, not allowing any runs, but walking two and allowing two hits, while striking out one. NEW BRITAIN 2, AKRON 3 (12 innings) Box score It was a tough 12-inning loss for the Rockcats tonight. Despite collecting fourteen hits, they were only able to score two runs. The story of the game was Nate Hanson, who went 5-for-6 and was a home run short of the cycle. I would consider it somewhat amazing that he only scored once and didn’t drive in any runs. Rene Tosoni, Deibinson Romero and Matt Rizzotti all had two hits. Brett Jacobson had his longest outing as a starter this year, going 5 1/3. He allowed three hits and three walks. He struck out six and allowed two runs. He left two runners on, which Bobby Lanigan stranded. Lanigan allowed two hits, but didn’t allow any runs in 2 2/3 innings and struck out two. Bruce Pugh, who has always had an issue with control, struck out three in two innings, but also walked two. Luis Perdomo took the loss. He pitched two innings. He struck out three, but allowed a run on two hits. Former Twin farmhand Loek Van Mil pitched a hitless 2 1/3 innings, striking out two. FT. MYERS 0, BRADENTON 6 Box score The Miracle finished the first half with a very quiet night and enter the All-Star break with a 27-37 record. Daniel Ortiz provided three (one double) of the Miracle’s four hits. (Angel Morales collected the other.) Daniel Santana went 0-for-4 tonight (following 0-for-5 last night) to lower his average under .300 for the first time all season. Pat Dean went 5 1/3 innings allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck out two. Ricky Bowen recorded eight outs, allowing only two hits and a walk. He did allow his only inherited runner to score. Dakota Watts pitched a perfect ninth. BELOIT 5, PEORIA 3 Box score With today’s win, the Snappers clinched a spot in the playoffs as the 1st Half Western Division Wild Card. Miguel Sano went hitless in two at-bats, but managed to walk twice. He has struck out 15 times in his last 37 at-bats (41%). He has struck out in 33% of his at-bats this season. He also walked twice tonight and has a respectable OBP of .351 despite batting only .239. It will be interesting to see how teams pitch to him without Eddie Rosario in the line-up. (Though I would imagine Sano’s absence would have a greater effect on Rosario.) J.D. Williams led the offense with two hits (one double). Adam Bryant started off the scoring with a 3-run home run in the first inning. Nate Roberts, who has spent a lot of professional career on the disabled list, added a home run. Roberts is an interesting case. Though he hasn’t often found himself batting leadoff, he does have a career OBP of .437 and has a penchant for getting hit (29 HBP last year). If he can stay healthy, he’s a guy to watch. Tyler Jones struck out nine in six innings. He allowed only three hits, walking two and allowing three runs. He left a tie ballgame, so was credited with a no decision. Jones now has 33 Ks in 25 innings. Tim Atherton struck out four in two innings. Michael Tonkin, who has been on fire of late, continued his run. He struck out the side in the ninth for the save. In Tonkin’s last 8 IP, he has struck out 18. He'll be heading to Fort Myers soon. (Hopefully!) --- Players of the Day for Thursday, June 14, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Nathan Hanson Download attachment: nate20hanson.jpg taken from nodaktwinsfan.com Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Jones Download attachment: jones.jpg taken from lsusports.net --- A Look Ahead – Friday, June 15, 2012 Schedule Rochester at Louisville – RHP Liam Hendriks (not likely; as it appears Hendriks will be pitching for the Twins on Saturday) New Britain vs Erie – LHP Aaron Thompson (0-2, 9.35) Ft. Myers – All-Star Break Beloit at Burlington – LHP David Hurlbut (2-0, 1.80) --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome. Click here to view the article

If you missed Cody's minor league report from yesterday, you can read it here. Seth also made his choice for Twins minor league Hitter of the Month. Andrew wrote up about Alex Meyer's last start. There is a lot of draft info that cmb0252 put together into one thread. And after yesterday's minor shuffle in Rochester, the R&P page has been updated as well. On a separate note, after listening to the new Macklemore song "Can't Hold Us" a few times today, I'm convinced it's about the Twins top prospects - Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] We had put some pretty high ceilings on those guys, but at this point... our ceilings might not be able to hold them. Download attachment: buxton.jpg (photo by Paul Gierhart) ROCHESTER RED WINGS 7, COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 6 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to a quick start and then withstood a late rally to win tonight's ball game. The hitters handed the pitchers just enough run support with a well-balanced attack. All nine batters registered hits. The charge was led by Nate Hanson (who homered) and Clete Thomas (who doubled). Ray Olmedo also added two hits. Eric Farris led off the game with a home run. Evan Bigley, now batting in the 3-hole, went 1-for-5. He is batting .357 since his promotion to Triple-A. You may recall a game last season during which Tom Kelly sang Bigley's praises. Unfortunately, Bigley is another corner outfielder that can't play center. Thomas, Olmedo and Bigley all stole bases. Chris Herrmann committed a throwing error, his second of the year. P.J. Walters had a decent start tonight. He made it into the seventh inning, going 6.1, allowing three runs on eight hits. He struck out 6. Daniel Turpen allowed a home run. Tyler Robertson failed in his LOOGY role tonight, allowing a hit to the only batter, a lefty, he faced. Tim Wood, who has been lights out for the Red Wings, allowed Columbus back into the game. After walking the first batter he saw, he gave up a home run. The tying run reached on an error and then the go-ahead runner singled. Luis Perdomo relieved Wood and got the final batter of the game to fly out to Joe Benson. Kyle Gibson (1-3, 3.33) gets the starting nod tomorrow at 7:15 pm ET against Columbus. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 1, HARRISBURG SENATORS 6 Box Score B.J. Hermsen made his third attempt to get his first win of the season. He made it into the sixth inning and recorded an out in that inning before giving way to Bobby Lanigan. Hermsen's final line was two earned runs (five runs) on seven hits and two walks. He struck out four. His 7:1 groundout to flyout rate was promising. Bobby Lanigan recorded five outs without giving up a run. A.J. Achter gave up a solo home run in his inning. Michael Tonkin struck out the side in the ninth. James Beresford, who had a very good April, went 1-for-3 with a double, but also committed a costly error in Harrisburg's four-run fourth inning. Antoan Richardson had two hits and a stolen base. Danny Santana and Jonathan Goncalves both added singles. The 14-13 Rock Cats play at Portland tomorrow night at 6 pm ET. While the starter is listed as TBD, it appears to be Pat Dean's turn in the rotation. Dean is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA on the young season. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 3, ST. LUCIE METS 2 Box Score Another walk-off win for the Miracle improves their record to a very impressive 22-4. Of course, you're wondering how Miguel Sano did. He went 1-for-4, but the "1" was a game-tying single with two out in the 8th inning. He is batting .364 on the year. Kennys Vargas, aka Baby Papi, aka Little Papi, aka Big Spoon, went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk. Stephen Wickens had three hits. Levi Michael (.185) went 0-for-2, but was the offensive hero when he drove in the game-winning run with his third base on balls of the night. Michael was the DH tonight. Jason Wheeler went five innings, giving up six hits and three walks. He struck out two and gave up two runs in a no-decision. Cole Johnson and Dakota Watts both pitched two scoreless innings. Watts, the pitcher of record when Michael walked, earned the win. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 3, WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS 4 (10 innings) Box Score As we've come to expect, Byron Buxton made a positive contribution in today's game. In the third inning he hit a two-run home run, his 5th of the season, off the right-field foul pole. He's reached base in every Kernel game so far this season and has his average at .388. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot else to talk about. The Kernels went 1-for-2 with runners in scoring position. Hudson Boyd pitched five innings. He allowed six hits, and walked three. He struck out four and gave up two runs. Steven Gruver is credited with a blown save, but pitched well out of the bullpen. In four innings of work, he allowed four hits, a walk and a run. He struck out five and left the game with an ERA of 1.31. Gruver has made only one spot-start on the year, but this is his third appearance of four innings or more. Tyler Jones came into the game in the 10th inning and struggled with his control. He sandwiched two walks around a strikeout before allowing a walk-off single. The Kernels are now 18-7 and will send LP Mason Melotakis (1-1, 4.08) to the hill tomorrow to face West Michigan in an early morning, 10 am central time, game. Click here to view the article

The Twins were off today, but they did make a roster move: Chris Parmelee will be recalled in time for the Chicago Cubs series and Cole De Vries will be headed back to Rochester. Also in Rochester: Anthony Slama was placed on the 7-day D.L. Both Samuel Deduno and Brian Dinkelman were activated. Steve Hirschfeld was transferred back to New Britain. In other news, Jason Marquis made his Padres debut and went six innings. He allowed nine hits, four runs (two earned) and a walk. He struck out six. As you're reading Twins Daily today, be sure to listen to Thursday night's Twins Minor League Weekly. Let’s check on the minor leagues on this Thursday night:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 2, NORFOLK 1 (13 innings) Box score Matt Carson’s walk-off single in the 13th inning ended a four hour and eighteen minute game. It was Carson’s lone hit in five at bats. Nishi and J.R. Towles both had two hits, including a double each. Pedro Florimon and Ray Chang each added two singles. Danny Valencia, who DH’d today, went 1-for-6. Luke French struck out six in 5 2/3 innings. Kyle Waldrop came in with two runners on in the sixth and allowed one of French’s runners to score. Casey Fien, Lester Oliveros, Deolis Guerra and Tyler Robertson combined to pitch six scoreless innings. They struck out five while allowing four hits and two walks. The Red Wings faced both Pat Neshek and J.C. Romero in the game. NEW BRITAIN 1, AKRON 2 Box score The Rockcats dropped their fifth straight and were only able to scratch out three hits. Chris Herrmann, batting leadoff, went 0-for-2, but walked twice. Aaron Hicks, Matt Rizzotti (double) and Chris Colabello (double) accounted for all the team’s hits. Logan Darnell pitched pretty well. He was two outs short of seven innings, allowing seven hits, two runs and four walks. He struck out two. Caleb Thielbar came in with one out and the bases loaded. He induced a ground-ball double play. He then pitched a perfect eighth, striking out one. FT. MYERS vs TAMPA Today’s doubleheader was postponed due to rain and unplayable field conditions. So Wednesday’s suspended game will be resumed tomorrow and a seven-inning game will follow. BELOIT 4, BURLINGTON 3 Box score The Snappers ended a three-game skid by beating Burlington 4-3. Eddie Rosario led the way going 3-for-4. He had a double and two runs scored. He also knocked in a run. He’s upped his batting average to .304. While the “promote the superstar” discussion has died down, maybe it shouldn’t have… but maybe we were talking about the wrong guy…? No other hitter contributed more than one hit. Miguel Sano went 1-for-4. He did strike out twice; but, on a positive note, didn’t commit any errors. Matt Summers pitched a solid game despite getting a no-decision. He went six innings. He allowed five hits, three runs (all earned), two walks and struck out two. A.J Achter got three outs, walking one. Clint Dempster allowed a hit in two-thirds of an innings. Michael Tonkin, who has got to be nearing a promotion, struck out all four batters he faced to pick up his fourth save. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, June 7, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Eddie Rosario Download attachment: rosario2.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Red Wings Bullpen Download attachment: redwings.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Friday, June 8, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Norfolk – RHP Esmerling Vasquez (3-3, 3.99) New Britain at Erie – No starter announced Ft. Myers at Tampa– RHP Marty Popham (3-2, 5.63) Beloit at Burlington – LHP Steven Gruver (4-4, 3.23) --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome. Click here to view the article

The biggest question coming into today's off day for the Twins was, "Who will fill the 25th spot on the roster?" I didn't believe we'd have an answer until tomorrow, but John broke the news this afternoon. Matt Carson is definitely deserving of another shot in the majors. The case could be made for Chris Parmelee, but part of me believes that leaving him in Rochester had more to do with helping the Red Wings fight for a playoff spot and keeping those in Rochester happy than it had to do with Carson being the more obvious choice. That can obviously be dated in other places on this site. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The intrigue now is speculating how the Twins make room on their 40-man roster. It's far-fetched to think the team would DFA someone on their current roster (such as Jeff Gray) because that would require a corresponding move. ROCHESTER 2, INDIANAPOLIS 1 (10 innings) Box score Nothing but good things coming out of Rochester tonight. The win puts the Red Wings at 65-61 and, in the "hard to believe" category, puts the team at four games over .500 since May 14, 2009. They have clawed back to 3.5 games out of the Wild Card and possess an IL-best 28-16 record since July 1. Pedro Hernandez pitched seven strong innings, allowing only one run and striking out five. When the candidates for next year's rotation are discussed, Hernandez shouldn't be forgotten. Luis Perdomo picked up the win by pitching three innings of two-hit, shutout ball. Nishi, Clete Thomas and Eduardo Escobar all had multi-hit games. Thomas is 10-for-24 (.417) over his last six games. Escobar tripled after being in a six-game tailspin. Wilkin Ramirez's walk-off single was the Red Wings fifth of the year. NEW BRITAIN 1 , RICHMOND 3 Box score Andrew Albers was activated to make the start tonight. This is coming on the heels of the Rockcats using two of their "starters" in relief last night. With the addition of both David Bromberg and Luke French, though, there are other rotation options. There was no corresponding move announced, so I have the Rockcats roster at 26 for now. Albers pitched okay in his return, scattering nine hits over five innings. He allowed three runs. Matt Hauser and Edgar Ibarra combined to pitch four shutout innings. There wasn't a lot of offense for the Rockcats tonight. The team only combined for five hits (singles by Hanson, Colabello and Tosoni and doubles by Hicks and Romero) and one run (a Colabello RBI). Aaron Hicks stole his 28th base. FT. MYERS 7, JUPITER 12 Box score What a kick in the shorts tonight in Jupiter. The Miracle hung a seven on the Hammerheads in the top of the first, more run support than Carl Pavano would need in his rehab appearance. Unfortunately, they gave it all back - and more - when Pavano left the game. First, on Pavano: reports were that he was sitting in the mid-80s with his fastball. That isn't good. Pavano will want to continue trying to get back - and I'd bet the Twins will let him - but if you're holding the proverbial fork... well, I think you know where I'm going with this one. Anyway, Cole Nelson gave up five hits and four walks and didn't get anybody out. By the time the bleeding stopped, 11 runners had crossed the plate in the home half of the fourth and the Miracle bats went completely silent after that. Lance Ray had three hits (one double) and drove two in. Danny Santana, Levi Michael and Steve Liddle all had two hits. Jonathan Goncalves had a double and two RBI. BELOIT 5, WISCONSIN 6 Box score The comeback fell one run short in the ninth. Jason Wheeler didn't have his typical stuff - or at least get typical results. He only struck out three and gave up 10 hits in six innings. The bullpen duo of Steven Gruver and DJ Baxendale went three scoreless innings. Drew Leachman had three hits, including a double. Nate Roberts and Eddie Rosario each had two hits. Miguel Sano added a double. Jairo Rodriguez left the game, so backup catcher/in-game DH Matt Koch had to go behind the plate, making the pitcher's spot come up in the lineup. This, also known as "Gardy's Worst Nightmare", forced the team to use it's bench completely. ELIZABETHTON 7, BLUEFIELD 3 ELIZABETHTON 4, BLUEFIELD 6 Game 1 Game 2 The E-Twins split today, here's the most important things that happened in today's 14 innings: Byron Buxton's lone hit of the two games was a double. His average is down to .219. Max Kepler was pinch-hit for in Game 1, but came back with two hits (one double) in Game 2. Adam Walker hit another home run. Travis Harrison had a triple. Hudson Boyd pitched four solid innings, striking out three. Angel Mata got roughed-up, two hits and four walks in three innings. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 3 (10 innings) Box score Aussie Logan Wade's 2-run home run in the 8th gave the GCL Twins the lead. He also added a double. The bullpen blew it in extras. Dereck Rodriguez also doubled. Andre Martinez and Sam Gibbons both went four innings. Both struck out three and had WHIPs of 1. Melciades DeLaCruz gave up the tying run in the ninth and the winning run in the 10th. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, August 16, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Pedro Hernandez Download attachment: hernandez.jpg bleacherreport Hitters of the Day – Lance Ray Download attachment: ray.jpg milb.com --- A Look Ahead – Friday, August 17, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Indianapolis – RHP Liam Hendriks (9-2, 1.99) New Britain at Portland – TBA Fort Myers at Palm Beach – TBA Beloit vs Wisconsin – RHP Tyler Jones (3-4, 5.25) Elizabethton vs Kingsport – TBA GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox – TBA --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Sano_Miguel_Landscape.jpg The Twins just got back over .500 (again) while a top prospect is starting to heat up. There was a lot going on in the minor leagues today. You can read about it and catch up (or comment) here. After taking in three Kernels games in Cedar Rapids, Seth is driving back to reality tonight. So I'm pinch-writing. So let's take a look at the farm: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Ft. Myers Miracle 10, Bradenton Marauders 6 Box Score The bats were alive in Fort Myers and the Miracle will look to complete a four-game sweep tomorrow afternoon. Though Miguel Sano didn’t hit a home run, he did go 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. He scored three runs and the report was that he looked great at 3B. Eddie Rosario, who got off to a cold start, had two hits tonight including his first home run. He also scored two runs. The Michael Gonzales-Kennys Vargas-Lance Ray part of the order drove in six runs on five hits. Gonzales homered, the other two doubled. Matthew Summers got the start and went four innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. Making a relief appearance was Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo has been regarded as a highly-ranked starting pitcher, but has missed significant time with various injuries. Tonight, he allowed two runs on three hits in two innings. All of his outs were recorded on the ground. He still is someone to watch as far as “prospect status” goes and his role this year bears watching. Ryan O’Rourke picked up his second win of the year. He struck out two in two innings. Closing it out (in a non-save situation) was Zack Jones, who struck out one in a perfect ninth. Rochester Red Wings 2, Buffalo Bisons 9 Box Score A chilly Home Opener in Rochester saw the Red Wings drop their third straight game and second straight home opener to Buffalo. Shairon Martis threw only 29 of 69 pitches for strikes and only lasted three innings. His four walks and four hits allowed amounted to two earned runs. He struck out one. The bullpen – starting with Bruce Pugh – didn’t provide much help. Pugh allowed three hits and two earned runs while only recording one out. Caleb Thielbar got the Red Wings through the sixth. He struck out four, but also allowed two more earned runs. Luis Perdomo allowed four hits, four walks and – you guessed it – two more runs in 1 1/3 innings. Daniel Turpen got the final five outs, but also allowed a run on two hits and two walks. He struck out two. Offensively, the story of the game was walks. Rochester play-by-play announcer Josh Whetzel tweeted after the game that in the MLB since 1916 only 14 teams have lost a nine inning game while coaxing 11 walks, like Rochester did today, and scoring two or less runs. As you can probably guess, the Red Wings did poorly with runners in scoring position (1-for-10). Chris Colabello was the only player with a multi-hit game (two singles). Oswaldo Arcia went hitless and Eric Farris, making his Red Wings debut, went 0-for-4 after pinch-hitting for Ray Olmedo in the 4th inning. Sunday’s original starter, Pedro Hernandez, was promoted and will start for the Twins. Virgil Vasquez, who was originally slated to pitch Monday, will pitch tomorrow. Buffalo will send Tyson Brummett to the mound. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels 7 Box Score The Rock Cats got all of their offense from two players – Daniel Ortiz and Harold Garcia. Ortiz went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and a run. Harold Garcia had two hits, including a two-run home run. Pat Dean got the start and lasted four innings. He allowed seven hits, two walks and five runs (four earned). He struck out two. Relieving Dean was TwinsDaily’s Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year last year: A.J. Achter. Achter struck out two and walked two in two innings. Marty Popham took the loss for allowing two runs in the seventh. Nelvin Fuentes hit a batter, but otherwise went unscathed in the eighth. Tomorrow the Rock Cats will look to even the four-game series with Richmond. They will be doing so with Alex Meyer making his Twins minor league debut. This is definitely a game Twins prospect-watchers will have their eye on. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Beloit Snappers 2 Box Score After two exciting wins, the Kernels struggled to get going and failed to match their dramatic victory of last night. Super-prospect Byron Buxton went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He’s now batting .455. Jorge Polanco drove in the lone run with an RBI double in the 8th innings. Candido Pimental and Niko Goodrum added singles. Pimentel and J.D. Williams each stole a base. 2012 2nd round pick, Mason Melotakis, has started his conversion from relief pitcher to starting pitcher. He worked into the fifth, recording one out, while giving up only two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out two. Melotakis was throwing in the low-to-mid-90s while working quickly, according to Seth. Worth noting, Melotakis recored 10 groundball outs, compared to only 1 flyball out. The Kernels got a great showing from their bullpen, ironically enough, from two former Snappers starters – Matt Tomshaw and Manuel Soliman. Tomshaw came in to relieve Melotakis after Melotakis issued a walk to start the 5th innings. He did allow two hits and two walks, but he struck out four in 2.2 scoreless innings. Soliman made his second appearance of the year and allowed three hits, but no runs, while recording six outs. Another college reliever, Tyler Duffey, will make his pro debut as a starter tomorrow as the Kernels look to clinch the series win. Like any back-of-the-rotation starter, you'll have to put up with me once (and sometimes twice) a week. I'm on Twitter, if you're into that sort of thing. But my baby is tracking the Major League payroll and all of the organizational rosters. I call it the R&P (Roster & Payroll) page and update it frequently to answer all of your burning questions. I'm also pretty heavy into the MLB Draft. Sometime soon here I plan to start bugging Seth into letting me do a Draft Chat, what do you think about that idea? Click here to view the article

As expected, the Twins drafted Georgia OF Byron Buxton second overall (though it came with a little uncertainty after Carlos Correa, not Mark Appel, went first). Shortly after 9:30 local time, the Twins were back on the clock. Conventional wisdom suggested the Twins were going to take local product Mitch Brown. Instead, the Twins pegged Puerto Rican P Jose Orlando Berrios. Berrios is the third Puerto Rican to go in the top two rounds and only the second to go as high as the supplemental round.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: joberrios.jpg (perfectgame.org) Berrios is a late-bloomer that really excelled this spring in the Excellence Tournament. He added over 20 pounds to his six foot frame (to bring him up to 180) over the winter. Twins fans will be happy to know that the team added a guy who throws in the mid-90s, with a low-80s slider and the potential to throw an average to above-average change-up. Prospect-wise, Berrios's upside is of a #2 starter, but it will probably be the summer of 2014 before we see him playing full-season ball. At the least, Berrios could become a power-reliever with a high-90's fastball in shorter spurts. Though he's committed to Miami Dade JC, Berrios is a safe bet to sign quickly for near the $1.55m pick value and will make his debut this summer for the GCL Twins. Ten picks (and only ten minutes) later the Twins stood back at the podium and surprised many of us with the selection of Georgia Tech RP Luke Bard. Bard is the younger brother of Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard. Bard tore a lat muscle (similar to Roy Halladay) this spring and hasn't pitched since the end of March. Before injuring himself, Bard was in the first-round conversation as a power-reliever, throwing a mid-90s fastball with a decent slider. It is only my opinion, but I believe the Twins will give Bard the opportunity to start. The Twins will want to see Bard throw before signing him, which I believe they will in late June or early July, for a little less than pick value. I expect Bard - if healthy - to be on a similar path as Madison Boer - pick up relief innings in Elizabethton and Beloit in 2012 before getting a chance to start in low-A ball next spring. All in all, today should be considered a very successful day by Twins fans. The Twins will have the 3rd pick of the second round. I would be surprised if Mitch Brown doesn't hear his name called. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: draft13.jpg As the draft quickly approaches, we’ve spent a lot of time discussing the choices the Twins have with the fourth overall pick in the draft. Today, we’re going to look at what you can expect to happen in the first ten rounds. Over the last three drafts, the Twins have selected 35 players in the Top 10 rounds. Here’s how those picks break down:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] College right-handed pitchers: 10 (1, 1s, 2, 2, 4, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10) College left-handed pitchers: 7 (2, 3, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10) Prep outfielders: 3 (1, 4, 6) College shortstops: 3 (1, 5, 9) College “corners”: 3 (3, 8, 9) *value in bat, position TBD (includes unsigned Mazzilli) Prep right-handed pitchers: 2 (1s, 1s) Prep shortstops: 2 (2, 10) *maybe should be labeled “prep athletes” Prep “corners”: 1 (1s) College outfielders: 1 (5) Prep left-handed pitchers: 1 (6) Prep catchers: 1 (7) College catchers: 1 (9) The Twins have had five extra choices in rounds one and two over the last two years, a luxury they won’t have this year. Those additional picks have been extra arms or, in Travis Harrison’s case, the only prep with his value tied exclusively to his bat in the last three years. Though the Twins have only used two Top 10 selections on catchers in the last three years, they used a 12th-round pick on a college catcher in the odd year. They’re admittedly looking for more catching, so expect to see a catcher selected higher than in previous years. (GUESS: Twins pop a catcher somewhere in the rounds 4-6.) The category of college shortstops is tied for third most-represented on the list. Unfortunately, the Twins haven’t gotten great value there. Levi Michael was likely viewed as the best-available and that was why he came off the board. (GUESS: There isn’t a lot of SS depth in the system or in this draft, so if there is a “senior sign” that the Twins believe in, taking one in round 6-9 wouldn’t be a shock.) It could be tossed into the last category, but prep shortstops are different. The Twins have a history of adding a prep shortstop in the Top 15 (if not Top 10) rounds. It seems they’ll sacrifice offense for a good fielding shortstop. (GUESS: If they find a guy they like, they could move early. If not, expect them to take a chance after round 10, especially if they’ve used a pick on a college shortstop already.) College “corners” and even the lone college outfielder (Nate Roberts) happen about once a year. (GUESS: It could happen at any time in the first ten rounds, maybe twice. One name to keep an eye on early on Day 2 is Georgia Tech OF/1B Daniel Palka.) The Twins have always seemed to have a love-affair for toolsy prep outfielders. The truth is, though, they haven’t taken a ton of them, they’ve just had a lot of success with them when they do. (GUESS: Like prep pitchers, they do it early. There is a chance the Twins take an athlete that falls with the likelihood they add a centerfielder sometime on Day 2. It should be noted, as well, that the Twins only “overslot” signing after Round 10 was a prep centerfielder.) Taking a prep right-hander is rare. But when it’s happened, it’s happened early. Expect the same this year. (GUESS: Kohl Stewart at 4 would qualify as early.) The Twins have only selected one prep lefty in the Top 10 rounds and that pick turned out to have shoulder issues before signing. He was also one of a handful of Puerto Ricans drafted over the last three years. The Twins typically wouldn’t be counted on to take a prep lefty, but this year has more depth in the category than most years. (GUESS: They’ll come off the board early, so if it hasn’t happened by round 3, don’t count on it.) College pitchers – both left- and right-handed – dominated the Twins draft board over the last three years. Nearly half of the Top 10 round picks have been pitchers and that makes sense. Last year, eight of the first 13 picks were pitchers. This year could be very similar. (GUESS: Expect the Twins to go to the pitching well early and often. Drafting six pitchers in the first ten rounds seems about right, but after drafting so many lefties recently, there is less urgency to add as many this year. If two lefties come off the board in the top 10 rounds, that would make sense.) Round-by-round expectations: Round 1 – There is some intrigue left because of the uncertainty before them, but (as of today) prep RHP Kohl Stewart is the pick. Round 2 – If the pick is Stewart in Round 1, it would surprise me if they turned around and took a prep lefty here. That being said, there will be some good value here. Blake Taylor (CA) and Hunter Green (KY) are names that could be in the discussion. A more likely scenario would see a college arm come off of the board. Best available would be the way to go, especially if one falls; names that are in play are Tom Windle (Minnesota), Kent Emanuel (North Carolina) and Dillon Overton (Oklahoma). The other scenario would be a position player dropping into the Twins' lap. It’s impossible to predict who it might be, but the Twins are enamored with Aaron Judge’s power (Fresno State), though he’s upped his draft stock lately. Round 3 and Round 4 – Some names worth remembering here are Stephen Tarpley (LHP, Scottsdale JC), Cody Reed (LHP NW Miss. JC), Corey Littrell (LHP, Kentucky) and D.J. Snelton (LHP, Minnesota). If the Twins want to take another shot on a college reliever A.J. Vanegas (RHP, Stanford) could be an intriguing name. Slowed by injuries, Vanegas still offers a high-90s fastball and a very good slider. This could also be the time you also see a prep shortstop (or other prep athlete) come off the board, though it’s a danger-zone for those with signability questions. Round 5 through Round 7 – This is the range in which the Twins could very easily be considering a catcher. Brian Navaretto (FL) and Rene Melendez (PR) are two preps that fit the defensive profile. Mississippi State SS Adam Frazier would immediately become a Gardenhire favorite. If the Twins go the prep shortstop route, Stephen Alemais (a personal favorite of mine) would make sense. David Gates (RHP, Howard JC) and Taylor Williams (RHP, Kent State) are names that could be in the mix here. Round 8 through Round 10 – If the Twins have passed on outfielders to this point, someone like Adam Engel (Louisville) would be a great choice. Ryan Cordell (Liberty) would also make sense. There are literally hundreds of pitchers that could be under consideration for these picks. The baseball draft is far more unpredictable than either the football or basketball draft simply because of the volume of guys that are selected. The front office is hard at work setting their draft board, which will consist of approximately 900 names. (Yes, that’s fewer than will be selected over the 40 rounds. No, they’re not worried they’ll run out of names.) It will likely be much earlier in the draft than you’d expect when players are getting drafted who aren’t even on the Twins board. (I believe I was told it happened in the 3rd round last year.) Once the draft is complete – and the organization has 40 more players – they will begin signing them. Of course, not all will sign (not all will even be offered contracts), but when the dust clears on July 15, expect the Twins to have signed somewhere between 22 and 26 players. --- If you haven't had enough draft talk yet, go find last week's Gleeman and the Geek podcast. I also talked draft with Fanatic Jack at BlogTalkRadio last Monday. There's more draft talk coming: The Talk2Contact crew will be running their draft preview early next week. And if you're really crazy and can't get enough, I'll be joining the BlueJaysPlus podcast tomorrow night. Click here to view the article

Happy Trade Deadline Eve! All is still quiet on the Twins front, though activity around baseball has started to heat up. Division rivals Detroit and Chicago have already been active (with Boston’s help) in a three team trade. Detroit added SS Jose Iglesias, from Boston, to replace Jhonny Peralta (who will be suspended soon) while Chicago traded Jake Peavy to the Red Sox. Detroit also shipped reliever Brayan Villarreal to Boston. In return, the White Sox get OF prospect Avisail Garcia as well as other minor-league prospects from Detroit. Garcia was Detroit's Minor League Player of the Year in 2012. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] If you missed it earlier, Seth tweeted that RockCats P Tom Stuifbergen is set to undergo Tommy John surgery. He will likely miss most, if not all, of the 2014 season. Let’s take a look around the farm. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 5, LEHIGH VALLEY IRONPIGS 4 Box Score The Red Wings will finish this month off tomorrow at 11:35 ET with Andrew Albers on the mound. The current leaders in the International League North, the Red Wings are only three games behind the Indianapolis Indians for the second-best record in the IL. Tonight’s game wasn't looking very promising. Heading into the top of the 8th down 4-0, the Red Wings found their horseshoe. This time it came in the form of walks. Specifically walks with the bases loaded. It happened four times. FOUR TIMES! Four times the Red Wings came to bat with the bases loaded and the at-bat ended up with a walk. It’s as unbelievable as it sounds. Offensively, there wasn’t much else. Deibinson Romero doubled. The 7-8-9 hitters (Brian Dinkelman, James Beresford and Drew Butera) all had two-hit games and scored four of the five runs. Speaking of Butera, when is someone going to connect the Red Wings turn-around to the activation of Drew Butera? Liam Hendriks pitched 6.1 innings. He struck out three and gave up four runs on eight hits. Luis Perdomo picked up the win, recording five outs – four by strikeout. Michael Tonkin picked up the save, with two strikeouts, despite giving up two hits. NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS 5, AKRON ZIPS (12 innings) Box Score Oh, Miguel Sano. It’s well-known that Sano has had a documentary made about him and a second one currently in production. But this guy is like a soap opera. In his return home after his “benching”, Sano came up with runners on the corners, down one and in extra innings. So what does he do? He doubles in both runners and the team celebrates the win. You can’t make that up. You can’t script it either. Download attachment: miguelSano.jpg He finished 2-for-5 with that double and RBIs. He also walked and struck out once. He’s now batting .240 in AA. Eddie Rosario, Danny Santana and Dan Rohlfing all also had two hits. Rohlfing added a double. Daniel Ortiz also drove in two runs. Santana committed his 27th error of the season. Trevor May threw 99 pitches and got through six innings. He only walked two (his most important stat). He struck five out and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits. The bullpen was awesome. Before Dakota Watts allowed the run in the 12th (on a wild pitch) the four guys who bridged the gap from May to Watts – Daniel Turpen (1.2 IP), Ryan O’Rourke (1 IP), Matt Hauser (1.1 IP) and Blake Martin (1 IP) – allowed one hit, one walk and struck out four combined. The RockCats are 17.5 games out of first in the Eastern League Eastern Division (and only 2.5 games ahead of the last place team), but they are also only six games out of 2nd place, which earns a wild card berth. It’s possible – not probable – but possible that if the team gets really hot in August, they could be knocking on the playoff door. They’ll look to pick up another win tomorrow at home against Akron. Pat Dean makes the start against Akron at 7:05 ET. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 5, DAYTONA CUBS 2 Box Score Super prospect Byron Buxton is getting a couple of days off to rest. (It has nothing to do with how he did or didn’t handle a recent home run or triple.) It’s just soreness and time to recover as far as I understand. Without Buxton, the Miracle still managed to improve their record to 66-38. They used a combination of walks (7) and stolen bases (5) to supplement their five hits including a double by Stephen Wickens and a triple by Jhon Goncalves. Both Wickens and Levi Michael stole two bases. Matt Summers pitched four strong, shutout innings. He allowed three hits and walked four. He struck out three. His pitch-count got high and was lifted. Corey Williams struck out four in two innings. He allowed two runs (one earned). Chad Rodgers (win) and Tyler Jones (save) combined to complete the game with three hitless innings. They each struck out two. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 1, BURLINGTON BEES 4 Box Score Adam Brett Walker had a triple and was the only multi-hit player in the lineup today. Getting to watch Walker take batting practice over the weekend was a treat. He has very easy power, though it doesn't have the same sound as Sano produces. Max Kepler had an RBI single and a walk. He also struck out. Kepler was back in the outfield after a very impressive showing at first base over the weekend. Going forward, it makes sense to keep Kepler in the outfield (especially with Vargas and Hicks already at first and other position question marks existing), but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Kepler eventually finding his home there. The lineup managed to strike out 16 times. Yikes! Christian Powell struck out six through five innings. He allowed two runs on six hits and two walks. The two walks were to the first two batters in the sixth. Dallas Gallant relieved and allowed one of the inherited baserunners to score before getting out of the inning. In the seventh, he loaded the bases without recording an out. Hudson Boyd came in and allowed two of the runners to score. He returned and retired the side in the eighth inning. Despite Boyd’s lack of success this year, I’m not ready to push him off of prospect lists (ok, maybe off a Top 30, but not a Top 50). Boyd has completely remade his body. It might take a while, but at some point I see Boyd becoming a productive pitcher, though probably as a reliever. The Kernels are now 65-40 (just behind the Miracle) with Josue Montanez taking the hill in Burlington tomorrow at 6:30 CT. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 7, KINGSPORT METS 1 Box Score The pitching tonight was very good. Josh Burris struck out three, walking three and allowing three hits and five shutout innings. Ethan Mildren struck out three in two innings. He allowed an unearned run. Kuo Hua Lo struck out three in his two innings of work. Mitch Garver and Logan Wade doubled. Zach Granite and Kelvin Ortiz tripled. Ortiz drove in three while Granite plated two. Derek Rodriguez stole two bases. Both Bryan Haar and Ortiz also swiped a bag. The E-Twins continue to hang around .500 (19-18) and aren’t nearly as dominant as they have been in the recent past. The win tonight brings them within 3.5 games of the team they’re chasing for the Wild Card spot – the Kingsport Mets Yorman Landa gets the start tomorrow night at 7 pm ET as they look to close the game again. GCL TWINS 2, GCL ORIOLES 3 Box Score Today’s game was a who’s-who of rehabbing players. Darin Mastroianni was 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. He played left field before being replaced in the bottom of the 6th, which was by plan. Wilkin Ramirez, who DH’d the entire game, went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. Lester Oliveros is on the Tommy John comeback trail. In his first appearance since the surgery, he pitched one inning and struck out one batter. Luke Bard, who technically isn’t rehabbing, but shouldn’t be at this level, was credited with a blown save. In recording two outs, Bard allowed a walk and a hit. Of his two runs allowed, only one was earned. As for guys that are playing where they belong, Stephen Gonsalves continued to impress. In three innings, Gonsalves only allowed one hit. He struck out six, but did walk three. His season ERA now sits at 0.63. The offense only managed two hits, but Zach Larson still had a good game despite going 0-for-3. He walked, drove in a run and stole two bases. The 15-18 GCL Twins continue their season with a Noon Eastern game tomorrow. Questions or comments? Please leave them below. Click here to view the article

This is the fourth in a series of (somewhat) weekly installments leading up to the June 5th through 7th draft. The focus is intended to be very Twins-specific. Part 1: Locals Part 2: The Top Part 3: What's New? --- http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=7438&stc=1 While you may read the title and think I’m referring to a 10-game Pedro Florimon stretch, I’m actually going to spotlight a handful of players who could be in play when the Twins go on the clock with the 45th overall pick. Forecasting these possibilities is far from easy and the reasons are obvious. It’s hard to predict who the top five players who go off the board will be; it’s impossible to predict who the 44 guys will be that aren’t available for the Twins to choose from. ***I woke up this morning and realized, "Hey, the Twins don't draft 45th." They draft 46th, all the points still remain.*** It is my personal conjecture that the avenue the Twins go with their first round pick will have an effect on how they use their second pick. For example, if the Twins take SS Nick Gordon at #5, they would be less likely to take another shortstop in the second round. While the Twins could conceivably go back-to-back pitchers (or even prep pitchers), that's not a common path they’ve taken (though it was the way chosen in 2013). LHP Mac Marshall (Lilburn, GA): Marshall’s value seemed to spike early as he performed exceptionally at the Perfect Game National Showcase at the Metrodome. He showed more velocity and more raw tools than he ever had previously and he made a case to be a mid- to late-first round pick. In their most recent rankings, both Baseball America and Perfect Game have Marshall rated as the 53rd-best draft prospect, which would put him right in line with the Twins 2nd-round pick. The pitcher that Marshall is now is a three-pitch guy. The lefty typically sits in the 88-91 range, but can reach back and hit as high as 94. Professionally, his best results are going to come when he’s in the high-80s range. Marshall’s best pitch is his 80 mph change-up. Perfect Game calls the pitch the best any draft-eligible lefty throws and also ranks it the 3rd best among all prep pitchers. Rounding out his repertoire, Marshall also throws a curveball with true downhill break. It has the potential to be above-average and it’s best when he’s throwing it in the mid-70s. The young lefty evokes comparisons to current Ray Matt Moore (6-3, 200) and they are about the same size (Marshall is 6-2, 185). LHP Cody Reed (Athens, AL): Reed is being vastly undervalued. Baseball America has Reed ranked #44, while Perfect Game has him all the way down at #81. You can throw those rankings out the window, though. The Twins have this southpaw ranked much, much higher. Reed pitched this summer at 220 with a fastball that barely broke 90. Six months - and apparently 40 pounds of Southern-style cookin’ later - Reed is 260 and pumping mid-90s gas. This Vanderbilt commit is no one-trick pony though. His change-up is a work in progress, but both of his breaking balls (slider and curve) are coming along nicely. Reed has been completely dominant in his final high school season and, according to Baseball America, has recorded 84% of his outs this year via strikeout. He also has a 21-strikeout game to his record. It goes without saying that the conditioning will need to be monitored closely, ain’t nobody want CC Sabathia walking through that door. Only we do. We want the fat CC…. and his Cy Youngs. RHP Michael Cederoth (San Diego St): Cederoth was one of the first names in this draft class that people started to hear about. The reason was that Cederoth was touching 100 mph the fall before his sophomore year. Cederoth has struggled with his control and has found himself in a relief role where his fastball plays up and he can concentrate more on throwing just that and his slider. Baseball America ranks Cederoth #46 and Perfect Game has him at #63. It will be interesting to see which team thinks they can successfully convert the college hard-thrower into a starter, a move the Twins have attempted to make a number of time in the recent past. The knock on Cederoth is that he’s got a violent delivery, one that might be best suited for short stints. SS Ti’Quan Forbes (Columbia, MS): If the Twins end up with Nick Gordon high on their board in the first round and miss, Forbes would be a more-than-adequate consolation prize. Forbes doesn’t come without question marks; in fact, he comes with a toolshed full of them. But the Twins have always been drawn to guys with lots of tools and Forbes has a lot of same qualities that Niko Goodrum did coming out of high school. Forbes is currently 6-4, 180 and, like Goodrum, the perception is that his future position is anywhere but shortstop. His qualities - in both his hands and his balance point - suggest the infield is a reasonable destination. His arm, though, is not the arm you’d want to put deep in the hole. Both Baseball America (55) and Perfect Game (60), rank Forbes as a potential 2nd rounder. Could he be a match for the Twins? OF/RHP Dylan Davis (Oregon State): Davis is gradually turning into one of my “personal cheeseballs”. Not because I think he’s going to turn into the best player from this class, but simply because he’s very unique. Davis was a very highly regarded pitcher coming out of high school. He was throwing mid-90 gas and only a strong commitment to Oregon State kept him from getting drafted. As it turns out, Davis made his contributions first as a hitter and through two rounds in the Cape Cod - a league which churns out Twins draftees at a very high rate - further solidified his status as a future outfielder. But here’s the rub: Davis is up to 97 and has a potentially wipeout slider. But before you turn around and call him a pitcher, remember he’s got, arguably, the most right-handed raw power of any player in this draft. So what the heck do you do? Well, the most likely scenario is that a team drafts him and calls him an outfielder. Maybe a team likes him and tries to make him a starter. Or… maybe a team drafts him as a right fielder and still lets him relieve once or twice a week. I mean, the Twins do love versatility. This would bring the versatility game to a whole new level. ---- So, what do you think? Click here to view the article

The Twins extended their winning streak to four by beating the Brewers in extra innings today. (#ITSHAPPENING?) Ben Revere and Trevor Plouffe played big parts. Drew Butera finally found a bat that feels right in his hands. But that’s not what we’re here for, so let’s check out the system on this Saturday: ROCHESTER 6, GWINNETT 4 Cole DeVries got something tonight he hadn’t gotten yet this year – run support. DeVries, who picked up his first win, went eight innings, allowing six hits, four runs (all earned) and struck out six, walking none. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] DeVries had been cruising through eight (facing only one more than the minimum) and came out in an attempt to get the complete game. That stanza started with single, single, triple and then he got the hook. Anthony Slama – and all his mustache power – came in and retired all three batters he faced (allowing his inherited runner to score) to notch his eighth save. Slama’s numbers are absurd: 20 IP, 32 K, 1 ER (0.45 ERA). His walks (12) have always been an issue, but he’s only allowed 11 hits this year! His biggest problem might just be the fact that the big league bullpen has been really good and doesn’t have a need. The bats were also alive, notching 14 hits. Chris Parmelee, finally getting his first taste of AAA this week, went 3-for-5 with a double and a run. Wilkin Ramirez, Danny Valencia and Rene Rivera all had two hits. Pedro Florimon added a triple and – sit down for this – Tsuyoshi Nishioka contributed his first American home run – a 2-run blast in the fourth. NEW BRITAIN 3, READING 2 The Rockcats didn’t earn a run tonight, but they did get a win. Aaron Hicks had a big game going 2-for-4, with a double. His biggest contribution came in the 9th when he stole second with two outs. Getting into scoring position allowed him to score on an error when Mark Dolenc hit a grounder to the third baseman; that run proved to be the game-winner. Chris Herrmann also contributed two hits (one double) and the team’s lone RBI. Andrew Albers was solid through 6 innings, allowing nine hits, but only two runs. He struck out three and walked one. The bullpen combo of Bobby Lanigan, Blake Martin and Luis Perdomo pitched the final three innings. They allowed no hits, struck out two (both Lanigan) and Perdomo got all three of his outs by ground balls. FT. MYERS 2, BREVARD COUNTY 7 I’m not going to sugar-coat the ineptitude of Madison Boer. He didn’t make it out of the fourth (again), but did pitch enough to give up nine hits, seven runs and two walks. In another sign of how bad things are, he didn’t strike out any. At this point, I would be stunned if he made his next scheduled start. The phantom DL or Beloit would be more likely destinations. Jose Gonzalez rebounded nicely after his last outing. He got seven outs – four by strikeout. Matt Hauser allowed two hits and a walk in two innings, striking out two. The bats – especially those of the guys we’d expect (or hope?) to do well: Michael, Arcia and Morales – didn’t do much. Danny Ortiz hit his first home run for the Miracle. Andy Leer (both doubles) and Josmil Pinto had two hits. Lancy Ray also had a double. The trio of Michael, Arcia and Morales went 0-for-12 with 4 Ks. BELOIT 6, BURLINGTON 9 The Snappers lost their second straight (after a six-game winning streak). Miguel Sano continued his tailspin going 0-for-4. He’s now batting .152 over his last ten games. What’s still encouraging is that he’s only struck out five times over that span. The Snappers scored all six runs in the third inning, but no Snapper had more than one hit or one run. Kyle Knudson had a 2-run home run and Jonathan Goncalves added two RBI. Eddie Rosario had a stolen base and Goncalves and Drew Leachman successfully pulled off a double-steal of 2nd and home, respectively. Starting pitcher Steven Gruver left after only one innings (three hits, walk, run), but no word (yet) on why. A.J. Achter, who has been very successful this year, pitched the next four innings. He struck out four while allowing five hits and two runs. The wheels fell off for Ryan O’Rourke. He gave up three hits, two walks and five runs (four earned) over 1 2/3 innings. He did strike out three while earning the blown save/loss. Corey Williams walked two, striking out one, while allowing one unearned run in 1 1/3 innings. --- Players of the Day for Saturday, May 19, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Cole DeVries Download attachment: DeVries.jpg Hitter of the Day – Chris Parmelee Download attachment: parmelee.jpg (images from dylanheuer.com) --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, May 20, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Gwinnett – LHP Luke French (0-0, 6.75) New Britain at Reading - RHP Steve Hirschfeld (2-4, 3.28) Ft. Myers at Brevard County – RHP Jhon Garcia (0-5, 4.01) Beloit at Burlington – RHP Tim Shibuya (2-1, 2.25) --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome. Click here to view the article

Since last night’s podcast/minor league review there have been a few more moves. The Twins placed Aaron Hicks on the DL with a strained hamstring and recalled Oswaldo Arcia. The Red Wings, who had a full roster following the addition of James Beresford and re-addition of Chris Colabello, placed Danny Lehmann on the 7-day DL with right elbow neuritis. You can Google it like I did and you’ll get to read about a bunch of “elbow terms”, but it basically boils down to “sore elbow” which, in this case, is double-secret code word for “our roster is full”.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Anyway, the Red Wings now have a roster spot available. New Britain released Mark Sobolewski. Good luck to Mark as he continues his baseball career. The Miracle added Bryan Haar to their roster. Haar will essentially serve as a place-holder until a reinforcement or two come from Cedar Rapids. Haar is expected to be E-town’s primary first baseman. The Twins also inked their first draft pick of the year: 9th-round pick C Mitchell Garver. Garver signed for $40,000, which is $108,100 less than his designated pick value. He will report to Fort Myers before heading to Elizabethton for the start of their season. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 4, TOLEDO MUD HENS 12 Box Score There's getting worked. And then there's getting worked. Both happened to Rochester tonight. In football, spotting a team 10-point in the first half isn't a kiss-of-death, but it's also not strongly advised. In baseball, well, at most levels there's a thing called a "Mercy Rule". That would have been in effect tonight. Cole DeVries gave a touchdown and two-point conversion in only a little over one hockey period (3.1 innings). Shairon Martis ran out of the back of the end zone, twice. (Four runs, 1.2 innings.) Anthony Slama, Luis Perdomo and Aaron Thompson came in and stopped the bleeding. But by that point it was such a mess, the Red Wing was dead and the Mud Hen had picked the bones clean. Off that topic, but back on the actual topic, Aaron Thompson has really come around. After missing the first part of last year with a 50-game suspension and then struggling as a starter in New Britain, Thompson has thrived since his move to the bullpen. He also, allegedly, has a sweet mustache. So that may be the source of his new-found success. If you're curious about the Rochester bats, it's just about what you'd expect. Colabello raked (3-for-5). Antoan Richardson got on base 40% of the time (2-for-5). Trevor Plouffe went 0-for-3. James Beresford got a hit in his AAA debut. Wait, Trevor Plouffe...? Oh, he started his rehab assignment and DH'd for Rochester. His defense has never been better. I'm kidding, all right? I'm a huge fan of Plouffe keeping the seat warm for our "Little Angel" (as in Miguel Angel Sano). Vanimal will be on the bump tomorrow for a noon game. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS – Day off Pat Dean (3-6, 4.81) pitches tomorrow at 6:35 ET. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 6, DAYTONA CUBS 9 Box Score It was the first Miracle game in the post-Sano Era. It was also the Javier Baez Show. Baez, a top prospect in his own right, went 4-for-4 with four home runs and seven RBI. It should come as no surprise then that the Miracle pitchers didn't have great lines. Matt Tomshaw gave up five runs in three innings. Adrian Salcedo gave up three runs in three innings (and struck out four). Jose Gonzalez gave up a run in two innings. All allowed home runs to Baez. The bats weren't terrible. They managed six runs on ten hits. Matt Koch had a double and a single and drove in two runs. I've long been a fan of Koch and think that when Pinto moves from AA to AAA, Koch will be able to fill in that hole in New Britain (with a little less power). Andy Leer had two doubles. Stephen Wickens doubled. Big Spoon Vargas hit his 20th double. It won't be long until Vargas re-joins his buddies in New Britain. Jason Wheeler (5-1, 3.99) will pitch tomorrow at 7:05 ET. Let's see what Baez thinks about him. You know what this lineup needs? The guy you're going to read about next. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6, KANE COUNTY COUGARS 2 Box Score Byron Buxton was the star of this show, featured on FSNorth. Defensively, he made two running catches in the left-center field gap. They looked fairly routine (for him). He also made a near the wall in the left-center gap that is hard to put into words. It looked like something Ben Revere would do. It would be a SportsCenter Top 10 play if they featured minor league plays (which maybe they will). Download attachment: buxtoncream.jpg Offensively, Buxton was a home run short of the cycle. He singled up the middle on a two-strike count. He had a three-RBI double on a left-center drive that fell about six feet short of a grand slam. Most impressively, the #GeorgianJesus tripled to the right-center field gap on a ball that didn’t reach the warning track. He also proved to be in near-human form when he was caught leaning off first base and tagged out between first and second. Personally, I was also disappointed he didn’t at try to steal home after his triple. He’s fast enough to beat the pitch home. Obviously. Mason Melotakis had an impressive seven inning start, picking up his team-leading sixth win of the season. The lefty worked very quickly and allowed only four hits and three walks. He was aided by two double plays and he struck out two. Tomorrow night, Hein Robb will make his 2nd MWL start against the Lance McCullers-led Quad Cities River Bandits at 7pm CT. If Quad Cities loses tonight and the Kernels beat them tomorrow night, the Kernels will have clinched a playoff spot (if my math serves me correctly). Comparing schedules, I think that Buxton will finish out the first half with Cedar Rapids. The Miracle don’t play Friday through Sunday, so it wouldn’t make sense to have Buxton take three days off when the Kernels could still potentially use him. Comments or questions, please post below. Click here to view the article

Yesterday we took a look at four Twins who will have minimal value on the trade market. Today we’re going to look at the three who probably have the most value (if they’re made available… and no, Joe Mauer isn’t available). Download attachment: baseballmoney2.jpg We’re going to skip Ryan Doumit and most of the bullpen. I feel like there are tradable assets there, so maybe we'll revisit that later. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Justin Morneau Some people are holding out hope that a team will overpay for the former MVP. I don’t see that happening, but there is reason to be somewhat optimistic. A good trade comparison that happened last year was the Astros-Marlins trade: Carlos Lee and $9 million to cover the rest of his contract to the Miami Marlins for P Rob Rasmussen and 3B Matt Dominguez. Both Rasmussen (7) and Dominguez (4) were Top 10 prospects in the Marlins system. Dominguez is currently the Astros starting 3B (which really doesn’t mean much) and Rasmussen entered the year as the Astros #19 prospect. If the Twins were to pump in the $6-ish million to cover the rest of Morneau’s contract, the Twins could hope for similar return. Would you trade Justin Morneau and cash to the Yankees for RHP Brett Marshall and catcher J.R. Murphy? Marshall ranked as the Yankees’ #6 prospect coming into the season. His BA blurb is likely music to the Twins' brass' ears: “Marshall profiles as a durable, sinkerballing #4 starter – not the Yankees’ prototype prospect but a useful trade chip.” In May, Marshall made an appearance out of the Yankees bullpen, but has otherwise spent his season in the AAA rotation. Marshall turns 24 in the weeks leading up to Opening Day 2014. Murphy, ranked #15 on Yankee prospect lists, is catching in AAA after a promotion about a month ago. Murphy is more advanced offensively than defensively, but he is making progress. Adding another catcher to the group of Pinto, Herrmann and Butera would give the Twins added flexibility and open the door to trade either Ryan Doumit or Butera. (Maybe Butera could/would be thrown into this deal.) Plus, the icing on the cake (for me, anyway), is that the Twins could re-sign Morneau this winter. That is, if he’s open to a 2-year deal that doesn’t exceed $15 million total. Trevor Plouffe We debate whether or not Plouffe should be on the market. Some argue that he should be part of the long-term plans and I get that. In my mind, though, he’s still just a placeholder for the next wave. The issue with moving Plouffe is that the next wave isn’t ready yet. Plouffe is from Los Angeles and currently there are two teams that play in his hometown that could use an upgrade at the hot corner. At 27 – and under team control for four more seasons – Plouffe has value. He’s a replacement-level defender and is OPSing at about .770. Juan Uribe, who turns 34 next week, is having his best season since 2009 and statistically is almost the exact same player that Trevor Plouffe is both offensively (OPS of .764) and defensively (replacement-level) this year. Oh, and Uribe’s $7.3 million contract expires at the end of the season. I’m not sure if the Dodgers have a more expensive, accomplished 3B in their crosshairs, but Trevor Plouffe could be a guy that helps them out. Would you trade Trevor Plouffe and International Slot 4 ($203,300) to the Dodgers for (as @Jederdyer suggests) LHP Chris Reed plus (my suggestions) RHP Angel Sanchez, SS Darnell Sweeney and 3B Juan Uribe (and his expiring contract)? Reed would be the headliner. A first round pick out of Stanford in 2011, Reed, 23, is in the AA rotation and profiles as a mid-rotation starter with a mid-90s, heavy fastball and a plus slider. He compares favorably to current farmhand Trevor May, but has the same control/is he a bullpen guy questions. Sanchez, who had a dreadful 2012 in high-A has just recently been re-promoted there and has a live, projectable arm. He will turn 24 in November. Sweeney is a true shortstop but has had a ton of errors. He’s handling the bat pretty well in high-A, though and could be a sleeper prospect. Of course taking Uribe and saving the Dodgers about $4 million is part of the reason the prospect haul is better. Uribe can serve as the stopgap for the rest of this lost season. If you’d rather trade Plouffe to the Angels, who have one of the weakest farm systems in baseball, you’d probably have to take back Alberto Callaspo’s contract (almost $2 million for the rest of this season and $4,875,000 next season) and a couple Dominican pitchers who may have a higher ceiling, but a lower chance of reaching it. Glen Perkins Oh, and the hardest decision of them all. The Pony, Glen Perkins. If I dealt from my head, I’d trade Perkins in a heartbeat; the value of his return would be significant. If I let feelings get involved, though, I’d want Perkins here for the turn-around. A recent article on Fangraphs talks about how dealing Perkins should be the obvious answer. My asking price would be high and set in stone: A top 50 prospect (preferably a pitcher) and another really good prospect (preferably another pitcher). So which teams have those trade chips to offer and could use a left-handed closer? Well, the second part is easy to answer… in a nutshell, everybody. The Red Sox have been linked heavily to Jon Papelbon. I’d rather have Perkins. Would you trade Perkins for RHP Anthony Ranaudo (who is carving up AA and should be in AAA – or the Majors – soon) and RHP Francellis Montas (struggling in hi-A, at 20, but can hit 100). You could probably also talk the Red Sox into adding a close-to-the-majors reliever too. Ranaudo is a guy you could start in a playoff game, so he’s no worse than a #3 starter and he’s close. Montas is essentially a super-cool lottery ticket. Plus, when push comes to shove, the Red Sox will hopefully throw in a sweetener (or two). The Dodgers could use Perkins too. Would you trade Perkins for a deal centered around Zach Lee (currently in AA)? What if it was Lee and OF Joc Pederson(BA's mid-season #35 overall prospect)? I’d ask for a sweetener, but Lee and Pederson would be hard to turn down. Heck, I’d throw them some International Money too. How about the Pirates? Wouldn’t a Grilli/Perkins combination be pretty dynamite? I’d say so. Plus, they have motivation to make a move. You’re not getting Jameson Taillon. I doubt you’re getting Luis Heredia. I don’t know if they’d part with breakout starter Tyler Glasnow either. But what if they offered Heredia or Glasnow (both a few years away) plus SS Alen Hanson, who after having a breakout year in low-A at 19, is struggling in hi-A? On the record, the Pirates would be idiots to do that, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. You know what would hurt, though? Teasing the fans of Pittsburgh with a great record only to miss the playoffs for the 21st consecutive year! They have motivation to make a move… and if they need a sweetener (Is Chris Parmelee an upgrade over Travis Snider?), I don’t think twice. Adding two Top 55 prospects to a system that will probably already have six (plus rookies Arcia, Hicks and Gibson just graduating) would be quite a feat. The Diamondbacks, who Seth recently profiled, would be a fit, too. But they’re on record saying they won’t move Tyler Skaggs or Archie Bradley. I’d probably take whichever one they’d want to give up, but, hey, the Twins are on record saying they aren’t moving their closer either. (If I were the Diamondbacks, I’d hold on to both… especially Bradley and wouldn’t trade either for a closer.) So what do you think? Do any of these moves excite you? Do any of these moves seem possible? Obviously these are only a few of thousands of scenarios. The fact remains, though, that the Twins are sellers and they need to (learn how to) behave like one. Click here to view the article

Even though we’ve suffered through a painfully uneventful first half of November, there is still a lot left to do before the end of the month. The Twins will have to have their 40-man roster set in advance of the Rule 5 draft by Tuesday. At this point, there are really only two slam-dunk additions and they are OF Aaron Hicks and SP Kyle Gibson. After those two the picture becomes much less clear.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In the history of the Rule 5 draft, the vast majority of players taken are pitchers. After that you’ll get a spattering of utility infielders and outfielders, usually guys that can serve a purpose as a pinch-runner. The Twins will consider adding players such as SS/2B Danny Santana, SP B.J. Hermsen, RP Michael Tonkin and SP Adrian Salcedo. There are obviously others in the discussion, but those, in my mind anyway, are the four guys most likely to be added in the upcoming days. Danny Santana split time with Levi Michael in the middle infield for the Miracle this year. His prospect status is on the rise after Baseball America included him in their Twins Top 10. My belief is that the Twins will add him, though the re-signing of James Beresford and addition of Jason Christian – both guys who will fit on the ladder near Santana – could be viewed as insurance policies “just in-case” Santana isn’t protected and lost. At the end of the day, though, the Twins have been extra protective of their international infielders. Both Deibinson Romero and Estarlin DeLosSantos were added unnecessarily in the last handful of years, spent a year on the 40-man roster, removed a year later and remained in the organization. B.J. Hermsen is a somewhat local product who has advanced through the organization to become the answer to the question “After Gibson, who is the best starting pitching prospect that could help the Twins?” That’s more an indictment of the system than a complement to Hermsen. While Hermsen fits the Twins mold as a strike-throwing, big-bodied, innings-eating prospect, his addition to the 40-man roster isn’t guaranteed. In fact, I would be more surprised if the Twins protected him than exposed him. His saving grace might be that he is exactly what the Twins look for in a pitcher, they lack depth in the upper levels and have more spots available than normal. When it’s all said and done, it will be extremely hard for a team to draft Hermsen and keep him on their roster. His role would be a low-leverage, long-innings guy for a year before being optioned down to continue his development. That’s a lot of work for a guy whose ceiling is that of a #4 or #5 starter. Michael Tonkin, in my opinion, needs to be considered ahead of Hermsen for the simple fact that a team could take him and stash him. Though he doesn’t have any experience about the A-level, he is currently pitching in the Arizona Fall League. This is essentially an audition to be added to the 40-man, not only for the Twins but all the other teams. His strikeout rate in the AFL (4.5 K/9) hasn’t mimicked what it was with the Snappers and Miracle (12.6 K/9), but his WHIP is lower. I think the Twins will feel he did enough over the past month to warrant concern of losing him and add him. Adrian Salcedo started 2012 in the same company of Gibson and Hicks. But instead of cementing his name on the 40-man roster, he spent 2012 dealing with injuries. In his 30 innings of work this year, his walk rate (4.7 BB/9) was 2 ½ times higher than it’s ever been in his career. No team will invest a 25-man roster spot on him, so that makes the decision extremely easy. Adding Hicks, Gibson, Santana and Tonkin would give the team 36 players on their 40-man, which will allow them to be aggressive in the free agent market (hopefully) but still be able to make a selection or two in the draft. *** The other thing that continues to happen is the Twins agreeing to minor league deals with, not only their own players, but players from around the league. It’s impossible to know exactly what the Twins are thinking and who they are considering, but I’m going to list ten guys that I think would be worth considering with an emphasis being placed on two positions that lack depth: Pitchers and Third basemen. Josh Bell, 3B, Diamondbacks – The power-hitting switch-hitter was a former top prospect in the Dodgers organization before being traded to the Orioles and bouncing around the last few years. With last year’s AAA and hi-A 3B leaving the organization, there is definitely an opening for someone that could push Trevor Plouffe a little bit. Andrew Brackman, P, Reds – A former 1st round pick, Brackman had a very good 2010. He struggled in his AAA-debut in 2011 and his subsequent move to the bullpen. He started five games in AAA in 2012 and was brutal. Despite being nearly 27, he’s still relatively new to pitching and at 6-10, there still may be room to project. Adrian Cardenas, 2B, Cubs – It wasn’t long ago that Cardenas was BA’s High School Player of the Year. Even more recently he was a Top 100 prospect. For a team that gave both Ray Chang and Michael Hollimon a two-year trial, they could do worse than to see if Cardenas, who has hit over .300 the last three years (in AA and AAA), could help the organization. Josh Fields, 3B, Dodgers – Fields finished 7th in AL ROY voting in 2007 as a member of the White Sox. He’s bounced around, including a stint in Japan in 2011. He spent 2012 in AAA and had an OPS of almost 900. This almost-30-year-old could add depth and competition to the organization. Drew Naylor, P, Phillies – Though he never was considered a great prospect, Naylor began coming into his own in 2010. He then missed all of 2011 recovering from Tommy John surgery. In his first year back he wasn’t great, but wasn’t terrible either while making his way back to AA. His 2012 was cut short due to a shoulder injury. The Aussie is a big guy (6’ 4, 235) who will still need time to recover but could still potentially have a shot at cracking the big leagues by 2013 (at age 27). Naylor hopes to prove he’s recovered by playing this winter with the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League, though he’s yet to pitch. The Twins should be watching closely once he does. (My minor-league free agent "personal cheeseball.") (signed by Rangers) Yonata Ortega, RP, Diamondbacks – Ortega has always walked a lot of guys, but he has a high-90s fastball. If he didn’t walk so many, he could probably compete for a spot in a major-league bullpen. Of course, there is a reason he’s a minor-league free agent. (re-signed by Cubs) Blake Parker, P, Cubs – Parker had an excellent minor-league track record and used that to make it to the big leagues in 2012. His problem was the elbow discomfort that ensued. He missed the majority of the 2012 season and was outrighted off the roster before electing free agency. Parker has the stuff to get strikeouts (though he walks more than you’d prefer) and could make a contribution in a major-league bullpen this year. Ryan Rowland-Smith, LP, Cubs – “Hyphen” hasn’t seen the Bigs since being bludgeoned in 2010. The next year in the minors wasn’t any better. But the Twins do a better job than anyone scouting Down Under, so if this Aussie has anything to offer, the Twins would know. (EDIT: Ryan Rowland-Smith was selected by the Twins in the 2004 Rule 5 draft, but was returned to the Mariners during Spring Training.) Matt Tuiasosopo, 3B, Mets – While it’s very true that Tuiasosopo can’t hit; he’s a very athletic, competitive player that could provide leadership (and depth) at a position that needs it. The only defensive position he didn’t play in 2012 was catcher, so there’s that too. Nick Weglarz, OF, Indians – With the Twins losing Rene Tosoni, Matt Carson and Clete Thomas, they’ll have to replace the outfield production somehow. Weglarz has had a couple injury-filled seasons and can be a productive hitter and corner outfielder if he regains his health and is given an opportunity. Download attachment: whats-next.jpg (image from cyberbrethren.com) Click here to view the article

As happens every July 2nd, teams begin to announce deals with "International Free Agents". This year is no different and the Twins made an early splash, signing Dominican 1B/OF Lewin Diaz as well as four others, according to Doogie Wolfson. (Seth has learned that they have reached agreements with several players, including Diaz, but it is still pending a physical and MLB approval) Diaz actually played in the Under Armour All-American Game at Wrigley Field last August, going 1-for-3 against many players who are older and were drafted in last month's draft. As the DH, he batted 7th in a lineup that included new Twin Brian Navaretto. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Diaz checked into the game at 6' 3", 195 pounds. Baseball Factory said this about him: Download attachment: 7812730344_0da9bbba2d.jpg (Rinaldi Photos) Over the last 11 months, however, opinions of Diaz, who was once considered one of the top prospect in this year's market have begin to differ. So what's changed? The now 16-year-old began to fill out. He's now an inch taller (6' 4") and heavier (210). After being considered an "OF", he's now considered a "1B/OF" with the likelihood being that his future home is first base. Diaz has an above-average arm, so there is some feeling that the Twins will allow him the chance to play right field (you know, because they don't have any outfield prospects). The Twins have been enamored with Diaz for quite some time and, scouts believe, paid considerably more for his services than any other team would have. Baseball America had this nugget in their June 26 notebook: With the 4th-highest pool allotment, though, the Twins have that luxury available to get the guy they wanted. The joke many Twins fans will make is that despite Diaz showing huge power in BP, he "turns into a singles hitter in games." Scouting comparisons have included David Ortiz and Ryan Howard, both similar in body-type and left-handed power bats. As with every 16-year-old IFA signing, Diaz is ineligible to play this season. The Twins may be aggressive with him - as they were last year with Amaurys Minier - and have him participate in Fall Instructs. That would likely lead the way towards skipping the DSL and making his pro debut next June in the GCL. More to come... Click here to view the article

The Twins remain in the 7th slot for the 2014 MLB Draft if the season ended today. It will be an interesting six weeks as only four games separate the 4th pick from the 15th pick. The Twins are currently 1.5 games ahead of the Cubs (who would pick 4th) and only 2.5 games behind Colorado (who would pick 15th). The Red Wings announced this morning that OF Antoan Richardson would be activated and UTIL Brian Dinkelman would be placed on the DL with a quad strain.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] This afternoon, the Kernels announced that 2B Jorge Polanco was placed on the DL with a strained hamstring. The assumption is that this opens up a spot for the team to activate Jose Berrios to start Thursday's game. Let's look at the action on the field. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 1, LOUISVILLE BATS 0 Box Score Logan Darnell stepped up and made his best start in AAA. He completed eight strong, shutout innings. He struck out six and only allowed five hits and a walk. (Could he be next year's Andrew Albers?) Download attachment: darnell.jpg Michael Tonkin earned the save with a 1-2-3, two-strikeout 9th inning. Obviously in a 1-0 win, there wasn't a lot of offense. The lone run scored on a James Beresford RBI single that plated Chris Colabello. Darrin Mastroianni and Eric Farris added hits for the Red Wings. Liam Hendriks starts tomorrow's tilt at 7:05 ET. The Red Wings need to keep their foot on the gas as they compete in a the tightest division in the league; only three games separate them from being out of the playoffs completely. NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS 5, BINGHAMTON METS 3 Box Score A couple big swings and another good pitching performance was enough to seal the deal for the RockCats today. Both Reynaldo Rodriguez and Nate Hanson connected on the two-run HRs in the 5th inning to give New Britain all the offense they'd need. Five of the other starters - including Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario - were able to contribute hits today as well. It should be noted that Rosario, battling a mini-slump, was dropped to sixth in the order. D.J. Baxendale hasn't had the same success in AA that he had in Fort Myers but we got to see a glimpse of that pitcher today as he struck out eight batters in six innings. He allowed six hits and a walk that resulted in three runs, but improved his AA record to 5-6. Despite his performance as a RockCat being less dominating, I still believe that Baxendale can become a Scott Baker-ish contributor to the rotation in 2015. The bullpen trio of Matt Hauser, Dan Sattler and Dakota Watts kept the door closed as they only allowed two hits combined while striking out three. While tomorrow's scheduled starter for the 7:05 ET game is TBD, it would appear to be B.J. Hermsen's spot. Hermsen has really struggled in AA this year - in both a starting and relieving role, so who makes this start is anyone's guess. (UPDATE - Terry Ryan said on Sunday morning that Pedro Hernandez would be starting for the Rock Cats.) FORT MYERS MIRACLE vs BRADENTON MARAUDERS Box Score This game was suspended in the 3rd inning with Bradenton leading 2-0. David Hurlbut had got touched up early, but had already struck out four batters. In true Byron Buxton form, he had already recorded a single and a stolen base before the rain came. This game will be completed on August 29. The Miracle are off tomorrow. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 3, PEORIA CHIEFS 1 Box Score Josue Montanez only gave up one run over 7.2 innings, but the Kernels were also aided by four Peoria errors. Montanez didn't give up a run until the 8th inning and then had to be relieved by Brian Gilbert to retire the side. Montanez finished with four strikeouts, a walk and seven hits allowed. Gilbert picked up the save by collecting the last four outs. It was Gilbert's fourth save since his promotion. The Kernels are very high on Gilbert, it will be interesting to see if he is given an opportunity to start next season. Michael Gonzales has now hit safely in all three games since his return from the disabled list. Tonight's hit was a home run that led off the scoring. The Kernels picked up two insurance runs in the seven thanks to a hit batter and two fielding errors. Joel Licon and Jonathan Murphy both had hits that scored runners (though Licon didn't get credit for an RBI). Tim Shibuya will start tomorrow at 6:30 CT for the Kernels. Shibuya has had a trying time since being named the Appy League Pitcher of the Year in 2011. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 5, GREENEVILLE ASTROS 2 (8 Innings) Box Score The draft pick that has stolen the show - at least in the early results - was on the mound for the E-Twins today. That guy, of course, being Stephen Gonsalves. Gonsalves pitched four shutout innings today and struck out five. It wasn't all great though: two walks, a wild pitch, a balk, a throwing error and three hits allowed. That being said, he's exceeding early expectations. Ryan Eades, the Twins top college draft choice, struggled throwing it over the plate. In two innings, he walked four and hit a batter. Austin Malinowski picked up the win for this late-game work, but mostly for being the pitcher of record when the E-Twins ripped off four 7th-inning runs to take the lead. Unlike previous versions of this team, this year's squad is winning (when they do) by stringing hits together and not hitting a lot of home runs. Tanner Vavra had two hits, including a double, driving in two. Zach Granite also had two RBI and Bryan Haar added a double. Hein Robb in tomorrow's (7pm ET) scheduled starter. GCL TWINS - Day off It sounds as though Alex Meyer will be pitching in this game and potentially moving up the ladder if all goes well. The goal is to get him back to New Britain before the end of the regular season before sending him to the Arizona Fall League. Click here to view the article

First off, huge props to everybody involved in the investigation in Boston. An unfortunate event followed by an around-the-clock story, ending with very few fatalities. Those in Boston and the surrounding areas will finally be able to sleep relatively peacefully tonight. Back to baseball.. The Twins are postponed again, making today their third consecutive off-day. Now I can understand postponing a baseball game for snow or sleet, but tonight’s forecast is “chilling and windy”. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] That’s a little ridiculous, in my opinion. It sounds like somebody in Chicago needs to clean the sand out of their you-know-whats. On a happier note, Joe Mauer turns 30 day. Aaron Gleeman turned 30 earlier this year and started watching Dawson’s Creek last night. If this is what happens at 30, Joe Mauer is going to be a waste of a lot of money for the next six years. I am less looking forward than ever before to turning 30 next month. One great note: Miguel Sano was named #1 on Baseball America’s Hot Sheet for this past week. He had an OPS of 1.221. There is currently some debate about when Sano needs to be added to the 40-man roster. Although Sano signed before the Rule 5 draft in 2009, he won’t need to be added in the typical five-year window (this November) because he signed after the conclusion of the 2009 minor league season (by a day or two). As a result, the Twins have an extra evaluation year and will not be required to add him to the 40-man roster until November of 2014. Byron Buxton was an Honorable Mention (called “In the Team Photo”). Buck had an OPS of 1.056, but was caught stealing three times. (A 50% steal rate is far below acceptable for those with 80 speed.) Tim Wood’s rehab stint from a rotator cuff strain was transferred from Fort Myers to Rochester. It was initially reported that Wood was going on a 30-day rehab assignment, so it appears that he’ll be spending the next three weeks or so in Rochester’s bullpen before the Twins have to make a roster decision. Wood, who played in the Pittsburgh organization last year, was named Baseball America’s International League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2012. B.J. Hermsen is on his way to New Britain to join the RockCats. He’s missed the first couple weeks of the season with an oblique (abdominal muscle) injury. The “Voice of the Kernels” Morgan Hawk tweeted this afternoon that Jose Berrios will be making his season debut on Monday. So what happened on the field tonight? Let’s check it out… Fort Myers Miracle 14, St. Lucie Mets 2 Box Score Two days after losing its first game of the season, the Miracle have extended their second winning streak of the season to two games. The same day that Miguel Sano made headlines for his impressive stat line over the last week (he went hitless tonight with two Ks), his sidekick Eddie Rosario stole the spotlight. Rosario went 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI to improve his batting average to .387. Download attachment: Rosario.jpg For the second straight day, TwinsDaily’s A.J. Pettersen had three hits (including a leadoff home run tonight). He’s now batting a robust .366. He also drove in two runs. Michael Gonzales homered twice while Matt Koch and Kennys Vargas also homered. D.J. Baxendale lowered his ERA to 1.04 with seven innings of one-run work. He struck out four, walked none and allowed four hits. Chad Rogers allowed a run in the 8th inning. Cole Johnson pitched a scoreless 9th inning. Tom Stuifbergen (1-0, 2.41) pitches for the Miracle tomorrow. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Peoria Chiefs 4 Box Score The Kernels dropped to 9-5 with their second straight loss. They are now a full-game behind the Carlos Correa-led Quad Cities River Bandits in the Western Division of the Midwest League. The Kernels lone run came on a Byron Buxton opposite-field RBI triple to score Jairo Rodriguez to give the Kernels a 1-0 lead in the 4th. Hudson Boyd lost his first game of the season (now 1-1). He lasted into the fifth inning, recording one out before being lifted. He allowed four runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out three. He tweeted after the game about pitching in the snow and his disdain for it (#NeverAgain). The reality, for Boyd, is that if he never pitches in snow again, his career will probably be qualified as a disappointment, given the likelihood of late spring and early fall snow in New Britain, Rochester and Minneapolis. Tim Atherton allowed an inherited runner to score and recorded four outs. David Hurlbut, who appears to be the odd-man out of the rotation (in favor of Berrios) finished the game with two scoreless innings. The Kernels had a chance in the ninth inning. DJ Hicks (single) and Travis Harrison (double) both reached base. Drew Leachman, representing the tying run, grounded out to the first baseman, stranding the two runners. Mason Melotakis (1-1, 2.89) will take the ball tomorrow for the Kernels at 1pm. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Portland Sea Dogs 12 Box Score One night after dropping twenty-one hits and seventeen runs on Portland, while holding the Sea Dogs to one run on three hits, the roles were reversed tonight. In tonight’s game, Portland scored 12 runs on fifteen hits. New Britain, on the other hand, mustered only a single run on five hits. To make matters even weirder, the Rock Cats were shut down by Matt Barnes (6 IP, 5 H, 1R, 7 K, 1BB). The same Barnes who, only five days ago, got beat up by the Rock Cats to the tune of five runs in 2.1 IP. This baseball, it’s a funny game. Both Blake Martin and Marty Popham were beaten up pretty badly tonight. Martin yielded 4 earned runs and 4 walks in 4 innings and Popham gave up six earned runs and and 2 walks while recording only one out. Danny Ortiz hit a solo home run. Logan Darnell (1-0, 1.17) will face Portland tomorrow afternoon at 1pm ET. Rochester Red Wings vs Pawtucket Red Sox – Postponed. The two teams will play a double-header on Sunday, beginning at 12:05. If you have any questions or comments, please post below. Or if you’re bored, engage me on Twitter @jeremynygaard. Draft Board v.3 coming this weekend! Click here to view the article

Originally posted at www.ManCenter.com ----- June 4th marks the 1st round of the MLB Amateur Draft. LSU So P Kevin Gausman figures to be one of the first names called. We had a chance to catch up with him today to talk draft, the season and donuts. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions and letting us get to know a little bit more about you. Obviously, the MLB draft is different from other sports in that it happens while many guys are still in-season. How much thought have you given next month’s draft? Kevin Gausman: I try not to think about the draft, it is exciting, but I still have all my goals with LSU to achieve first and that is where my priority is.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] You’re having a great season (8-1, 2.95) and you pitched quite a game yesterday (9 IP, 5 H, BB, 11 K) against Vanderbilt. Reports are that you threw 126 pitches. How has your workload been this year and how is your velocity both at the beginning and end of a long outing like this? KG: I’ve already thrown more innings then I did all of last year so I would say my workload is pretty big for a starter in college. My velo has stayed mostly consistent. Early on in games I can reach upper 90's, but then I settle into more of a mid-90's pitcher as the game progresses. What other pitches do you throw? KG: I throw five pitches. I throw a four-seam fastball and a one-seam sinking fastball. A split-change-up, curve and a slider. In college there are lots of scouts checking out lots of guys. Have there been any teams that seem to be paying more attention to you than other teams? Specifically, have you had any contact with the Minnesota Twins? KG: I think because college baseball has so many very talented players that teams spread out and pick when they are going to see certain players. I don’t know who has been at my games and which teams have been there the most, but I have had a visit with the Twins Area Scout in this area. This isn’t the first time you’ve gone through the process, having gotten selected by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2010 draft. Now though, the CBA – specifically the draft rules around signing players – has changed to the point where it’s going to be much harder to project how signable guys are, simply because teams aren’t going to have a lot of flexibility in what they can offer guys. You also have a little extra leverage because you’re a draft-eligible sophomore; how is all of that going to play into your signability? KG: Obviously signability is huge to organizations, but right now I’m just focused on my task at hand and working towards bringing this team to Omaha and having the chance at a National Championship. I will think more about that after this season is over. You have a superstition of eating powdered donuts in between innings. Is continuing that superstition going to be a factor when it comes down to signing on the dotted line? KG: My superstition will have nothing to do with me signing or not signing. It is simply something I feel that works for me so that is why I continue to do it. Last question, assuming the Twins – or whichever team is fortunate enough to select you – get you signed. What kind of goals do you have in regards to advancing through the minor leagues and making it to The Show? KG: I have huge goals for myself. Obviously I would love to move as fast as I can through the minors and play in the big leagues, but I know that that is a little far-fetched. I will continue to work as hard as I can towards achieving my goals, but ultimately your movement through the minors is decided by the organization. Again, thanks a ton for doing this. Best of luck for the remainder of the season for both you and your team in your pursuit of the College World Series! Download attachment: gausman.jpg Click here to view the article

I know the picture doesn't fit, but for what might be the last time, let's give #33 another cover photo. This from a happier time. Let's hope there is more champagne in Morneau's near future... and also that none of the corks hit him in the head. If you want to weigh in on the trade and it's reactions. Go here. Tonight was a very significant night for the Rochester Red Wings. It's also a big night for Josmil Pinto, as he is with the Twins and will make his big-league debut soon.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Justin Morneau.jpg Let's look at how the four minor league teams did tonight: ROCHESTER RED WINGS 6, BUFFALO BISONS 5 Box Score The Red Wings did nearly everything possible to blow this game late, but instead held on to win (and eliminate Buffalo from Wild Card contention). The Red Wings currently find themselves a half-game behind Norfolk, who is playing here. If Norfolk loses, the Red Wings pull into a tie for the Wild Card, but have the tiebreaker. If Norfolk wins, the Red Wings will have to make that one-game disadvantage up in the next two days. P.J. Walters gave up two runs early, but settled down and made it six innings. Aaron Thompson gave up an unearned run and Shairon Martis allowed the Bisons to battle back (and get the go-ahead run in scoring position with two outs) before Michael Tonking recorded the final out. Aaron Hicks was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a stolen base. Eric Fryer homered and Eduardo Escobar, Chris Parmelee and James Beresford all added doubles. Pat Dean looks to keep the Red Wings in the hunt tomorrow night at 6:05 ET. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 4, READING PHILLIES 5 Box Score Reading scored a 9th inning run to win a game that no one actually knew was going on. So you better read about it here... Trevor May pitched and was solid. He struck out 10 in seven innings, scattering four runs on six hits and a walk. Matt Hauser gave up the run to pick up the loss. Miguel Sano was busy. He tripled, was hit by a pitch, grounded into a double play and committed an error. Eddie Rosario got two hits, including a double. Angel Morales hit his 5th AA home run. Stuart Turner made his AA debut and collected two singles. Kyle Davies pitches tomorrow at 6:35 ET. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 2, BRADENTON MARAUDERS 3 Box Score The Miracle's bullpen blew a save, allowing three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. David Hurlbut scattered nine hits over 7.1 innings, but only allowed two runners (inherited by Tyler Jones) to score. He struck out six. Tyler Jones finished the inning, but not before allowing a run of his own to score as well. he took the loss. Byron Buxton had a hit and scored a run out of the 3-hole. Kennys Vargas had the only extra base hit for the team (his 33rd double). Tomorrow afternoon (12:05 ET) is the Miracle's regular-season finale. Their playoffs start Tuesday. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5, CLINTON LUMBERKINGS 0 Box Score Lots of offense from the Kernels tonight, led by leadoff hitter Jonathan Murphy. Murphy had two hits, including a triple and scored two runs. Tyler Grimes, Mike Gonzales and Bo Altobelli all had two-hit games and an RBI as well. Gonzaelez hit a long home run. After returning to the lineup with a bang last night, Niko Goodrum took today's game off. Tim Shibuya went the distance today. He struck out six. He allowed four hits and only walked one. The Kernels have set their playoff rotation and it looks like this: Brett Lee in Game 1, Tim Shibuya in Game 2, and Tim Atherton in Game 3. It was believed that Jose Berrios would be one of the guys in the rotation, but it was reported earlier today that he wouldn't be included. Nothing specific to report, as it appears that Berrios is completely healthy, but has worn down later in the year. The Kernels have two more games at Clinton before starting their playoffs. Tim Atherton starts tomorrow at 2:00 CT. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Click here to view the article

The Twins don’t appear to be playing real inspired (or inspiring) baseball, so let’s get right into the farm. A few transactions to sort through: The Red Wings released 1B Aaron Bates and recently-signed INF Joe Thurston. It was announced that OF Wilkin Ramirez (who has been tearing up AA) and RP Lester Oliveros have been promoted from New Britain to Rochester. 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka - you may have heard of him - is expected to be activated before tomorrow’s game. The addition of Nishi, as well as Matt Maloney, pushes 1B/DH Matt Rizzotti from Rochester to New Britain. There is no word on any other corresponding moves to fill the other hole in New Britain (and it would be purely speculation to point out that neither Miracle OF Oswaldo Arcia nor INF Levi Michael were in the lineup tonight). Let’s take a spin around the farm:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 4, SYRACUSE 6 For the second straight Monday, the Red Wings faced a pitcher that has experienced major league success. This time around they got to see former Yankee hurler Chien Ming-Wang. The current National is rehabbing his left hamstring. He did pretty well scattering eleven hits and four runs over eight innings and change. Danny Valencia started off his return to AAA hitless in ten at-bats before doubling down the left-field line to lead off the 7th inning. He later scored after a Sean Burroughs single and a Ray Chang sacrifice fly. Valencia finished the day 1 for 4, upping his average to .086. All other Red Wing starters got hits too. Ben Revere, who had been hitting .440 over his last six games, went 1 for 5 and is currently hitting .306. Revere, however, hasn’t taken a walk in his last six games. Pedro Florimon stole two more bases and now has ten (in eleven chances) total this year. Burroughs collected three hits today and is up to .333 through eight AAA games. JR Towles is batting better now that he is getting regular at-bats. Towles gathered two hits today. Since Drew Butera’s promotion, Towles is batting .308 and has improved his season line from .111 to .208. Cole DeVries took his fourth loss of the year. He went 6 1/3 innings allowing nine hits and six runs (four earned). He also struck out two. Brendan Wise came in with a runner on in the 7th. He allowed his inherited runner to score, three hits and struck out one. Not-quite-former-Wing Steve Pearce was named International League Player of the Week with a 400/464/920 slash. He currently leads the league in batting (.361) and doubles (12). He’s also third in OBP (.444) and fourth in runs (26). Another “wish we could have signed you when we drafted you” case that doesn’t turn out great for the Twins (or the Red Wings). NEW BRITAIN IDLE Scheduled day off FT. MYERS 1, CHARLOTTE 13 The Miracle got drilled tonight. They were only able to scratch out five hits, scoring one run. Daniel Ortiz and Jairo Perez both tripled. Daniel Santana, Anderson Hidalgo and Michael Gonzales all singled. Madison Boer continued to struggle in the Florida State League. He didn’t make it out of the fifth inning tonight, allowing 10 hits, seven runs (all earned), walking two and striking out three. He currently has an ERA of 14.25 and a WHIP of 2.75. Hopefully the 2011 2nd round pick out of Eden Prairie can figure it out soon. Jose Gonzalez, not only didn’t fare any better, but actually did much worse, giving up six earned runs on four hits (two home runs), while only getting four outs. His ERA ballooned from sub-4 to 6.43. Matt Hauser got the last out of the sixth. Kyle Waldrop made his second rehab appearance tonight. He struck out one and gave up one hit in one inning. It should be noted that his other two outs came by fly out and ground out. Waldrop relies on a heavy sinker to get a lot of ground ball outs. Expect him to be optioned to Rochester as soon as he is healthy. Manager Jake Mauer proved that there is some fire in the family, getting tossed in the 6th after P Jose Gonzalez was warned for hitting a Charlotte batter. OF Lance Ray overcame a rough April and was named Florida State League Player of the Week (May 7-13). Hitting .421 (with an OPS of 1.331) over the last six games, Ray has improved his batting average from .209 to .248. He remains an under-rated prospect in the system. Though he didn’t get any hits tonight, he did drive in the lone run. BELOIT 5, CLINTON 2 Steven Gruver has mixed some solid starts with some short starts. This was definitely more of a solid start. Gruver scattered six hits over 6 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs, a walk and striking out four. Bart Carter and Clint Dempster got the last eight outs without allowing any runs. Carter gave up one hit, striking out two in 1 2/3 innings. Dempster picked up the save, striking out one in an inning. Wang Wei-Lin had two doubles, a run and an RBI to lead the Snapper offense. Adam Bryant and Jhon Goncalves each added two hits. Überprospect Miguel Sano was 1 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Eddie Rosario hit his 3rd home run of the season (and second in five games). --- Players of the Day for Monday, May 14, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Sean Burroughs Download attachment: burroughs.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Steven Gruver Download attachment: gruver.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Louisville – LHP Luke French (0-0, 6.55) New Britain vs New Hampshire - Game 1 - RHP Steve Hirschfeld (2-3, 3.10) New Britain vs New Hampshire - Game 2 – LHP Logan Darnell (3-2, 5.40) Ft. Myers vs Charlotte – RHP Miguel Munoz (1-1, 2.77) Beloit vs Clinton – RHP Tim Shibuya (1-1, 2.83) --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

The story on the farm today was... RAIN. Rainouts, specifically. Download attachment: rain.jpg ROCHESTER RED WINGS, NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS, FORT MYERS MIRACLE and GCL TWINS were all postponed. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6, PEORIA CHIEFS 3 Box Score Mike Pelfrey packed up his family in the Cities yesterday and made the trek down to Cedar Rapids for a rehab start today. In six frames, he allowed two runs (one home run) and struck out six. He reportedly feels better and should be back in the Twins rotation on Saturday.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Mason Melotakis, who would have started today, picked up a three-inning save. Melotakis allowed four hits and a run. He struck out two. Even with the absence of Byron Buxton reaching eight games (and counting), the Kernels have continued their dominance in the second half. Today marked consecutive victory number eleven. The bats were led by Max Kepler, who tripled and homered, drove in two and scored twice. Niko Goodrum also tripled. Jonathan Murphy, who joined the Kernels when Jeremias Pineda was placed on the DL, was 0-for-2, but contributed an outfield assist. Jose Berrios will stand atop the mound at Pohlman Field tomorrow in Beloit at 7:00 pm. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 8, KINGSPORT METS 4 Box Score E-Town improved to 10-2 with their victory tonight. Zach Granite, batting leadoff, drew four walks, resulting in three runs scored and two stolen bases. Mitch Garver, who was a cheap senior-sign this year, has hit the ball extremely well (a question coming into the draft) and added two singles more tonight (his fourth multi-hit game out of seven), raising his average to .357. Dereck Rodriguez doubled. The team as a whole combined to draw 11 walks. Tanner Mendonca made his second start for the defending Appy League Champs. Mendonca struck out six in three innings. He allowed four hits and two runs, but didn't walk anyone. Tim Shibuya came in as a reliever again and pitched three strong innings to pick up his third win. When there is a need in Cedar Rapids, you have to believe Shibuya will move up. Brian Gilbert struck out the side in his inning of relief. E-Town takes on Johnson City tomorrow at 7 pm ET. Leave your questions and/or comment below. ~~~ The International signing period opens tomorrow... check the site for updates. ~~~ Click here to view the article

Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg Join us tonight at 8:30 to talk Twins Baseball. Seth is back home, so he should be less tired (in theory). Ask us lots of Twins and Twins minor league questions. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BZrKkh0o4XU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The show is also available on the too. You can view and all other episodes on our YouTube channel, download our shows on iTunes, or listen to them on our webpage. Click here to view the article