Jeremy Nygaard

Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg Join Seth and Jeremy tonight at 9pm. We'll talk all about the activity over the last seven days. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Here's the event page if you would rather watch it there. If you have questions or comments, please leave them below. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg Join Seth and Jeremy on Tuesday night at 8:30 to discuss the events of the last week. Obviously, Miguel Sano is going to be a discussion topic. But there will be many other things you might want to hear. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iJOcOi-kLBs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]You can view live on this page (using the video link above) or you can view live on the where you'll have access to the live Q and A. You can view all past episodes here (YouTube link) and download all of the previous shows here (iTunes link) Please leave questions and comments below! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 2014-Draft.jpg With the college season getting underway (where weather allowed), it's a good time to kick off the first of what will become a series of Draft Boards. These are not my draft boards. I've tried to gather as much information as possible from people involved in the actual decision-making process. Of course, at the end, I still have to try to slot them in an order. At this point, there is so much that can happen. The Twins draft 5th overall. The most recent info suggests there are around 20 guys on the radar and there are already a few that the Twins don't think will be available when they are on the clock. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There are a couple of threads already on TwinsDaily about the draft, so feel free to chime in there as well as in the comments below. 1) Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC St Rodon has been considered the crown jewel of this class since dominating during his freshman season. On a number of occasions, John Manuel of Baseball America has said that, as a prospect, Rodon would ranked #2 or #3 already. Of course, Scout.com's Kiley McDaniel has pointed out that the gap between Rodon and the field isn't insurmountable. My take: It would be an upset for Rodon to fall from #1. Short of injury, he isn't falling much further. And even in the event of injury, chances are he would role the dice and come back to go #1 next year. With that being said, if he blew his arm out and dropped to #5, I'd take him without hesitation. 2) Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina Hoffman used an impressive showing in the Cape Cod League to catapult up draft boards. One might draw the parallel between Hoffman and Jonathan Gray from last year. While Rodon (and Appel) are better prospects right now, there is a ceiling that Hoffman has (and Gray had last year) that might make him more attractive to teams than Rodon. Some have thrown out Justin Verlander comps. That's high praise. My take: While it could be argued that drafting Hoffman may not be the Marlins style, I would be hard pressed to argue against him falling past the White Sox at #3. 3) Tyler Beede, RHP, Vanderbilt Ah, a wildcard. Beede was drafted out of high school in 2011 by the Blue Jays and went unsigned. While he's had success at Vanderbilt, he's also had control issues. At his best, he deserves to be mentioned with both of Rodon and Hoffman, but there's been too many times when he's not at his best. My take: personally - and I've been a fan of Beede for a long time - I wouldn't have him so high, but he's a name that's come up in regards to the Twins thinking he "won't be around". The caveat - because there needs to be one - is that if he drops to five, he'll drop further, because the control is an issue and the Twins wouldn't "risk that type of money". 4) Alex Jackson, C, California HS I have a feeling we're going to see Jackson all over the board. He got early comps to Bryce Harper and Wil Myers - prep catchers with bats that couldn't be held back long enough to fully learn how to catch. Now there are rumblings that his bat isn't as advanced and that teams could be patient with his glove. Either way, he's got a ton of value. My take: I haven't checked in lately, but I didn't get any impression that the Twins believe he would fail to hit or catch at the highest level. He should find himself squarely in the mix very early in the draft. 5) Trae Turner, SS, NC St The old college shortstop, eh? Do yourself a favor and check how many of the 30 starting shortstops came the major college route. I'll help you out: not many. While Turner should stick at shortstop at the professional level, he has a lot of value in his legs. With plus-plus speed, Turner could fit nicely at the top of the Twins order. There are questions about his bat (and strength), but he's shown well early this college season. My take: let's bring that college shortstop conversation even closer to home then let's bring it straight to Tobacco Road. Would you be gun-shy about making the same mistake that was made when Levi Michael was drafted? Would you trust that same signing scout? Interesting questions to consider, obviously, and while I think they are two completely different players, the microscope will be fixed closer on Trae Turner. 6) Luke Weaver, RHP, FSU Weaver is an interesting name to show up this high as he's not been rated as highly on national lists. I watched an FSU game late last season and was impressed with Weaver. To be honest, he reminded me a lot of Kevin Slowey. Not that I want to burn such a high pick on Kevin Slowey, but his command was superb. When I mentioned that to a Twins scout, I was told that it's a fair comp, but sells Weaver far short. Weaver's fastball is way better and that a better comp would be Zack Greinke. Hook. Line. Sinker. My take: if I was a betting man, I would put my money on Weaver and enjoy the payout. While he may not be the sexiest name, he has the potential to be a very, very good major league pitcher. 7) Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas HS Why not go back to the same well as last year? Kolek spits fire. And his upside may be unmatched in this draft class. My take: as a high school pitcher, we could see so much happen to his draft stock. Right now, he possesses a plus-fastball. If he can turn one of his other offerings into a plus-pitch, he'll challenge for the #2 pick. But at this point, there is too much left unseen. One thing that needs to not go unnoticed is that area scout Greg Runser has had a hand in landing what seems like all of the most recent pitching draft picks. Runser also keeps his cards close to his chest. 8) Jacob Gatewood, 3B, California HS Gatewood snuck onto the list when I decided to expand it to eight players. Gatewood got on the map with an impressive home run display at Citi Field. There are still many questions about his game. He could stand to drive his stock through the roof or watch it drop. My take: some team will fall in love with Gatewood's power and take him early. I don't think it will be the Twins... at least, not yet. TWO OTHER NAMES TO KNOW: Dylan Cease, RHP, Georgia HS and Mac Marshall, LHP, Georgia HS While Georgia has been a hotbed for amateur talent, there hasn't been a ton of pitching to come from that state. The one name that sticks out in recent memory is Tampa Bay's Matt Moore. You know who signed Matt Moore? Jack Powell. You know who scouts Georgia for the Twins now? That's right - Jack Powell. While it remains to be seen how these guys perform in their senior seasons - Marshall doesn't pitch until next Friday - they both have a fan in the organization. Oh, did I mention that Powell is the guy responsible for making Buxton a Twin? Yeah, he's got the juice now. Obviously there are many names that can come and go when it comes to discussion about the #5 pick. These are just a few to remember as the season kicks off. So, what do you think? Click here to view the article

Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg Join Seth and I tonight along with special guest Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. We'll be live at 8:30 and promise to get you geared up for Spring Training... as if you weren't already. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aKeMLJs3SgQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> You can view the YouTube page , where you'll have access to the Q and A feature. Leave your questions and comments below! Click here to view the article

NOTES: The data below is based on what I know or think I know. It may not be 100% accurate. Rule V and MiL FA are estimations and will be corrected as the dates approach. The "+c" designation reflects the total amount of innings the pitcher threw in his final college season plus his initial professional season. If you see something wrong, or have a question, please post in the comments. - Jeremy [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] [TABLE=class: datatable, width: 800, align: center] [TR=bgcolor: #ff0000] [/TR] [TR=bgcolor: #ff0000] [TD=class: chead, align: center]Pos [/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]Active Roster[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]Service[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2012[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2013[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2014[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]D.O.B.[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]OPT'S[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]RULE V[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]FA after[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]ACQUIRED[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]BONUS[/TD] [/TR] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]C[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Joe Mauer[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]8.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$23,025,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$23,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$23,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]04/19/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]NA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (01-1)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$4,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1B[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Justin Morneau[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]7.168[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$14,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$14,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]05/15/81[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]NA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2013[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (99-3)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$290,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Carl Pavano[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]13.161[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$8,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]01/08/76[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]NA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2012[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trade (Cle)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Josh Willingham[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]6.123[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$7,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$7,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$7,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]02/17/79[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]NA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2014[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]FA (12)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SP [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Scott Baker[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]5.124[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$6,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm orangebg, bgcolor: #FFCC99, align: center]$ -[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09/19/81[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]NA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2013[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (03-2)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$600,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Nick Blackburn[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]4.017[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$4,750,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$5,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm orangebg, bgcolor: #FFCC99, align: center]$ -[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]02/24/82[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]10, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]ELIG[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2014[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (01-29)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Matt Capps[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]6.017[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$4,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm orangebg, bgcolor: #FFCC99, align: center]$250,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09/03/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]NA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2013[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trade (Was)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]CF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Denard Span[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]3.111[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$4,750,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$6,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]02/27/84[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09, 10[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2015[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (02-1)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$1,700,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]DH/C[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Ryan Doumit[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]6.120[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]04/03/81[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]NA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2014[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]FA (12)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]INF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Jamey Carroll[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]9.020[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$2,750,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,750,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm orangebg, bgcolor: #FFCC99, align: center]$250,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]02/18/74[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]NA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2014[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]FA (12)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LRP [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Glen Perkins[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]4.010[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$1,550,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$2,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,750,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]03/02/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2016[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (04-1)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$1,425,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2B/SS[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Alexi Casilla[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]4.038[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$1,382,500[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB 3[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]07/20/84[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2013[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trade (LAA)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Jared Burton[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]4.014[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$750,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB3[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]05/02/81[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2013[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]MiL FA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Brian Duensing[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2.104[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$515,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB1[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB2[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]02/22/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2015[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (05-3)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$400,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Alex Burnett[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1.126[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$490,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB1[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB2[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]07/26/87[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]10, 11[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2015[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (05-12)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Anthony Swarzak[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1.038[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$487,500[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB1[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09/10/85[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2016[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (04-2)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$580,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]3B[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trevor Plouffe[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.162[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$485,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]SUPER 2?[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]06/15/86[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2017[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (04-1)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$1,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]C[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Drew Butera[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$414,300[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]SUPER 2?[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB1[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]08/09/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2016[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trade (NYM)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RF/CF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Ben Revere[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.167[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$402,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]SUPER 2?[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]05/03/88[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2017[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (07-1)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$750,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LSP [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Scott Diamond[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.034[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$398,700[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]07/30/86[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Rule V (ATL)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SP [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]P.J. Walters[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.095[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$390,800[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]03/12/85[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2017[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]MiL FA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OF [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Darin Mastroianni[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.002[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$390,800[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]08/26/85[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]waivers (Tor) [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Jeff Gray[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1.112[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$384,300[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11/19/81[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]ELIG[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2012[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]waivers (SEA)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Kyle Waldrop[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.024[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$296,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]10/27/85[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (04-1)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$1,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Cole De Vries[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$291,100[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]02/12/85[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]NDFA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1B/RF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Chris Parmelee[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.023[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$288,500[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]02/24/88[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (06-1)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$1,500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LRP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Tyler Robertson[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$270,200[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]10/23/87[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (06-3)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$405,500[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SS [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Brian Dozier[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$262,300[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]05/15/87[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (09-8)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$30,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Casey Fien[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.052[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$246,600[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]10/21/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09, 10[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]MiL FA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SP [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Liam Hendriks[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.023[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$246,600[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]02/10/89[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]I-FA (2/07)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$170,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Sam Deduno[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.049[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$241,300[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]07/02/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]MiL FA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SS[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Pedro Florimon, Jr.[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.023[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$136,400[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12/10/86[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]10, 11[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]waivers[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]P[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Jeff Manship[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.144[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$128,500[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]01/16/85[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LAST[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2017[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (06-14)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$300,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]P[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Luis Perdomo[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1.004[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$123,200[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]04/27/84[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]10[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2017[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]MiL FA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RF [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Matt Carson[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.111[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$115,400[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]07/01/81[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]10[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]MiL FA [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Matt Maloney[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1.031[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$94,900[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm redtxt, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]01/16/84[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]ELIG[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2012[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]MiL FA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1B/3B[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Sean Burroughs[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]4.092[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$83,200[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm redtxt, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09/12/80[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]ELIG[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2012[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]MiL FA[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]CF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Clete Thomas[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]1.027[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$78,700[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11/14/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]ELIG[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2012[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]waivers[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Esmerling Vasquez[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2.066[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$76,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]ARB1[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11/07/83[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]OUT[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2016 [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]waivers[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]- [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]SS[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Eduardo Escobar[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.027[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$70,800[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]01/05/89[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trade (CWS)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]C/LF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Chris Herrmann[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$44,600[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11/24/87[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (09-6)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$135,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Lester Oliveros[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.063[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$5,200[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]05/28/88[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trade (DET)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]CF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Joe Benson[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.023[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]03/05/88[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]11, 12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (06-2)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$575,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LSP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Pedro Hernandez[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]04/12/89[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trade (CWS)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Deolis Guerra[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]04/17/89[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LAST[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Trade (NYM)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Carlos Gutierrez[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]09/22/86[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Draft (08-1)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$1,780,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]RF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Oswaldo Arcia[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]0.000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center][/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]05/09/91[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]12[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm gray, align: center]INEL [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]I-FA (7/07)[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [/TABLE] [TABLE=class: datatable, width: 800, align: center] [TR=bgcolor: #ff0000] [/TR] [TR=bgcolor: #ff0000] [TD=class: chead, align: center]Pos[/TD] [TD=class: ctotal, colspan: 2, align: center]Other obligations[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2012[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2013[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2014[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2015[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2016[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2017[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2018[/TD] [TD=class: chead, align: center]2019[/TD] [/TR] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]C[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, colspan: 2, align: center]Joe Mauer[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$23,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$23,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$23,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$23,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LRP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, colspan: 2, align: center]Glen Perkins[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,750,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm orangebg, bgcolor: #FFCC99, align: center]$300,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]CF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, colspan: 2, align: center]Denard Span[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm orangebg, bgcolor: #FFCC99, align: center]$500,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]LSP[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, colspan: 2, align: center]Francisco Liriano[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,426,200[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]INF[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, colspan: 2, align: center]Tsuyoshi Nishioka[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$3,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]P[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, colspan: 2, align: center]Jason Marquis[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$2,651,100[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]P[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, colspan: 2, align: center]Joel Zumaya[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$850,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]3B[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, colspan: 2, align: center]Danny Valencia[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]$121,000[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center] [/TD] [TR=bgcolor: #ff0000] [TD=class: ctotal, colspan: 3]TOTAL[/TD] [TD=class: chead, bgcolor: #ff0000]$98,213,700[/TD] [TD=class: chead, bgcolor: #ff0000]$64,250,000[/TD] [TD=class: chead, bgcolor: #ff0000]$44,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: chead, bgcolor: #ff0000]$27,250,000[/TD] [TD=class: chead, bgcolor: #ff0000]$23,300,000[/TD] [TD=class: chead, bgcolor: #ff0000]$23,000,000[/TD] [TD=class: chead, bgcolor: #ff0000]$23,000,000[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE=class: datatable, width: 400, align: center] [TD=class: cnorm, align: center]Legend[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm yellowbg, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center]Team Control[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm greenbg, bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: center]Arbitration[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm orangebg, bgcolor: #FFCC99, align: center]Option Year[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm oldbg, bgcolor: #E77471, align: center]Old for Roster[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm youngbg, bgcolor: #6AFB92, align: center]Young for Roster[/TD] [TD=class: cnorm addbg, bgcolor: #893BFF, align: center]40-man add[/TD] [/TABLE] Click here to view the article

This is the third and final (as of now) mock draft in advance of this weekend's MLB draft. You can view the first mock and second mock as well. Download attachment: mlb-draft.jpg Before I get into it, I'm going to post what I believe is the Twins draft board (explanation to follow): 1) Brady Aiken, LHP, California prep 2) Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep 3) Alex Jackson, C/OF, California prep 4) Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas prep 5) Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford [/hr]I think, talent-wise, that Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State should be included, but I don't get the feeling that the Twins are confident they could fit Rodon into their budget. While Boras represents Rodon, I don't think that really matters; Rodon doesn't appear to be willing to settle for anything less than Top 2 money. I'm also not entirely confident that Kolek, Newcomb and Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU (who would be #6) are in the correct order. In essence, any one of those guys could be #4 on their board. As it is, if the Top 3 (plus Rodon) are off the board when the Twins go on the clock, they might just pull the trigger on Newcomb, who could be #1 on their board and immediately know they'll be able to aim higher for the rest of the draft. But enough about the Twins (even though that's why you're here). There are four other teams ahead of them that could really mess things up. Let's get right into it... 1. Houston - Brady Aiken, LPH, California prep - I'm going to leave this one alone, for the simple fact that I have no reason to change it. My mind says Aiken; but my body, my body is telling me Alex Jackson. I think this will be debated in the Houston draft room until the clock starts ticking. (Last week: No change) 2. Miami - Alex Jackson, C/OF, California prep - I actually switched this to Rodon, did the write-up and talked myself out of it. The deciding factor for me - and it may mean nothing - is giving up that Comp pick last weekend (and the money attached to it). If they knew it was going to take extra money to get Rodon done, wouldn't they have used some of that money on Rodon, if that's what it took? Yeah, plus the Marlins owners are dumb. So who really knows. (Last week: No change) 3. Chicago White Sox - Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State - I've had Kolek in this place the previous two times, but it sounds like teams are getting cold feet when it comes to drafting a guy that, essentially, only has big velo. Unprecedented really, but a big risk. If they roll with Kolek, the Rodon drop could get long. (Last week: Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas prep) 4. Chicago Cubs - Kyle Schwarber, C, Indiana - Not necessarily the first, second or third direction I'd go here, but I can't ignore the late buzz despite my better judgment telling me it's a smokescreen to drive down the money demand from Nick Gordon. (Last week - Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State) 5. Minnesota - Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep - Gordon goes here because he's the top-ranked player left according to the board above. Honestly, the Twins would love for it to play out this way. People are going to hate on passing on Kolek. Not this guy. (Last week: Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU) 6. Seattle - Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford - (Last week: Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep) 7. Philadelphia - Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU - (Last week: Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford) 8. Colorado - Kyle Freeland, LHP, Evansville - (Last week: No change) 9. Toronto - Trea Turner, SS, NC State - (Last week: No change) 10. New York Mets - Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas prep - Once the tumble starts, there's no telling where it will stop. While I could see Kolek going to Colorado, the drop could continue to at least San Diego at 13. If it's Rodon that falls - with Kolek going at #3 - this should also be his floor. (Last week: Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State) 11. Toronto - Touki Toussaint, RHP, Florida prep - (Last week: Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina) 12. Milwaukee - Grant Holmes, RHP, South Carolina prep - (Last week: No change) 13. San Diego - Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - (Last week: Touki Toussaint, RHP, Florida prep) 14. San Francisco - Luis Ortiz, RHP, California prep - (Last week: Tyler Beede, RHP, Vanderbilt) 15. LA Angels - Tyler Beede, RHP, Vanderbilt - (Last week: Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State) 16. Arizona - Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State - (Last week: Monte Harrison, OF, Missouri prep) 17. Kansas City - Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Hawaii prep - (Last week: Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Florida prep) 18. Washington - Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina - (Last week: Bradley Zimmer, OF, San Francisco) 19. Cincinnati - Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU - (Last week: Kyle Schwarber, C, Indiana) 20. Tampa Bay - Bradley Zimmer, OF, San Francisco - (Last week: AJ Reed, 1B, Kentucky) 21. Cleveland - Casey Gillaspie, 1B, Wichita State - (Last week: Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV) 22. LA Dodgers - Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Florida prep - (Last week: Derek Hill, OF, California prep) 23. Detroit - Nick Howard, RHP, Virginia - (Last week: Nick Burdi, RHP, Louisville) 24. Pittsburgh - Monte Harrison, OF, Missouri prep - (Last week: Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU) 25. Oakland - Ti’quan Forbes, SS, Mississippi prep - (Last week: No changes) 26. Boston - Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - (Last week: No change) 27. St. Louis - Jacob Gatewood, 3B, California prep - (Last week: Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Hawaii prep) 28. Kansas City - Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV - (Last week: Jacob Gatewood, 3B, California prep) 29. Cincinnati - Michael Kopech, RHP, Texas prep - (Last week: Spencer Adams, RHP, Georgia prep) 30. Texas - Michael Chavis, 3B, Georgia prep - (Last week: Jack Flaherty, RHP, California prep) 31. Cleveland - Derek Hill, OF, California prep - (Last week: Jacob Lindgren, LHP, Mississippi State) 32. Atlanta - Michael Gettys, OF, Georgia prep - (Last week: No change) 33. Boston - Spencer Adams, RHP, Georgia prep - (Last week: Luis Ortiz, RHP, California prep) 34. St. Louis - Forrest Wall, 2B, Florida prep (Last week: Justus Sheffield, LHP, Tennessee prep) 35. Colorado - A.J. Reed, 1B, Kentucky 36. Miami - Luke Weaver, RHP, Florida State 37. Houston - Nick Burdi, RHP, Louisville 38. Cleveland - Justus Sheffield, LHP, Tennessee prep 39. Pittsburgh - Foster Griffin, LHP, Florida prep 40. Kansas City - Mike Papi, LF, Virginia 41. Milwaukee - Alex Blandino, 2B, Stanford 42. Houston - Jacob Bukauskas, RHP, Virginia prep 43. Miami - Josh Morgan, SS, Florida prep 44. Chicago White Sox - Matt Chapman, 3B, Fullerton 45. Chicago Cubs - Brian Anderson, OF, Arkansas 46. Minnesota - Cody Reed, LHP, Alabama prep Thanks to the Twins win over the Brewers Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

I hope you enjoyed watching the HR Derby. And by that I really mean, “I hope you enjoyed imaging what next year’s Home Run Derby is going to be like”. The best part about it being at Target Field next year is that you, well, won't have to hear anyone saying "back...back...back...back". [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins are obviously off for the All-Star Break. ROCHESTER RED WINGS – off for AAA All-Star Break. Chris Colabello participated in the AAA HR derby on Monday night. He went homerless in the first round. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 2, HARRISBURG SENATORS 3 (10 INNINGS) Box Score Miguel Sano returned from the Futures Game and promptly went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and a walk. He’s batting .196 in the midst of this “humbling experience”. Eddie Rosario continues to show he belongs, going 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. He also had a hand in the game’s only double-play. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 12th home run of the year (and - for now - has delayed Kennys Vargas’ promotion). Trevor May started tonight and had mixed results. The positive: seven innings pitched, three hits allowed, six strikeouts. The not-so-positive: 105 pitches/65 strikes, four walks. While the pitch-count is not a big deal, he’d be able to reduce his pitches if he could cut back on his walks. In this system, he will spend much more time in the minors if he continues to issue free passes. Cole Johnson struck out two in two innings before Matt Hauser allowed a walk-off home run in the 10th. The benches cleared at some point in the game. Details aren’t fully known and no one was ejected; it appears a pitcher and batter were chirping at each other which likely resulted in players coming out of their dugouts and milling about. Congratulations to Virgil Vasquez, who was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. FOR T MYERS MIRACLE 9, LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS 10 Box Score I think you could classify tonight’s loss as a “heartbreaker”. The Miracle jumped out to a quick – and big – lead after scoring twice in the 2nd and six times in the 5th. Unfortunately, giving up enough runs in the last five innings, including five in the 9th, can really bite you in the behind. The Miracle plated one in the bottom of the 9th but Kennys Vargas struck out with the tying run on 2nd base. Kyle Davies started and lasted 6.2 innings. He allowed four runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out two. Adrian Salcedo recorded four outs and gave up a home run. Corey Williams came in to the get the save. Instead, he got only two men out and before he left had given up five runs. Chad Rogers relieved him and struck out two for the final outs. Byron Buxton was 2-for-6 with a strikeout. Mike Kvasnicka (two RBI) and Andy Leer (four RBI) also had two-hit games. The star of the show offensively was Evan Bigley who is looking like he’s ready to return to AAA. Tonight he was 4-for-5 with a double. Download attachment: bigley.jpg Levi Michael was hitless but drove in two and had a stolen base. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS 6 Box Score A couple things helped (though not enough to win the game) the Kernels’ today. First, Rays Top 100 pitching prospect Taylor Guerrieri exited the game after only two innings with an apparent arm injury. The Kernels also set a season high for home runs with four. Jose Berrios struggled. In five-plus innings of work, he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out four, but also had a wild pitch and allowed a home run. He took the loss. If you’re looking for something positive, Berrios induced five groundball outs and only one fly-ball out. Caleb Brewer allowed two of Berrios’ runners to score. Hudson Boyd replaced Brewer and allowed one of his runners to score, too. Madison Boer pitched a hitless 9th inning. Let’s talk about the bats instead. Dalton Hicks hit his 31st double of the season. Travis Harrison went deep (again) for #15 (but really number 16). Max Kepler hit his fourth home run since joining the team about a month ago. The offensive story, though, was Adam Walker. This year, Walker came out of the gate on fire before cooling down in June and early July. Something clicked (or re-clicked) on July 11th. Since that game he is 9-for-17 with five home runs (including the two he hit today). He also has 12 RBI in that span giving him 79 on the year. Yes, he did strike out twice and there likely will always be a lot of swing-and-miss in his game. But if Walker can progress through the system and keep his strike out rate at no more than 25%, his right-handed power will still be a valuable addition to the Twins lineup. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 1, GREENEVILLE ASTROS 3 Box Score Scanning the box score, the only thing of note you will find is that 2nd round pick Ryan Eades pitched the final inning of the game and had a 1-2-3 inning (with no strikeouts). Offensively, E-town managed only four hits including a double by Mitch Garver and Bryan Haar's fifth triple. On the mound, the four pitchers who threw before Eades combined to walk 10. Tanner Mendonca started and had trouble keeping guys off base (two hits, four walks) and once they got on, keeping them at that base (two for three in stolen base attempts, in only 1.2 innings). GCL TWINS 0, GCL ORIOLES 3 Box Score The GCL Twins gave up 12 hits, but only 3 unearned first-inning runs to take the loss today. Leonel Zazueta got the start and was charged with the loss despite not being on the hook for any earned runs (though he did give up six hits, including a home run, in his three innings of work). Fernando Romero struck out three in his three innings of work. Daniel Sattler, working back from Tommy John surgery, struck out one in a two-hit inning. The rehabbing Mike Gonzales got two of the five hits today. He also walked once. Engelb Vielma, Jason Kanzler and Zach Larson each had a hit. It appears that tomorrow will be Kohl Stewart’s turn in the rotation. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg Join Seth and me tonight for a special Wednesday edition of Twins Hangouts. We shifted away from our typical Tuesday slot because of the All-Star Game, but return at 9pm. Expect there to be plenty of Futures Game (and nachos) talk, as well as other highlights from the weekend. We'll preview the "second half" of the Twins season. Miss an episode? Well, they're all available on our webpage and iTunes. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]If you didn't happen to join us live on a special Wednesday episode of Twins Hangouts, we have it all for you here. We kicked off and gave our All-Star Weekend update. Seth's "Nacho Adventure" (:04) may have been a highlight or a low-point depending on your point of view. We were especially surprised by Celebrity Sunday (:08). We talked about Jeremy's All-Star Game (:13) before remembering that Jennie Finch needed to be discussed (:20). We had our usual "Pleiss Distraction", this time courtesy of ERolf (:23). We had more discussion about the All-Star weekend, including the game (:27) and derby (:34) before switching gears to Twins talk. We made arguments for our Twins first-half MVP (:38), top pitcher (:43), disappointing hitter (:52) and disappointing pitcher (:58). We moved to the minor leagues where we pegged similar awards: hitter (1:00), starting pitcher (1:03) and relief pitcher (1:06). We gave a 12-minute Trade Deadline primer (1:07) before Seth gave a MiLB report (1:19) with scouting reports on some E-town pitchers (1:24). We took questions at 1:27 and had our "closing thoughts" at 1:32. Twelve minutes later, it was all over. Leave any questions for tonight below!! Click here to view the article

The Twins started their road trip at Progressive Field on Monday night and got a stand-out performance from Kyle Gibson, a big hit from Eddie Escobar and, because it’s the minor league report, the first hit of Danny Santana’s big league career. Download attachment: 20140303__140303_DannySantana_skybox.jpg Earlier Monday, the Red Wings announced that they’ve activated RP Deolis Guerra. The Miracle also made a bullpen swap, adding RP Brandon Peterson and DL'ing closer Brian Gilbert. In case you missed it yesterday, Dalton Hicks was placed on the DL to make room for the return of Byron Buxton. You can view these – and other moves and rosters – here. Moving on to the farm… Red Wings Report ROCHESTER 4, COLUMBUS 6 Box Score With Logan Darnell’s promotion and the Red Wings playing for the fifth(!) straight day, Rochester leaned on LHP Brooks Raley to make a spot start. Raley has worked exclusively out of the bullpen for the Red Wings, but made 25 starts for the Iowa Cubs (PCL) last year, so this wasn’t an entirely new experience. Raley only lasted three innings (throwing 70 pitches), but escaped without giving up a run. It was a brief one hit, three walk, five strikeout performance. Ryan Pressly wasn’t great in relief and allowed three runs on four hits. He lasted only two innings. His ERA is up to 5.52. Matt Hoffman allowed one run in two innings and got four outs on the ground. A.J Achter gave up a two-run blast in the eighth inning to take the loss. James Beresford provided all of Rochester’s offense on one swing – a grand slam. His second career home run. He also had three of the team’s seven hits. Oswaldo Arcia and Eric Fryer added doubles. Rock Cats Review NEW BRITAIN 3, TRENTON 2 (10 INNINGS) Box Score After Lester Oliveros gave up the go-ahead run in the top half of the 10th inning, it looked like the Rock Cats might drop another game below .500. The offense, which had been pretty anemic for the first nine innings, had other ideas. It started with a Reynaldo Rodriguez double and was followed by a Danny Ortiz bunt single. A wild pitch advanced Ortiz to second. Brandon Waring was walked to load the bases with nobody out. Matt Koch "batted" in the game-tying run by letting ball four fly by. Tony Thomas reached on a fielder’s choice. The choice, probably obviously, was to get Ortiz out at home. Corey Wimberly came up with the bases still loaded and promptly drove a pitch to right field to score the winning run, in walk-off fashion. It should also be mentioned that New Britain didn’t score their first run until the bottom of the ninth, when Nate Hanson doubled home Wimberly. Matt Summers pitched five innings of one-run ball. He struck out four and walked one. Daniel Turpen (two innings) and Ryan O’Rourke (one inning) both pitched hitless innings while posting K/9’s of 18.00. Lester Oliveros picked up the win, after leaving the game in line for the loss. Because that’s how baseball works. The benches also cleared after Matt Koch was run in to trying (successfully) to make an out at home. No managers were injured during the disagreement. Miracle Matters FORT MYERS 3, BRADENTON 2 Box Score Day 2 of Return of the Buxton was identical to Day 1: 0-for-3, two strikeouts. (He did have an outfield assist.) The Miracle pick up the win despite only getting two hits (including a Mike Gonzales double) and a walk on Monday. It helped that that all came in the first inning. They added an insurance run in the third as the result of an error. The Miracle were facing Tyler Glasnow, a top prospect who was throwing 98 mph cheese. Matt Tomshaw is credited with the win. He pitched six innings, gave up six hits, allowed an unearned run and struck out two. Mason Melotakis allowed one run in 2.1 innings. He walked and struck out one. Madison Boer picked up save #4 for working the last 2/3 of an inning. Kernels Nuggets CEDAR RAPIDS 5, QUAD CITIES 2 Box Score The Kernels got another strong outing from Ethan Mildren on Monday. The tall righty allowed four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out only two, but surrendered only two runs and one was unearned. Brandon Bixler picked up the win, but walked three in two innings. Hudson Boyd picked up his 5th save with a hitless ninth inning. The Kernels were aided by four River Bandit errors. Offensively, Zach Larson drove in two runs on two hits. Logan Wade had two hits (one double) and Engelb Vielma had two hits (and drove in a run on sac-fly). Bryan Santy had a two-run double. Ivory Thomas reached base four times (one hit, three walks). Vielma and Larson each stole a base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY HITTER: James Beresford, Rochester PITCHER: Matt Tomshaw, Fort Myers TUESDAY’S PROBABLES: Rochester @ Columbus (5:35 PM Central) – Kris Johnson (Listen) Trenton @ New Britain (5:35 PM Central) – Taylor Rogers (Listen) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM Central) – Brett Lee (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (7:00 PM Central) – Josue Montanez (Listen) --- The Danny Santana photo was taken by Ben Garvin of the Pioneer Press and used in a March 3 article. --- ~~~ The Twins beat the Indians on Monday so you can get a half price large or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com by using the promo code 'twinswin' on Tuesday! Click here to view the article

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! The Twins lost the opener against the Giants late Friday night. Game two was also a late-night affair. The Twins return home for a four-game set against the Rangers and we can anticipate a 25-man roster that will undergo some changes between now and then. Though guys may have been deserving of getting that promotion during the week, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to fly guys completely across the country for one or two games. Moving on to the farm… [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Red Wings Report ROCHESTER 0, SCRANTON W/B 2 Box Score Besides James Beresford, who went 3-for-4 with a double, there is very little to talk about offensively. Oswaldo Arcia and Doug Bernier both had one hit and Deibinson Romero had a walk. Other than that, no player reached base. Josh Willingham was lifted after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Logan Darnell had a very solid six innings. He allowed three hits and two walks. He struck out four. Unfortunately one of the hits was a home run and the other was a run-scoring double. Ryan Pressly pitched the last two innings of one-hit ball. He struck out two. The loss drops the Red Wings to 25-22. Rock Cats Review NEW BRITAIN 6, BINGHAMTON 8 Box Score The Rock Cats blew two leads tonight en route to dropping to 20-26. The pitching was not stellar. Tyler Duffey gave up nine hits and four runs in only four innings. Dan Turpen gave up four runs while recording five outs. Ryan O'Rourke only pitched to one batter and retired him. Adrian Salcedo took the loss (and dropped to 0-6) by giving up two runs in one inning. Lester Oliveros struck out the side in one inning of work. The offense was good - but not good enough. Corey Wimberly had three hits, with a triple, while driving in two runs. Nate Hanson doubled twice. Tony Thomas had two hits, including a double and drove in three runs. Kennys Vargas made his return to the lineup and got two hits. He did strike out once. Miracle Matters FORT MYERS 6, JUPITER 5 Box Score Despite committing five errors – leading to four unearned runs – the Miracle were able to hang on and get the win, improving to 27-21. Brett Lee was on the mound and didn’t get a lot of help from the team behind him. He did, however, get a lot of groundballs (12:1 GB:FB) and gave up only six hits. Consider, too, that all of the five errors came directly after groundballs and we’re talking about a literal mass-killing of all of the worms at Hammond Stadium. Lee struck out four and walked two. Reports from Brian Sakowski (Perfect Game) had Lee at 89-92 with solid command. He remains a favorite as an under-the-radar prospect for, well… just about everyone who writes about prospects here. Lee is now 5-1 with an ERA of 2.11. Download attachment: lee.jpg Tim Shibuya and Steven Gruver earned holds and Madison Boer recorded two outs by strikeouts for the save. Offensively, the Miracle had a pretty balanced attack as all nine starters recorded hits. Mike Gonzales (5) and Niko Goodrum (1) both hit home runs. Travis Harrison, Adam Walker and Max Kepler all doubled. Goodrum also stole his tenth base of the season. Photo courtesy of Captive Photons Committing tonight's errors were Jorge Polanco (15, 16), Kepler (2, 3) and Anderlin Mejia (3). Kernels Nuggets CEDAR RAPIDS 2, QUAD CITIES 5 Box Score The Kernels blew an early lead with starting pitcher Ethan Mildren couldn't get out of the sixth inning. His final line - 5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R (4 ER), 2 BB, K - looks much less impressive than it did after four. While recording only one out in the fifth, he allowed a double , a walk and two home runs in the fifth. Brandon Bixler, who's been phenomenal all season, gave up one hit while recording five outs. Hudson Boyd pitched a perfect final frame. Despite out-hitting Quad Cities 8-6, the Kernels failed to do any damage besides in a two-run second inning. Engelb Vielma and Ryan Walker drove in Jason Kanzler and Bo Altobelli. Chad Christensen stole a base. Vielema stole two bases (they came in the same at-bat). The Kernels are now five games below .500 (22-27). TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY HITTER: Corey Wimberly, Rochester PITCHER: Brett Lee, Fort Myers SUNDAY’S PROBABLES: Rochester at Scranton/WB (12:05 PM Central) – Kris Johnson (Listen) New Britain at Binghamton (5:35 PM Central) – Sean Gilmartin (Listen) Fort Myers vs Jupiter (3:05 PM Central) – Jose Berrios (Listen) Cedar Rapids at Beloit (4:00 PM Central) – Josue Montanez (Listen) Click here to view the article

Happy Memorial Day! The Twins returned from their west coast trip fresh off a Giant sweeping. They were in action Monday afternoon against the Rangers. It marked the first game that Aaron Hicks played as only a right-handed batter. It also marked the first loss of Aaron Hicks’ career playing as only a right-handed batter. After Sunday’s game, it was announced that both OF Josh Willingham and OF Oswaldo Arcia would be re-joining the Twins. Heading back to Rochester would be OF/1B Chris Colabello and C/OF Chris Herrmann. The Kernels also made a move, sending RP Yorman Landa to the DL and bringing P Chris Mazza up from extended spring training.Download attachment: images.jpg No one was deserving of the picture, so you’re getting a bunch of the US flag instead. Moving on to the farm… Red Wings Report ROCHESTER 10, SYRACUSE 5 Box Score The Red Wings had 13 hits and pushed across ten runs in Monday’s victory. Chris Rahl hit his second home run. Deibinson Romero had two doubles. Only Dan Rohlfing failed to get a hit. Trevor May didn’t have his best stuff today. It took him 107 pitches to get through five innings. He walked three and struck out three. While he allowed five hits, only one run scored and it was unearned. The bullpen struggled. Matt Hoffman struck out three, but gave up two solo home runs. Michael Tonkin walked three and allowed a run. Aaron Thompson gave up a home run. Rock Cats Review NEW BRITAIN 0, BINGHAMTON 5 Box Score Not much to say about this one. Corey Wimberly doubled and Brad Boyer singled. That was all for the hitting. Pitching-wise, Virgil Vasquez made a start and pitched six innings of four-hit ball. Unfortunately, four runs scored, though only two were earned. He struck out four and walked two. DJ Baxendale made his second appearance (both out of the bullpen) since coming off the disabled list. This outing lasted two innings. He allowed one run on two hits. It should be noted that he threw only 21 pitches. (He threw 14 in his first outing.) It remains to be seen if Baxendale gets stretched out to return to the rotation or continues in his bullpen role. Miracle Matters FORT MYERS – OFF DAY The Miracle were off today and will be back on the field tomorrow. Kernels Nuggets CEDAR RAPIDS 5, BELOIT 6 Box Score The Kernels comeback came up short, scoring three runs in the eighth off back to back home runs by Chad Christensen and Mitchell Garver. Bryan Haar got the Kernels on the board in the top of the fourth with a two-run home run of his own. Those three hitters - the 3-4-5 batters in the lineup - had five of the team's eight hits. Engelb Vielma added a double. Garver also stole his fourth base of the season. Kohl Stewart, who had been so good up until this point, left a lot to be desired today. He walked four in only 2.1 innings. He also gave up five hits which resulted in four runs (all earned). He struck out three. Felix Jorge made his first relief appearances since starting his first eight games. He last 2.2 innings. He gave up a walk and three hits, which resulted in two earned runs. He struck out two. Jorge will be replaced in the rotation by Derrick Penilla. Chris Mazza struck out three and walked one in two hitless innings. Mazza was making his season debut. Alex Muren pitched one inning, allowing a hit. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY HITTER: Deibinson Romero, Rochester Red Wings PITCHER: Chris Mazza, Cedar Rapids Kernels TUESDAY’S PROBABLES: Rochester vs Syracuse (6:05 PM Central) – Scott Diamond (Listen) New Britain at Portland (5:00 PM Central) – Pat Dean (Listen) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (6:00 PM Central) – Matt Tomshaw (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (11:00 AM Central) – Derrick Penilla (Listen) Click here to view the article

You're getting two days of minor league activity in one today, including a slew of transactions. The Twins signed a St. Paul Saint, they promoted two exciting pitching prospects up a level, and they found room for Chris Collabello in Rochester. Meanwhile, the weekend was good to some familiar names to Twins fans - albeit in Rochester. Meanwhile, AA-New Britain is facing elimination and adding some infielders. Could that mean promotions to AAA for a few of the Twins bigger prospects? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Transactions As many of you know, on Friday Ryan Doumit was activated from the 7-day Concussion D.L. and Chris Colabello was optioned to Rochester to make room. Today, Rochester announced that RP Luis Perdomo was placed on the D.L. with a right calf strain. That opens a spot for Colabello. Also, yesterday 1B Michael Gonzales was activated by Cedar Rapids and earlier this morning MiLB.com posted on Twitter that Kohl Stewart was being promoted to Elizabethton. This likely has been the plan all along - to promote Stewart and Gonsalves together - but the cut on his foot set him a couple of weeks behind. Earlier this evening, the St. Paul Saints announced that the Twins had purchased the contract of 2B Brad Boyer. The Twins later confirmed that Boyer would be heading to New Britain. Don't forget to keep up-to-date on every affiliates roster (and more) on the site's Roster and Payroll page. Reviews are going to be briefer as they'll still be plenty to read. ROCHESTER RED WINGS Lost 2-6 at Buffalo Bison on Friday Pat Dean got the start and was closer to his prior self than his first two AAA starts. He gave up five runs (four earned) in five innings. He walked two and struck out one. He was relieved by Virgil Vasquez who struck out three in the final three innings. He allowed an unearned run to score. Both pitchers have been good in AAA as starters in recent weeks. It will be interesting to see how these two in particular are handled as the season draws to a close. They might both be worth keeping in Rochester for the playoffs. The assumption when Dean came up it was to make a brief appearance, but after two sensational starts it would have been hard to move him down. Darrin Mastroianni was an on-base machine. He went 1-for-2, but reached base twice on walks. Surprisingly, he wasn't able to steal any bases. James Beresford (now batting .294) and Ray Olmedo both had two singles. Chris Parmelee doubled. Won 7-3vs Louiville Bats on Saturday Scott Diamond squared off with former farmhand Yohan Pino and came out victorious. Diamond was not as good as last time out, lasting five innings, scattering seven hits and a walk, and allowing three runs (two earned.) The bullpen picked Diamond up. A.J. Achter abandoned two of Diamond's runners as he completed two scoreless innings. Shairon Martis finished the game off with two innings of one-hit ball. The offense offered plenty of support. Darrin Mastroianni had three singles and a walk. Again, no stolen bases or attempts (which makes me question how good the leg really feels). Eric Fryer continues to be hot. He had three more hits including two doubles. He drove in three runs. Eduardo Escobar, James Beresford and Chris Colabello all added to hits a piece. Same two teams tomorrow at 6:05 ET with Logan Darnell on the hill. NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS Lost 0-1 at Binghamton Mets on Friday It's becoming more and more clear that New Britain is going to be the first affiliate eliminated from playoff contention. Their elimination number has decreased to 11 after Friday's loss. Cole De Vries was a tough-luck loser in this one. De Vries pitched five innings of three-hit one (home) run ball, but the offense provided no support. The bullpen of Dan Turpen and Dakota Watts completed the game with three shutout innings. Danny Santana and Reynaldo Rodriguez both had two hits for an offense that only managed to reach base six times and strike out 14 times. Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Even Bigley all struck out three times. Lost 4-5at Binghamton Mets on Saturday The RockCats jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning, but ended up blowing a 4-0 lead to the team that is clearly - and by clearing, I mean 12 games - better than everyone else in the Eastern League. Miguel Sano warmed up after a cool stretch. He homered in the 3rd - his 15th in AA, 31st overall - and also added a double. Danny Santana had a nice three-hit, three-RBI game that included a double and a stolen base. Matt Summers struck out seven in 5.1 innings. He only allowed one hit, but walked four which ultimately led to three runs scoring. Ryan O'Rourke relieved Summers, but didn't record any outs while allowing a hit, a walk and two runners to score. Cole Johnson struck out four in 2.1 innings and didn't allow a run, but was credited with a blown save after allowing all three of his inherited runners to score. D.J. Baxendale starts for the RockCats tomorrow at 6:35 ET against Binghamton. The squad will need to make a roster move to add Brad Boyer. The intrigue is added when Boyer's primary two positions (2B and 3B) are manned with New Britain's best prospects. With the RockCats out of the playoff hunt, we could surely see some guys moving. FORT MYERS MIRACLE Lost 4-8 at Bradenton Marauders on Friday Despite out-hitting Bradenton 11-8, the Miracle came up short on Friday night. Manuel Soliman got roughed up and chased early (six runs in two innings pitched). Corey Williams struck out two, but walked three, in 2.1 scoreless. Steven Gruver (2.2 IP) and Chad Rodgers (1 IP) both gave up a run. The bats were active but the team struggled to string hits together as they only had six at-bats with RISP (2-for-6). Byron Buxton had two hits and two stolen bases. He's now batting .310 with 17 stolen bases in high-A. Combined, Buxton has 49 steals to go along with 45 extra base hits. His slugging percentage is the biggest thing to take a hit since his promotion. New Britain (and AA) will prove to be the ultimate test. D.J. Hicks had a 3-run blast which puts him at 103 combined RBI for the year. I believe Seth tweeted that when Hicks reached 100, Adam Walker and Hicks were the only two members of MiLB's 100 RBI club. Kennys Vargas did not play today. His numbers have continued to plummet since Sano left the lineup. The reason Vargas was left in Fort Myers was to see how he'd handle being in a lineup without Sano's protection. The results has been "not as good as D.J. Hicks". At literally the same age (Hicks is four months older), the question may become - or has it already been asked and answered - has Hicks passed Vargas on the Organizational Depth Chart? Lost 2-3at Bradenton Marauders on Saturday (12 innings) Some good stuff here. In the top of the 4th inning, Jason Wheeler hit a Bradenton batter. It just so happened it was the same guy who ran over Jairo Rodriguez at home plate yesterday. Allegedly, after the batter was hit both managers ran onto the field and got into a fight behind home plate. The benches cleared and both Doug Mientkiewicz and Bradenton's manager were ejected. (You can get some video here or read it play-by-play style here.) The game itself also quite an affair. Though mostly because of it's length. The offense wasn't great - with only three players collecting hits. Byron Buxton had a double and triple (with ease) to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. He also threw runners out at 3rd and at home and walked twice. He didn't rescue a cat from a tree tonight, though, so he has that going against him. Stephen Wickens extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a three-hit game that included two doubles. Mike Kvasnicka also had a three-hit game. He doubled once. The team as a whole was 0-for-11 with RISP. Jason Wheeler allowed an unearned run in 6.2 innings. He struck out six. Nelvin Fuentes allowed a run in 1.1 innings. Tyler Jones struck out three in three two-hit innings. Adrian Salcedo took the loss. He walked four batters and balked in the winning run. Ouch. David Hurlbut starts tomorrow at Bradenton, 5pm ET. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS Won 6-5 vs Beloit Snappers on Friday Is it just me or does it seem like the Kernels and Snappers have played 100 times already this year? The Kernels scored early and then barely withstood multiple Snapper rallies to win this game in front of 5,879 fans - the most in Perfect Game Field history. Max Kepler accounted for all (three) of the team's RBI with a triple and a home run. Joel Licon also had two hits. Both Licon and Mike Gonzalez added doubles. Brett Lee pitched 4.2 innings. He walked two and allowed two runs while striking out four. Dallas Gallant picked up the win by striking out three to secure the next four outs. Alex Muran allowed two runs and Madison Boer allowed an additional run, but earned the hold and save, respectively. Won 6-1 at Peoria Chiefs on Saturday The offense we've come to expect out of the Kernels lineup showed up today and helped improve the team to 30 games over .500. Max Kepler was again the story offensively. He homered and double tonight. While Kepler struggles against lefties and has been very inconsistent, he's also shown flashes of being a big-time prospect. The Twins face a very big decision with Kepler as he'll need to be protected from the Rule 5 draft this winter. He's probably three plus years from the Major Leagues - which means he'll be out of options around the same time he's ready. The alternative is exposing him for another team to stash on the 25-man for a year. A story line to keep an eye on. Adam Brett Walker also had two hits, including a double. The question often is asked, "Why is he still here?" Well, simply put, why not? He's getting the chance to be "the man" in this lineup - and he's proving he can do it - which is a confidence booster for both himself and the organization. He's also able to play everyday and get better. Fort Myers is shuffling six players through five spots (and you're not sitting Buxton), adding Walker would only compound the existing log-jam. Plus, while Walker has come a long way defensively, I'm still not 100% convinced he sticks in the OF. Cedar Rapids is a little more cozy than Fort Myers. Travis Harrison, who hit the "first full-year wall" and cooled off, also added two hits. Hudson Boyd struck out three in five innings. He walked four and allowed four hits, but only one runner scored. Former starters Christian Powell (4 K, 3 H, 2 IP) and Mason Melotakis (3 K, H, BB, 2 IP) finished out the convincing victory for the Kernels. Josue Montanez will take the mound in Peoria tomorrow at 5pm ET. ELIZABETHTON TWINS Won 3-2 vs Johnson City Cardinals on Friday (14 innings) It took 14 innings to finally beat the pesky Cardinals, who only managed five hits. The pitching was very good. Felix Jorge pitched the first seven innings, striking out seven and allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. Aaron Slegers pitched three innings of no-hit ball. He struck out four. Slegers could certainly help out Cedar Rapids as they inch closer to the postseason. In fact, with the starters at E-town currently, I'd presume there is a pretty good chance that both Slegers and Ryan Eades may start 2014 in the Miracle rotation. Download attachment: slegers.jpg mlbnetwork.mlb.com Brandon Peterson struck out five in three innings of one-hit ball. Josh Burris got the save after retiring the side in the 14th. The E-town bats collected 12 hits but struck out 15 times. Bryan Haar, Rory Rhodes and Zach Larson all had two-hit games. Romy Jimenez added a double. Lost 6-9vs Johnson City Cardinals on Saturday Yorman Landa lasted five innings, but allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk. He only struck out two. Landa has seen the Ks go down and the hits and runs go up as he's progressed through the season. Bryan Haar had three hits. Rory Rhodes added a double. Zach Larson continues his solid year with another hit. Tomorrow's starter is TBD. GCL TWINS Won 7-3at GCL Red Sox on Friday Jason Kanzler led the offensive charge Friday night with three hits including a double, two stolen bases and two runs scored. While Kanzler's bat hasn't gotten going yet, he remains intriguing due to his speed and defense. Recently-signed Ivory Thomas had two hits and two stolen bases. He's got four in his brief time in the GCL. Jonatan Hinojosa drove in two runs on two hits, including a double. Brandon Easton got another shot as a starter and walked six in three innings. He allowed two runs. Josh Guyer got the next three innings and gave up one run. He struck out two. Miguel Gonzalez (3 Ks in 2 IP) and Tyler Stirewalt (2 Ks in 1 IP) both made scoreless appearances. Won 8-1 vs GCL Red Sox on Saturday More offense and good pitching by the GCL squad earlier today. Eleven hits spread out pretty evenly. Brian Navaretto and Rick Schwarz both doubled. Chad Christensen and Kanzler added #ShowoffDoubles. Navaretto and Will Hurt both drove in two runs. Thomas and Kanzler each stole another base. The bats have been slow to get going - no one in today's lineup has a batting average of over .252 - but you wouldn't have known that judging by today's results. Sam Gibbons struck out six in five innings. He gave up one run on three hits. Seth Wagner made his fourth - and best - appearance as a member of the Twins organization with three innings of one-hit, one-walk ball. He struck out two. Wagner is a big-bodied kid who signed near the deadline. He's a project, but one to keep and eye on. Could he become a lefty version of Michael Tonkin? Check back later tonight when Saturday's games get added. If you have questions or comments, please leave below. Click here to view the article

IF YOU MISSED EITHER OF THE HANGOUT (6-7pm) OR THE KFAN SHOW (9-10pm), YOU CAN LISTEN TO THEM HERE OR DOWNLOAD THEM HERE. Jeremy and Seth will be covering the draft live via Google Hangouts tomorrow night. The duo will be joined by The Twins Geek himself for this show, so be sure to come back tonight to watch. Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg Our show will start right at 6:00 as we preview the Twins selection, which should happen around 6:30. We'll recap that selection and, potentially, preview the 2nd round selection before signing off at 7pm. [/hr]We'll pick it up from there at 9pm live from the KFAN studios for another hour. Questions or comments? Leave them below. [/hr]Thanks to the Twins win over the Brewers Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

The Twins have a scheduled off day before starting a series in Anaheim against the Angels. The club is expected to make a move before tomorrow's game. The belief is they'd like to get down to 12 pitchers. While the exact moves are unknown, it should be noted that Chris Herrmann was replaced in tonight's game for no apparent reason. We should know more tomorrow. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Moving on to Monday's action: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 4 Box Score It would be great to read about Alex Meyer's return to the win column... or at least a return to pitching a good game. However, it wasn't good. It lasted only 3.2 innings (and 73 pitches), but not before giving up seven hits, four runs (two home runs), two walks and three strikeouts. This is Meyer's third consecutive start where he's failed to make it to the fifth inning. It should be noted, too, that Meyer is only ten innings short of his innings total of last year. Edgar Ibarra (two innings) and A.J. Achter (2.1 innings) each allowed two hits in scoreless appearances. The lineup left some things to be desired. Deibinson Romero, Daniel Ortiz and Chris Rahl each had two hits, including Rahl's home run and Ortiz's triple. James Beresford also tripled. Ortiz was stranded on third base to end the game. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 3, Altoona 4 Box Score Like all good things, the Rock Cats 12-game winning streak has come to an end. Despite winning 15 of their last 16 coming into tonight, New Britain (39-33) still trails Portland (50-26) by nine games in the Eastern League East Division. Virgil Vasquez was tasked to continue the streak and allowed four runs in six innings. The bullpen trio of Jim Fuller, Matt Summers and Dan Turpen combined for three shutout innings and five strikeouts, but the offense didn't offer enough support to get the win. Offensively, Eddie Rosario paced the lineup with three hits. He drove in a run and scored once also. Tony Thomas and Aaron Hicks added doubles. Hicks scored on a Rosario hit in the bottom of the ninth, but Rosario - the tying run - was stranded on third on when Reynaldo Rodriguez foul-popped out to end the game. Seth informed us on Twitter around 10 PM that it "appears" that Kennys Vargas will be on the Futures Game roster when it is announced tomorrow. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 12, Charlotte 1 Box Score The Miracle got it done early and often tonight. Nate Roberts collected his first hit of the year. And his second, third and fourth. He also hit three doubles, scored three runs and drove in two. If you're not familiar with Roberts - and you probably aren't unless you've followed the system closely for a long time - he is an on-base machine who has struggled (and that's not putting it too strongly) to stay healthy. Jorge Polanco, Niko Goodrum and Jairo Rodriguez all had two hits. This is the fifth-straight multi-hit game for Polanco. Rodriguez and Tyler Grimes both doubled. Goodrum stole his 13th base of the season. Travis Harrison was the only member of the lineup who didn't score a run; one of two (Dalton Hicks being the other) who didn't get a hit and one of two (Aderling Mejia, too) who didn't drive in a run. Harrison saw his 14-game hit streak come to an end. Jose Berrios was on the hill and was his normal self. Download attachment: berrios.jpg In six innings, he allowed five hits and no walks. He struck out eight and allowed only one run. Two triples and the run occurred after Berrios had sat in the dugout and watched the hitters bat around and force a pitching change. In his last 10 games, Berrios is 7-1 with a 1.56 ERA. He's struck out 82 in 63.1 innings. He's only walked 16 and allowed 42 hits (for a WHIP of 0.92). No one is really sure why Berrios is still in Fort Myers and he's probably solidified his status as a mid-season Top 50 prospect in all of baseball. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids had a scheduled day off on Monday. Tomorrow they will begin a series in Peoria. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Pulaski 2 Box Score The E-Twins fell to 3-2 on the season. E-town's pitching allowed only two runs on 12 hits. Derrick Penilla, back from Cedar Rapids, pitched 4.2 innings. He struck out five and allowed an unearned run on seven scattered hits. Randy LeBlanc allowed four hits in 2.1 innings. Cameron Booser allowed one hit in two innings. Offensively, the offense was pretty stagnant. Max Murphy and Brett Doe doubled and Austin Diemer, who had the only RBI, and Tyler Mautner singled. That was it for the offense. The team was 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Since his four-hit debut, Nick Gordon has gone 1-for-17 (0-for-4 tonight) and is batting .227. Fortunately, the cold streak has only included three strikeouts (but no walks). GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 7 Box Score The rookie league team dropped their 3rd straight game to start their young season. Amaurys Minier failed to get a hit for the first time this year, but he did walk twice and score a run. Again, he started the game in left field and finished it in first base. Minier remains the top prospect on the roster. Manuel Guzman, a shortstop, had the only multi-hit game for the team. Miguel Gonzalez made his season debut and it was forgettable. In 3.1 innings, he allowed eight walks and five earned runs. He did strike out four though and walked none. Onas Farfan made his professional debut. He collected five outs (two by strikeouts) and walked three. Reyson Zoquiel took the loss, giving up two runs in two innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Nate Roberts, Fort Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jose Berrios, Fort Myers TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/WB (6:05 CST) – Logan Darnell (Listen) Altoona @ New Britain (5:35 CST) – Pat Dean (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (9:00 AM CST) – D.J. Baxendale (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00 CST) - Ethan Mildren (Listen) Pulaski @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Michael Cederoth (Listen) GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Click here to view the article

Join Seth and me tonight at 9:00 pm for the newest episode of our Google Hangout. We will be joined early in the show by a couple of big-time, young left-handed pitching prospects, Stephen Gonsalves and Lewis Thorpe. So, join us live and ask us lots of questions. Now available on our webpage and iTunes. Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg On the agenda: all the moves that have been made (specifically the AAA infield becoming the MLB outfield), some other moves that may still need to be made, some recent popular topics and more. We've also cover any and all things in the minor leagues as it relates to the Twins system. If you have any questions, please leave them below. You can also tweet us @TwinsHangouts if you'd like to go that route in asking questions. Click here to view the article

You may have seen Cody’s update earlier today on how the Twins prospects have done while playing in Arizona so far this fall. There are some other leagues underway in the warmer parts of the world and here’s an update on those players. This only includes players that are under contract to the team. Expected minor-league free agents are not included. *Stats through 10/28, in order of #Impressiveness Dominican Winter League: Jorge Polanco: 7 G, 11-for-28, 7 R, 3 2B, HR, 5 BB, 3 K, 2 SB, .393/.438/.607[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Jorge Polanco has had a very positive start to his winter. If Polanco follows the same development path as Eddie Rosario, we could see him competing for a spot sometime in 2014. While the debate has been if Rosario or Brian Dozier should be considered the 2B of the future, Polanco should definitely be a part of that discussion. Download attachment: polanco.jpg www.sbnation.com Miguel Sano: 2 G, 1-for-5, R, 4 BB, 2 K, SB, .200/.556/.200Miguel Sano had two throwing errors in two games before being shut down with elbow discomfort. Danny Santana: 5 G, 5-for-23, 4 R, 2B, RBI, BB, IBB, 7 K, 3 SB, .217/.280/.261 Deibinson Romero: 2 G, 1-for-6, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, .167/.333/.667 Chris Herrmann: 6 G, 3-for-15, R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, .200/.316/.333 Adrian Salcedo: G, 0.2 IP, H, 1.50 WHIP, .333 BAA Venezuelan Winter League: Eduardo Escobar: 11 G, 13-for42, 4 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K, .310/.356/.524 Jermaine Mitchell: 8 G, 6-for-31, 7 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 10 K, SB, CS, .194/.306/.226 Jairo Rodriguez: G Lester Oliveros: 4 G, 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K, 1.00 WHIP, .182 BAAOliveros is trying to prove he belongs back on the 40-man roster after recovering from UCL surgery. Virgil Vasquez: 4 G, 4 GS (0-1), 18.2 IP, 21 H, 9 R, 8 ER (3.86 ERA), 4 HR, 2 BB, 17 K, 1.23 WHIP, .280 BAA Dakota Watts: 6 G (2-1), 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER (2.57 ERA), 3 BB, 2 K, 1.43 WHIP, .259 BAA Cole DeVries: 3 G, 2 GS, 7.1 IP, 13 H, 7 ER (8.59 ERA), 4 BB, 8 K, 2.32 WHIP, .371 BAA Click here to view the article

This is the third 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 --- Thursday is Draft Day! Well, the NFL Draft anyway. We're also within a month of the MLB draft. Time to shed some light on recent happenings. When we left off in this series in late April, we looked at a handful of guys that the Twins would possibly consider at #5. Since that point, a lot has happened. Download attachment: mlb-draft.jpg As Carlos Rodon rebounded from a rough start and both Brady Aiken and Tyler Kolek jumped up draft boards, many people started projecting that Alex Jackson could be the target for the Twins. And then a few days ago, we started to hear whispers of the Twins potentially drafting Nick Gordon, a prep SS who has really started to impress lately. Those whispers got louder Wednesday morning when Kiley McDaniel released his Top 100 (but really 116). If that were true, it would be ok for the Twins too, as McDaniel had Gordon ranked #5 overall, behind only Aiken, Rodon, Hoffman and Kolek. If the Twins could get the "best player available" at their spot and do it while saving a few hundred thousand dollars... well, that would be the best news possible (for those who subscribe to the BPA theory anyway). It also didn't deviate far from what Chris Crawford thinks (where Gordon is slotted #6 behind the pitchers and Jackson) or what the MLB.com guys think (Gordon ranked #7). But you can see the divide - among experts anyway - though as Perfect Game had Gordon projected to go to the Giants at #14 in their most recent mock draft. And if nothing changed over the next month and the Twins did, in fact, cut a deal with Gordon, it would be fair to say that they did an ok job for themselves. But then things changed... in a hurry. At exactly 11:17 Wednesday morning, Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game tweeted that East Carolina RHP Jeff Hoffman would miss the rest of the season. At some point later, the news came out that he would be undergoing Tommy John surgery. All of a sudden, one of the guys many expected to be off the board by the time the Twins pick will no longer be considered by those same teams. And that deal the Twins could cut with Gordon? Well, now the Cubs are in a better position to make that same deal. McDaniel updated his list (Hoffman drops, Gordon up to #4 and Jackson follows at #5) and Crawford's mock draft (from Wednesday) follows suit: Nick Gordon may be off of the board before the Twins are up. That puts Alex Jackson (and Scott Boras) back in play. I wouldn't expect a discount there. But it also re-opens the chance that the Twins could go the pitching route - where many guys will be available and the team could probably save some money too. Guys like Aaron Nola, Tyler Beede, Kyle Freeland, and Erick Fedde may become more serious options. So why save the money? Well, it simply gives you more options with every other pick you make in the draft. There are a number of prep pitchers that may expect 1st round money that drop to the Twins in the 2nd round. There's also the chance that a guy drafted on the 3rd day could take some of that banked money and sign even though he didn't plan to. If you're looking for a list of those guys, it's too early for that. One guy you can take off that list is J.B. Bukauskas. Bukauskas reclassified into this class (effectively graduating early) to head to UNC early. He's seen a spike in velocity (touching 100) and had some first round steam. This week, he informed MLB teams that he'd like to go undrafted. This type of move isn't unprecedented, Josh Bell did the same thing only to sign for a record-breaking amount of money a few years ago. At the very least, though, on Wednesday we saw two top 50 prospects fall down, if not off, a lot of team's boards. And that's why the draft is so fun... we could have more draft-altering news tomorrow. Click here to view the article

Join Seth and I tonight at 9:00 pm. If you have any questions or comments, please leave below. Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg Miss the live show? No problem! You can listen here or download here. Some topics on the agenda include: The fast start of Kyle Gibson, a new Trevor Plouffe, who's Sam Fuld?, and a glimpse into the future with the draft just a couple months away. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

The second round opened with the Twins selecting LHRP Mason Melotakis out of Northwestern State. Unlike Bard before him, who will get a chance to be a starter, Melotakis will most likely start in the bullpen. He sold himself with an excellent performance in the Cape Cod League. Melotakis is a mid-90s power arm that will probably pitch some rookie-ball innings and then join the Beloit bullpen this summer. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Nine picks later (and with Mitchell Brown still available!), the Twins took another college relief pitcher, J.T. Chargois (from Rice). Chargois compares similarly to Melotakis, throwing in the mid-90s and can run it up to the high-90s, though he has had some control issues. Chargois, however, has not had the opportunity to focus strictly on pitching, as he's played a lot of first base. I thought Chargois had a chance to go a little higher, so it will be interesting to see his bonus amount. There is a chance that he could join the Fort Myers bullpen, but it's more likely that his final destination in 2012 is Beloit. Chargois has a chance to join the Twins bullpen by 2014. The Twins deviated from their path to take a right-handed power bat in Adam Brett Walker out of Jacksonville. While he has drawn comps to Giancarlo Stanton, I would compare him to Josh Willingham. He is currently listed as a RF, but his future is going to either be at 1B or LF. The interesting fact about Walker is that he grew up in Wisconsin and his dad played professional football for the Minnesota Vikings. I see Walker as a guy that could sign quickly and report to low-A ball to play in front of family and friends. Back to college relievers, the Twins selected Zachary Jones out of San Jose State. Jones will more than likely spend his summer in Elizabethton's bullpen throwing a mid-to-high-90s fastball and a pretty good slider. Look for the Twins to draft T.J. Oakes, a catcher, some high school arms and a middle infielder yet in the first ten rounds. Download attachment: MasonMelotakis.jpg ----- UPDATE 2:17 p.m. The Twins added another right-handed pitcher from Rice in the 5th round - Tyler Duffey. Duffey currently shares the closer distinction with 2nd round pick J.T. Chargois. While Chargois was the higher-rated prospect, Duffey had the better numbers. Duffey, however, is not the power-pitcher that Chargois is, but will probably be given a chance to start given his ability to throw a low-90s fastball, a slider and a change-up. If the change-up doesn't come around, he'll be shifted back to the bullpen; if it does, we could be looking at an Anthony Swarzak-type pitcher. Upon signing, Duffey will probably head to Elizabethton. The Twins went the prep route in Round 6 to draft LHP Andre Martinez out of Archbishop McCarthy HS in Florida. An FSU commit, we're looking at the first draftee that has a signability question. Martinez projects as a starter with a deceptive delivery. If the Twins pay overslot to sign him, he would start his career with the GCL Twins. The Twins have to start adding some infielders at some point, right? EVENING UPDATE The Twins took their first non-pitcher or outfielder in the 7th Round when they selected Puerto Rican catcher Jorge Fernandez. Although it's not uncommon for the team to select guys off of the island, they took a guy with a lot of projection instead of their typical "Puerto Rican bat tool". Fernandez is long and skinny and a long ways away, but it sounds as though they're going to give him every opportunity to catch. Look for the Twins to get Fernandez in camp soon, so he can get as much instruction as possible while playing for the GCL Twins. P Christian Powell, drafted in the 8th Round from the College of Charleston, definitely looks the part of a pitcher. He is a big body who will be given every opportunity to start. He needs to learn how to pitch, but if he does, he could be a steal at this point. Upon signing, Powell will most likely start for the E-Twins. 2B L.J. Mazzilli, son of Lee Mazzilli, was drafted out of UConn in Round 9. Mazzilli has a great bat and I was surprised he was still on the board. Though I don't necessarily see where he fits in the organization (Beloit would be the most logical choice), adding a right-handed bat at a position without great depth isn't a bad idea. The Twins rounded out their "valued" slots by taking a typical pitch-to-contact pitcher D.J. Baxendale out of Arkansas. Baxendale had an up-and-down year and may be a tough guy to sign. His younger brother, Blake, is heading to Arkansas next year to catch. Baxendale's ceiling is at the end of a rotation and he could find himself in the bullpen, despite not having an overpowering fastball. The Twins took LP Taylor Rogers in the 11th round out of Kentucky. They've gone to the left-handed well in Kentucky a few times with similar-type pitchers - Logan Darnell and Andrew Albers - and I'm sure they're looking for similar results. He will go to the Appy League if he can come to terms with the Twins. The Twins drafted P Alex Muren out of CS-Northridge in the 12th round. He is a good sleeper prospect who still lacks the feel for pitching, but he could make for a decent prospect in time. P Erich Knab, a prep righty, was drafted in the 13th round. He's committed to a junior college, so there is a good chance the Twins can get him signed. He has a high ceiling, most likely as a power-reliever, but he will more than likely, if signed, start his pro career in the GCL Twins rotation. 14th round pick, OF Jake Proctor, is part of the new breed of Twins prospect. Injured during this past season, Proctor is a right-handed hitter with raw power. That's right, like Travis Harrison last year and Adam Brett Walker earlier today, Proctor offers a bat that could someday play well in Target Field. Proctor has a year of eligibility left and could stand to improve his draft-stock with a healthy year of baseball. The Twins concluded their day by taking someone that I'd been waiting all day for them to take: a college senior. LP Jarret Leverett figures to add organizational depth as a cheap, left-handed relief pitcher. Out of Georgia Southern's bullpen this year, he struck out over a hitter per inning. So after 18 picks, the Twins have added 13 pitchers (four lefties). Only five prepsters were selected, which is similar to their numbers last year. Click here to view the article

The Twins were off Monday. They're in Miami, trick. But there was plenty going on in the minor leagues with both games and transactions. The transactions are all noted below, but essentially the promotion of Kyle Gibson had a trickle-down effect from AA to AAA (Logan Darnell), HighA to AA (Matt Summers) and Byron Buxton filling the Miracle roster spot. Esmerling Vasquez was released from the Red Wings' disabled list. (Noteworthy mostly because it got me my first mention on MLB Trade Rumors.) [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER RED WINGS 2, LOUISVILLE BATS 4 Box Score So after clawing and scratching and kicking their way back to .500, the Red Wings lose tonight and drop one game below the mark. The offense mustered only eight hits, including an Antoan Richardson double. Jeff Clement drove in both runs with a 2nd-inning single. Liam Hendriks struck out five in six innings. He allowed ten hits and four runs (three earned). Shairon Martis pitched two scoreless innings. Chris Herrmann started the game behind the plate and was replaced by Drew Butera for no good (known) reason. It may be nothing. It may be injury. It may foreshadow a move being made by the parent club. Speculate amongst yourselves. Congrats to Vance Worley, who was named International League Pitcher of the Week. Filling Kyle Gibson's roster spot will be LHP Logan Darnell, who has spent a long time in New Britain. Darnell was recently named the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week. NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS 6, ALTOONA CURVE 4 Box Score (game 1) On the strength of one crooked number inning - a six-run second inning - the RockCats were able to win the first game of today's doubleheader. The highlight of that inning was a three-RBI triple by 2B Eddie Rosario. Rosario added a single to go 2-for-3 and entered game two with a .279 batting average. Miguel Sano went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, his 3rd AA error and now sits at .158. Also struggling since his promotion, Angel Morales went 0-for-2 and is now batting a Hicksian .086. Nate Hanson has had a fantastic June. He doubled and is now batting .302. Pat Dean recorded two outs in the fifth before he was relieved. He allowed 11 hits and four runs. He didn't walk or strike out anyone. A.J Achter and Edgar Ibarra got the win and save, respectively, going the last 2 1/3 innings, each striking out two. NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS 0, ALTOONA CURVE 2 Box Score (game 2) Well, the offense in game 2 was brutal. It's probably a good thing it only lasted seven innings. Batting leadoff, Eddie Rosario had a hit and a walk. (He was also picked off first base... Spanam Style, and had a fielding error.) Danny Ortiz had a single. That's it. Miguel Sano was 0-for-2 and grounded into a double-play. Yeah, this baseball thing is hard. There were some that clamored for Sano to get a few at-bats when Plouffe went down. I think you're witnessing the reason why that was never going to happen. Pitching-wise, B.J. Hermsen did okay in a spot start. In three innings, he gave up only a run on four hits and a walk. He struck out one. Daniel Turpen allowed an unearned run in two innings. Cole Johnson pitched a scoreless inning. Matt Summers has been promoted from Fort Myers to take Darnell Logan's spot in the rotation. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 2, PALM BEACH CARDINALS 4 Box Score The Miracle could have used Buxton a day earlier than Tuesday. The offense didn't supply a lot of offense in today's game. In the two-run third inning, Andy Leer (single) and Aderlin Mejia (RBI triple) accounted for half the team's hits. Stephen Wickens drove in the other run on a groudout. Mejia and Wickens added the other two hits. Matt Tomshaw pitched 6.2 innings and allowed three runs. He struck out five while giving up nine hits and two walks. Adrian Salcedo threw the other 1.1 innings. He gave up a run on two hits, a walk and a hit batter. He struck out two. Byron Buxton will make his much-anticipated high-A debut tomorrow at 7:00PM ET. The Miracle had been on a six-man rotation after the addition of Manuel Soliman, so they will not need to add another pitcher at this time. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS - IDLE The Kernels were given the day off. The people of Cedar Rapids were also told to stay home from work today to mourn the loss of the greatest player they've ever welcomed to Veterans Memorial Stadium. There has been no corresponding move made yet, though one possibility is the addition of RHP Dallas Gallant. Gallant struck out 14 in 10.2 IP for the Beloit Snappers last year before missing the first part of this year recovering from a nerve relocation procedure. He is currently working out of Elizabethton's bullpen. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 7, GREENEVILLE ASTROS 2 Box Score The defending Appy League champs got their 4th win in the first five games of this young season. Tonight's win can be credited a lot to the left arm of young Randy Rosario. Five shutout, two-hit innings with a walk and three strikeouts. Also impressive is the six groundouts to only three flyouts he induced. Rosario has been very good in other short-season leagues and could really show up on the prospect radars with a good showing this season. (Some of you are already high on him... I'm talking of national radars. He wasn't a Top 30 in BA.) After a strong one-inning debut on Friday, Andre Martinez struggled in his two-inning outing tonight. He allowed two runs, including a home run, and struck out one. Kuo Hua Lo backed up a strong three-inning performance on Friday with three strikeouts over two innings tonight. The bats were also active. They connected a bunch (14 hits) and also missed a bunch (13 strikeouts). Five players - Tanner Vavra, Dereck Rodriguez, Stuart Turner, Romy Jimenez and Bo Altobelli - had two-hit games. Rodriguez had two doubles and drove in two runs to highlight the offense. As you know, Dereck Rodriguez is the son of future Hall-of-Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. The whole family is shown below. (Photo from the Washington Post.) Download attachment: drod.jpg The E-Twins will need to improve on their batting with runners in scoring position. They went 3-for-20 tonight... and that's not gonna hack it. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 5 Box Score Well, it turns out Amaurys Minier is (at least part) human. He struck out three times in four at-bats. He also drew a walk. The lineup as a whole struck out 13 times. Brian Navaretto had a good day at the plate (2-for-4) but a poor day behind it (a passed ball and a throwing error). Jason Kanzler has continued to struggle to hit, but showed his defensive prowess with an outfield assist. Chad Christensen had two hits and an RBI. Zach Larson drove in the other run. Sam Gibbons struck out three in four innings, allowing an earned and unearned run on three hits. Miguel Gonzalez struck out two and allowed a run on three hits. Both Madison Boer and Bruce Pugh made rehab appearances. Boer struck out three, but allowed two unearned runs in two innings. Pugh walked two in his one inning. Please post questions and/or comments below. Click here to view the article

As Twins fans have endured three straight 90-plus loss seasons, it’s been obvious that one of – and probably the biggest – roots of the problem is the lack of quality starters. Essentially, the Twins have employed a collection of #4 starters and have failed to draft or sign frontline starters. We saw the late 2012 trades to acquire Alex Meyer and Trevor May followed by the drafting of Texas prep hurler Kohl Stewart as signs that the Twins recognized this issue and have started to correct it. Download attachment: JacksonII.jpg Yet in the back of every fan’s mind is the idea that the Twins can never have enough “toolsy” players in their system. (They might be right)... and that the Twins love to draft those players right out of high school. (Because they do!) So when the clock starts ticking on the Twins, which direction do they go? Well, that’s not for us to decide. But if they choose to go the way of the “tools”, you better know about this guy. Who is this guy? Alex Jackson has been on the prospect map since 2010, when he started at Rancho Bernardo (Escondido, CA) HS as a freshman. That’s no small feat at a school that has produced Cole Hamels and Hank Blalock, among others. He smashed 17 home runs as a sophomore and was the most impressive player at the 2012 Area Code Games… as an underclassman. His star started rising when he was only 15 years old and it continues to go up. Jackson, who has played catcher through high school, has two plus tools: power and arm strength. Though there are college guys with more present-day power, no one offers more raw power than the 6’ 2”, 215-lb Jackson. His arm strength is equally impressive: he was clocked at 91 mph from behind home plate at the 2013 Perfect Game National Showcase, setting a Perfect Game record. Why the Twins will pick him The Twins would pick Jackson – just like they’d pick anyone – because he’s the top guy on their board when they come to the podium. But why he’d be the top guy on their board is much more important. His right-handed power would play perfectly at Target Field. His likely ability to be able to stick behind home plate long-term in a system that lacks a single top-flight catching prospect would be an added benefit. In a draft that lacks a lot of hitting quality, Jackson is the cock of the walk. None of this even mentions his character. Last summer, Jackson was one of three high schoolers who helped raise over $10,000 for a local children’s hospital. Why the Twins will not pick him As the introduction stated, the Twins “organizational need” is pitchers. And paragraphs later was an allusion to the need in the organization for catchers. Truth is, Jackson isn’t a pitcher and there’s a pretty good chance he’s not going to be a catcher either. With a bat that is considered the highest-ceiling in the draft, there is a very good chance the first thing Jackson does after signing his first professional contract is hang up the catchers’ gear. Jackson has the ideal power/arm strength combination to make a smooth move to right field, where his bat could sooner reach The Show. There’s also belief that if he’s athletic enough to catch professionally – and he is, with work – there is little doubt he wouldn’t be athletic enough to play third base. In any scenario, the value is in the bat. The Oregon-commit is being advised by Scott Boras. That’s not to say the Twins should avoid drafting him solely for this reason; however, Boras does a great job getting his clients as much money as possible… and the #5 spot in the draft is not getting him as much money as possible. (Long explanation longer: Expect Jackson to be off the board when the Twins select.) It should be noted that Scott Boras pushed for the Nationals to move Bryce Harper to the outfield, and though that wouldn’t necessarily be a fair comparison, Jackson could simply be next in line to make the same change, much like Wil Myers did more recently. And the end of the day, there are not many reasons to argue against the Twins selecting Alex Jackson, besides the fact that he’s viewed by many to be too talented to be on the board when the Twins pick. ---- Follow me on Twitter at @jeremynygaard for much more draft coverage this week. Special thanks to Justin Rinaldi for his picture of Alex Jackson featured in this article. Click here to view the article

Join Seth and I tonight at 8:30 for this week's episode of #HangoutandTalkTwins. We hope to be joined by MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. View live here: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7WG1oxXe2Fk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg We plan to cover the Diamond Awards, Twins Fest, Winter Meltdown and more. I'll also let you know what kind of progress I made in my attempt to #GetSethDrunk. Don't forget: You can follow us on Twitter at @twinshangouts. If you have any questions, please leave them below! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg Join Seth and Jeremy tonight at 8:30 right here to view the latest Twins Hangouts episode. Tonight's show will focus more on the minor league side of things. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tQ5qOU7SSMQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Please leave questions (or comments) below! You can watch live on the page as well. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Berrios_Jose_Landscape.jpg It's April 22 and we're experiencing another snowstorm. The Twins were postponed and will play a split-doubleheader tomorrow (hopefully; I wouldn't bet on it). And despite having a day-off Wednesday, there won't be a game because the Marlins have 20 straight days with games beginning Thursday, so they can't play Wednesday. Only three affiliates were in action today, let's see how they did: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, Burlington Bees 4 Box Score Jose Berrios made his highly-anticipated full-season debut tonight. Berrios joined the team after spending some time stretching out in Fort Myers after being used sparingly by the Puerto Rican National Team in the World Baseball Classic (where he struck out Robinson Cano). Had Berrios been on the Opening Day roster, he would have been the 9th-youngest player (and 4th-youngest pitcher) in the Midwest League. He had a solid performance, but appeared to have some nerves early. He gave up runs in each of his first two innings and misplayed a bunt (that was generously ruled a hit) before settling down. He had a final line of five innings, seven hits, two walks, five strikeouts and the aforementioned runs. Reports from the field had him sitting in the low-90s, but touching as high as 96. JD Williams led the offense with two doubles and a home run. He also drew a walk, scored twice and drove in three runs. Oh, and he stole a base too. He calls himself part of the "Soul Patrol" with Byron Buxton and Niko Goodrum, but he might be rejoining Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario if he keeps it up. Adam Walker had a triple and showed off his big-time power with a long home run. Byron Buxton went 1-for-4 with a stolen base. When he was 0-for-3 tonight, his average dropped to .392. The single got it back up to .404. Manuel Soliman walked three in two scoreless innings. Chris Mazza had to be relieved after giving up two runs and leaving the bases loaded in the 9th. Tim Atherton relieved him and closed the game with three strikeouts with the bases loaded. LP Brett Lee (0-0, 0.00), who has been quite impressive in his eight innings of limited work, takes the mound tomorrow at 11:30 am. (The forecast isn't good, so make sure you check the weather before you drive from the Cities.) Congrats to Taylor Rogers on his promotion to Fort Myers. Rochester Red Wings 2, Pawtucket Red Sox 8 Box Score Liam Hendriks again failed to channel his AAA dominance of a year ago, instead showing glimpses of his major league-self. In particular, it took Hendriks 97 pitches (63 strikes) to pitch 5.2 innings. His line was not bad though: eight hits, a walk, two runs and five strikeouts. While his demotion was somewhat puzzling at the time, he has been able to make two starts for Rochester. Meanwhile Pedro Hernandez (and basically the entire staff) hasn’t pitched at all due to the ridiculous weather we’ve been having in the Upper Midwest. The first wave of the bullpen did a great job keeping the Red Wings in the game. Mike O’Connor and Tim Wood combined for 2.1 scoreless innings. And then Manager Glynn turned a tied ball game over to Anthony Slama. For all of you who supported the #FreeSlama campaign, you may get your wish soon. Tonight’s one-out effort included three hits, two walks and five runs. He’s now dropped to 0-4 with an ERA of 18.47. It was reported, postgame, that Slama was suffering from a stiff back. Daniel Turpen got the final two outs and allowed another run, but the damage was already done. The Red Wings offense managed only seven hits. A double by Chris Herrmann and two singles by Evan Bigley were the offensive highlights. Bigley (who just joined Rochester) is batting .400. Chris Colabello (.333) and Clete Thomas (.326) are the only regulars batting over .200. Scary, and sad. While there is no scheduled starter listed at this time, it would appear to be Virgil Vasquez’s turn in the rotation. Vasquez (2-1, 4.80) has pitched pretty well in his three starts to date. Fort Myers Miracle 4, Palm Beach Cardinals 7 Box Score A day after losing to Palm Beach in extra innings, the Miracle drop their third straight. Tonight’s loss was the result of a blown save in the 7th inning. Starting pitcher Matt Summers allowed ten hits in four innings. Those hits, and a walk, resulted in three runs. He struck out three. Cole Johnson pitched two scoreless innings. Chad Rogers, who came out to open the seventh innings, only recorded two outs, but allowed four runs (one earned). Adrian Salcedo struck out three among his four outs. Miguel Sano kept it simple today. He singled twice and stole a base (his first of the year). Kyle Knudson added two hits. Kennys Vargas had a double. Eddie Rosario added a triple. AJ Pettersen, now batting .352 and playing SS almost every day, has extended his hitting streak to seven games. Tomorrow’s scheduled starter, Madison Boer, was placed on the 7-day DL with a broken hand. RP Ryan O’Rourke was also placed on the 7-day DL. The Miracle will play at 6:35 pm ET with newly-promoted Taylor Rogers getting the start. New Britain Rock Cats had an off-day today. Trevor May (0-1, 3.14) will be back on the mound tomorrow at New Hampshire at 6:35 pm ET. May, who is rivaling teammate Alex Meyer to be the organizational strikeout king, will look to limit his free passes. He has already issued 10 walks in 14.1 innings. He’s also allowed three home runs in three starts. RP Marty Popham was released to make room for SP B.J. Hermsen prior to yesterday’s game. If you have any questions or comments, please post below. You can also find me on Twitter @jeremynygaard. Click here to view the article

As Spring Training approaches, we’ve hashed and re-hashed Prospect Lists. We’ve dissected the signing of Kevin Correia many times over. We’ve projected lineups of every affiliate. There are few things more informative than talking with those that are behind the information. So today let’s do something else. Let’s talk scouting with West Coast Scouting Supervisor Sean Johnson. ---- First off, huge thanks to Sean! As baseball is starting to get rolling, he took some time out of his schedule to answer some questions and shed some light on our favorite franchise.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Sean had great things to say about the organization “from the top down” and exudes the “Twins Way positivity”. My original plan was the use quotes to formulate an article, but when you find all the quotes are worth using, it’s going to be presented in a Q and A fashion. I apologize for the lengthiness, but it’s should make for a great read. (www.texastech.com) ---- Jeremy Nygaard: It’s great to catch you: A guy on the “front lines”. What’s the scouting life like? After seeing Trouble with the Curve, is that realistic? Sean Johnson: It’s not as gloomy as Clint Eastwood’s character. It’s not that bad. The time on the road is extensive in the spring. Guys are away from their family and friends. From now until draft day, you go where the players are. There’s not a lot of off days. I’m bouncing all over the country. It’s real hectic. I spend most of my time in California. If there’s a guy you have to see, it’s his last high-school start and his team isn’t going to make the playoffs, you have to make a decision. Deron [Johnson, the Twins Director of Scouting] might have to be in Seattle or might have to be in Miami for one last look before the draft. You have to be flexible. JN: You’re listed in the Media Guide as the “West Coast Scouting Supervisor”. Do the Twins have “crosscheckers”? SJ: Yeah, we have four regional supervisors. We have two “National Crosscheckers” that don’t supervise any areas. Tim O’Neil is dedicated to the amateur world year-round. Earl Frishman does national work too, but also spring training and pro scouting in the summer. Most teams have “crosscheckers”. Some have “scouting supervisors”. The only difference is that [as a supervisor] I’m directly in charge of the scouts on the west coast. We get to hire, or if a guy gets promoted. I talk to my guys on the west coast almost every day in the spring. We’re connected. We compile the information to get to Deron or Mike [Radcliff, Vice President, Player Personnel] and I get it to them. I basically see each one of my area scout’s best players, typically the guys that go in the top five or ten rounds. I see as many as I can and try to put them in some kind of an order. So take the catcher in Southern California versus the catcher in, say, Denver. Which one do I think is better? Or do I think that someone else might need to come and see? JN: How do you stack a draft board when not everybody is familiar with all the guys? SJ: We rely on the area scouts and their conviction levels in the lower rounds to help us figure out who to select. We don’t have enough time in the spring to get lots of looks at every player we turn in. JN: So when the draft rolls around, are you in the Cities for that? SJ: Yeah, we’ll come in and have about seven full days of preparation. From 9 am until we are done. We used to go crazy, get in at nine and leave at 11 pm. The way we set it up is that we have them ordered by the grades we’ve given them walking in the room. Now we can get it done in time to go grab a nice dinner and go get some sleep. JN: How many guys are there? SJ: The draft room usually has about 10 guys. Most teams don’t bring everybody in. The room in Target Field is much nicer than the room in the Metrodome. We were in a poorly vented room downstairs. Down in the dungeon, we’d have fans we’d have to bring in and coolers with ice for our drinks. It was really blue-collar. But it was what it was and we made it work. Since moving to Target Field it’s like we moved to Taj Mahal. We have a room with a projector. We can watch film. We have a place to make coffee and can bring some food in. It’s got air-conditioning. It’s not the biggest room in the world either, but it’s adequate. So we’ll have about ten of our scouts and Terry Ryan is there for the whole thing. JN: How has draft changed? A handful of years ago it was on ESPN2 in the middle of the day. Now it’s an event… SJ: Things haven’t really changed. Obviously we’re happy it’s becoming an event. It will never be as big as the NFL draft. Those guys are already famous. That’s what will prevent our draft from becoming extremely popular. No one knows who these guys are. We took Aaron Hicks. No one knew who he was. We’re projecting on a 17 or 18-year-old kid. Hopefully he’s good. Check in in five years and see how he’s doing. It’s a totally different dynamic. It’s great for our sport, but it doesn’t really change our approach. The draft used to go much faster. Last year it was more fun because we had more picks. Now there is more time in between picks. It used to be just one big conference call. It wasn’t on TV. It seemed like it was really fast. My first draft was 2002 and I couldn’t believe how fast it went. Now there’s a minute between picks, which gives you a little bit of time to collect your thoughts in case a guy you wanted gets picked. There’s a little more strategy to it, which is good. JN: Later in the draft it seems so rapid-fire. Does it happen very often where a guy you’re looking to take gets picked or is it that the draft pool is so large that the odds or your guy going is pretty small? SJ: It happens a lot more in the first ten rounds. Everybody has the same 90 or 100 guys at the top because their tools are much more evident. Those guys stand out, everyone has scouted them. They’re a little more famous. But once you get a little later – to the 3rd or the 4th round – you can see a guy taken that you didn’t like at all and he goes in the 3rd round. There could be a guy that goes that you’ve never heard of. That’s happens more on Day 2 and 3. Later though guys get picked off less than you’d think. At that point teams like different guys, scouts turn different guys in. You’re going to have 1500 players get drafted. Our scouts don’t turn all those guys in. Some teams will take guys [they have connections to] later. Maybe the Tigers take Ty Cobb’s great-great-grandson. We don’t have any of those “favor picks” as we call them. So-and-so’s whoever… we don’t typically do that. JN: How many guys do you typically have on your draft board? SJ: We usually turn in around 900 guys. We’ll have about 900 tags in our room - which is overwhelming. We’re only going to get 40 of them. JN: Up until last year – before the CBA changes – you had a pretty good idea about what teams might take a guy that slips. Last year, the Astros save money right away and take expensive guys later. The Blue Jays take expensive guys early and draft college seniors later. The Twins did what the Twins do. Take a guy, pay him near slot. Is there a lot of strategy? SJ: We contemplated doing all that stuff. It was the first year; there was a lot of feeling out. We didn’t know what other teams were going to do. We knew someone would re-arrange their money to squeeze out one more guy. First, you have to analyze the draft crop and see what the strengths are. Obviously we thought about all the scenarios, but you don’t want to save money up for a guy who might not be there. We really like Buxton. We saved some money here and there, but we always just tried to take the next best guy. Next year we have one of the biggest pools. We had a huge pool last year. We can explore. If we don’t like any of the guys that want a certain amount of money, we have options. There’s not clear cut group of four or five guys. It’s wide open. JN: But it’s still early… SJ: I mean, Bryce Harper isn’t going to come out of nowhere in March. We’ve seen all the guys. The high-school crop of pitching is down. Most of the better arms are college guys this year. There are not a lot of great bats in this draft. It’s a shallow draft this year. High-school right-handed pitching is way down. There’s some high-school catching, there’s some high-school left-handers. There’s some power armed college-armed at the top… Look at Dylan Bundy’s year. It would be Bundy and everybody else in this draft. Archie Bradley and everybody else, Rendon… JN: How about Appel? Do you treat him differently? SJ: Well he’s not going to come at a discount. His advisors aren’t going to let him take a discount. They think he’s the best guy in the draft and he will get a chance to prove it. He might be. I wouldn’t plan on him taking a discount, no. JN: Didn’t he want the full pick value for #1 no matter where he went last year? SJ: I can’t answer that. I don’t think anybody can answer that. JN: When he didn’t go first overall, was that a big shock to you in the Twins draft room? SJ: We knew from talking to other people that Houston was taking the temperature of a lot of guys, all who went in the Top 10. They weren’t dead-set on him, we could tell that. He seemed like the right fit, Houston-kid, it all made sense. But you never know. It was all tight-lipped and all hush-hush. But no, it wasn’t a shock. We knew there was a chance he wouldn’t sign, or be hesitant, if the money wasn’t right. Houston did a great job, we commend them. They got a great player - we like Correa too - and loaded up with Rio Ruiz and Lance McCullers. If you can squeak another player out of the draft… if you get two big-league players out of the draft, that’s a good draft. JN: Tell me about Zack Jones. SJ: Elliott Strankman, my area scout, really liked him. He saw him pitch a lot and everyone that saw him believed he would have one of the best fastballs in that draft. He was on a bad team at San Jose State and they started him. He’s a high-wired, amped-up guy who throws it hard and tries to strike people out. It’s going to come down to him developing a breaking ball, which we think he will add over time. We like his athleticism; he played shortstop back in the day. He’s got good life on his fastball throwing it 95 or 96. When we got him, we were pumped; we were high-fiving in the Draft room. To get to the big leagues, he’s going to have to have a secondary pitch to finish hitters off. It doesn’t matter how hard you throw it if that’s all you have. JN: A lot of the college relievers will get a chance to start, will Jones? SJ: No, he’s locked in the bullpen. JN: With a chance to move quick? SJ: Absolutely. We’ll keep challenging him. Our hope is that he’ll start in Fort Myers. Mason Melotakis and Tyler Duffey, those guys are going to be starters this year. JN: Speaking of that, are assignments determined in Spring Training? Or are they decided ahead of time? How does that work out? SJ: There are group of guys that put their heads together. There is some Spring Training element to it, when a guy shows up he needs to look like he can play. The rule of thumb is that you want to start a guy at a level he can handle and survive and succeed and build confidence at that level. And when he does, he’s ready for the next level. It’s one step at a time with us. No one is entitled by any means. There’s a lot that goes into it. More than people think. JN: Any feelings on other guys? SJ: I saw Buxton in Elizabethton. The sky’s the limit with that guy. He’s a gifted player. We really like Berrios. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s got a live arm and great feel. JN: How about Travis Harrison? SJ: I saw him this summer. He’s in really good shape. The power hasn’t come yet, but he can really hit. We’re counting on him. Where he’s going to end defensively, I don’t know. He’d tell you he’s a good hitter, not a slugger. He can go foul line to foul line. He’s hitting for a good average and taking good at-bats, a lot like Aaron Hicks was. Guys change a lot from 18 to 23. JN: He’s going to stay at third for now? SJ: I think that’s the plan. We hope he’ll start at Cedar Rapids. JN: It seems like the farm system has more “prospects” in it. That’s a testament to you guys doing a great job. SJ: We think we’re going in the right direction, but we’re not satisfied. We need to have another good draft next year. We feel good about last year’s draft. But that’s over with. Time to knock it out of the park again! JN: When does the page turn on the draft? As soon as the previous draft is over? SJ: It’s faster than that actually. We had one year where we took the tables down in the draft room and talked about our picks and literally 40 minutes later we’re in the press box watching the next crop of guys play for four days. It was a very quick turnaround. ---- Sean and I talked about other baseball-related happenings before our conversation took an interesting turn when we started talking about the Prospect Handbook. SJ: We follow the site. We get on there every now and then. Before it was TwinsDaily, when it was Seth’s deal, we go on there to see what you guys are saying. The thing with scouting is that you can get out of touch with reality. What we think and what other people think and the other 29 teams in the league think about our players. Most of the guys you get in the draft, you like those guys more than the other teams, that’s how you got them. It’s good to get that perspective: Are we really getting the right guy, or do we just think we are? We talked some about prospect rankings and how some publications form their opinions and how a lot of the publications and people involved are very informed. Sean put it all into perspective. SJ: I looked at Baseball America’s Top 30; I thought they did a good job. But who cares what order they’re in? They’re all prospects. Either they’re gonna make it or they’re not. And a tip for anyone who aspires to be a scout someday: SJ: Focus on what a guy can do, not what he can’t. We’ll spend the rest of his career telling him what he can’t do. View full article