Jeremy Nygaard

Another slow day around baseball. The Twins activated RP Matt Capps and optioned Kyle Waldrop back to Rochester. The Wings currently have six pitchers on the disabled list, so getting another arm is probably pretty welcome. The Twins reached agreements with 23rd round pick P Travis Huber from Nebraska and 28th round pick P Carson Goldsmith. It was also announced that 6th rounder Andre Martinez (P) will not actually sign after it was reported he agreed to a deal that would pay him $60K over slot. Without knowing the details of this particular case, it should be mentioned that in the past – at least to my knowledge – when signed guys get “unsigned” it’s normally is because of a failed physical. We’ll keep you posted if any other details come out in this case. Tomorrow afternoon at 4pm CT marks the signing deadline (for all non-college seniors). Expect there to be another 3-5 guys that come to terms. Some names to keep in mind as the deadline approaches: L.J. Mazzilli, 2B, Connecticut, Round 9 – Sounds as though the two parties are not close. Erich Knab, P, S. Carolina HS, Round 13 – Probably will take over the 100K, but there is money there. Jarret Leverett, OF, Ga. Southern, Round 15 – College senior will sign at some point if he wants to play professionally. Zach Larson, OF, Florida HS, Round 20 – Considered signable. There are other late-round names that dropped due to signability concerns. They may become options if the Twins pony up all their unspent allowance. A spin around a quiet Thursday: ROCHESTER 4, TOLEDO 3 Box score The Red Wings have closed to within four games of .500. They are now 44-48 and after today, have had 21 different pitchers pick up a win this season. Tonight’s win was credited to Dan Sattler. Sattler gave up two earned runs in two innings allowing a walk and a home run while striking out three. He relieved Jeff Manship, who went five innings allowing eight hits, two walks and an unearned run. He also struck out three. Luis Perdomo picked up his sixth save on the year (with four coming for the Red Wings in July). He struck out two in one inning. Since his promotion to Rochester, he has pitched in seven games (10 2/3 innings) and has only allowed five hits (no walks) and struck out 13. That’s a WHIP of 0.47 and a K/9 of 10.97. Granted this is a very small sample size, but it’s a “lights out” sample size. The Wings had a hard time getting started against former Twin-draftee Andy Oliver. They didn’t get their first hit of the game until a Nishi single in the bottom of the fifth. Fortunately, when he came back out in the 6th, the Red Wings jumped all over him. They were able to plate four runs. Danny Valencia singled in two runs and Tsuyoshi Nishioka doubled in two later that inning. Matt Carson was the only other player to register a hit. According to the team’s post-game press release Danny Valencia has 6 RBI in his last six games. He has 12 in his last 13 games. With Trevor Plouffe firmly entrenched as the Twins third baseman, could Valencia have trade value? NEW BRITAIN 6, TRENTON 7 Box score A tough loss for the Rockcats tonight. Oswaldo Arcia continues to swing a hot bat. He had a triple and a home run (of Dellin Betances), scoring two runs and knocking in three. Five other Rockcats contributed singles. Chris Colabello and Nate Hanson both drove in a run. Defensively, Evan Bigley threw out two runners at home. Aaron Thompson scattered ten hits over five innings. He allowed five runs (four earned), walked two and struck out two. Marty Popham pitched two innings, giving up three hits and two runs (one earned), walking one and striking out two. Edgar Ibarra and Bruce Pugh each pitched one inning, each allowed two hits and each struck out two. FT. MYERS 3, CLEARWATER 4 (12 innings) Box score The Miracle started the night against a rehabbing Roy Halladay for three innings and ended the night allowing a walk-off hit in the twelfth inning. Though Madison Boer allowed 10 hits, there is a lot about his recent performances to be encouraged about. He struck out five in 6 1/3 innings and only walked one. He allowed three runs. This is his fourth straight start where he has made it six or more innings. In those four games, he’s pitched 25 1/3 innings. He has allowed 33 hits, but only five walks. He’s struck out 14. Considering he’s only allowed two home runs, you’d hope that as he progresses, the defenses behind him will improve and more of these batted balls will find gloves instead of holes. Jose Gonzalez pitched out of trouble twice, getting five outs and allowing only one hit. He inherited two runners and stranded them both. A.J. Achter pitched three innings of one-hit, two-strikeout ball. Ricky Bowen got two outs before allowing the walk-off hit. He gave up two hits, a walk and struck out one. Joe Benson, continuing his rehab, batted clean-up and arguably had his best hitting day of the year. He went 3-for-5, finishing only a triple short of the cycle. He drove in two and scored two. He walked once and stole a base as well. Danny Santana and Kyle Knudson each added two hits. Santana had a double and a stolen base. Beyond that, there were a lot of 1-for-5s or 1-for-6s. BELOIT 6, FORT WAYNE 2 Box score The Tincaps tried unsuccessfully to pitch around the top of the Snappers order. (Nine walks to the top five batters.) Jonathan Goncalves, batting in the 6-hole, collected three hits (including a double) and drove in two runs. Stephen Wickens and A.J. Pettersen both had doubles. Miguel Sano had a sacrifice fly to knock in his 62nd run. He trails Evan Bigley (New Britain) by two for the organizational lead. Jason Wheeler pitched eight strong innings. He allowed only two runs on five hits (one home run) and a walk. He struck out five. He improved to 10-4. Only Scott Diamond has more wins on the year. And no one in the organization has as many wins for one team. Clint Dempster struck out two in a one-hit ninth. ELIZABETHTON 12, GREENEVILLE 1 Box score Before you attribute the offensive success to a hitter-friendly league, let me remind you that Greeneville was held to one run on two hits. Hein Robb dominated for four innings. He allowed a walk and struck out four, but left with a no-hitter intact. Tyler Herr improved to 3-0, pitching two innings and allowing a hit and run. Zach Jones (K), Luis Nunez (BB, 3 K) and Mason Melotakis (H, 2 K) each pitched one inning. All nine hitters recorded hits and all but Rory Rhodes scored at least one run. Niko Goodrum had two hits (a double) and drove in three runs. Travis Harrison’s lone hit was a triple. Candido Pimentel had three singles. GCL TWINS 6, GCL ORIOLES 5 Box score Rene Tosoni went 2-for-4 with a double in a rehab start. Aderlin Mejia and Joel Licon both added two hits including a double each. John Murphy and Jacob Younis each had two singles. Murphy also stole two bases and now has nine on the young season. Sam Gibbons pitched three innings, allowing seven hits, but only three runs (two earned). He struck out three. Gerardo Ramirez allowed a hit and a walk and struck out four in three innings. Melciades DeLaCruz allowed two runs on three hits in two innings. Chris Mazza continues to pitch well, picking up his first save, giving up only a hit in one inning. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, July 12, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Hein Robb [ATTACH=CONFIG]1532[/ATTACH] (Facebook) Hitters of the Day – Joe Benson [ATTACH=CONFIG]1533[/ATTACH] (http://www.fsn.com) --- A Look Ahead – Friday, July 13, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Toledo – RHP Liam Hendriks (6-0, 1.69) New Britain vs Trenton – RHP Shairon Martis (0-1, 8.25) Ft. Myers at Clearwater – LHP Pat Dean (6-5, 4.02) Beloit at Kane County – RHP Matt Summers (8-4, 3.58) Elizabethton at Greeneville – NO STARTER ANNOUNCED GCL Twins at GCL Rays – NO STARTER ANNOUNCED --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome.

I used to subscribe to BA's Top Performers email, but after looking at it - seeing batting and pitching lines for hundreds of prospects - and not getting much out of it, I unsubscribed. While browsing their website today, I found a link to "Yesterday's Top Performers". I clicked on it and expected to see the same format I saw with the emails. I was wrong. Instead what I saw where the top 10 daily performers based on Runs Created (for batters) and Game Score (for pitchers). I went through each day (through 7/6) and compiled the Twins Top 10 daily performances for hitters and pitchers. Date/Player/Runs Created 6/20 Niko Goodrum 4.09 4/22 Oswaldo Arcia 4.03 5/10 Oswaldo Arcia 3.76 4/9 Miguel Sano 3.69 5/20 Oswaldo Arcia 3.62 6/28 Rory Rhodes 3.56 7/2 Romy Jimenez 3.46 6/2 Oswaldo Arcia 3.42 6/28 Romy Jimenez 3.42 4/20 Miguel Sano 3.25 Date/Player/Game Score 6/9 Liam Hendriks 87 6/26 Matt Summers 84 6/4 Liam Hendriks 76 5/7 Matt Summers 74 5/24 Liam Hendriks 72 7/2 Kuo Hua Lo 72 6/10 BJ Hermsen 71 5/1 BJ Hermsen 69 4/13 BJ Hermsen 68 4/19 BJ Hermsen 68 6/3 Madison Boer 68 6/23 Taylor Rogers 68 7/5 BJ Hermsen 68 The conclusions that I drew from compiling these lists: Oswaldo Arcia has been even better than I realized. He made the Top 10 for the Twins a bunch, but his name also appeared a bunch more times on the daily report. Miguel Sano hasn't shown up on the daily report since April 30th. Chris Parmelee, Chris Herrmann, Max Kepler and Aaron Hicks all showed up multiple times. BJ Hermsen's name appeared nearly every time he started for Fort Myers. He also made the list pitching for New Britain. He's got to be moving up Twins prospect lists. Liam Hendriks dominates AAA like he sucks for the Twins. Matt Summers has had a few excellent games for Beloit and will continue to get better with experience. Logan Darnell was the only other player to be mentioned multiple times. Many lower-level pitchers made the Top 10 daily report list once. (There have been some games in the last couple of nights that will probably change the lists a little bit; unfortunately, those days aren't posted yet.)

I used to subscribe to BA's Top Performers email, but after looking at it - seeing batting and pitching lines for hundreds of prospects - and not getting much out of it, I unsubscribed. While browsing their website today, I found a link to "Yesterday's Top Performers". I clicked on it and expected to see the same format I saw with the emails. I was wrong. Instead what I saw where the top 10 daily performers based on Runs Created (for batters) and Game Score (for pitchers). I went through each day (through 7/6) and compiled the Twins Top 10 daily performances for hitters and pitchers. Date/Player/Runs Created 6/20 Niko Goodrum 4.09 4/22 Oswaldo Arcia 4.03 5/10 Oswaldo Arcia 3.76 4/9 Miguel Sano 3.69 5/20 Oswaldo Arcia 3.62 6/28 Rory Rhodes 3.56 7/2 Romy Jimenez 3.46 6/2 Oswaldo Arcia 3.42 6/28 Romy Jimenez 3.42 4/20 Miguel Sano 3.25 Date/Player/Game Score 6/9 Liam Hendriks 87 6/26 Matt Summers 84 6/4 Liam Hendriks 76 5/7 Matt Summers 74 5/24 Liam Hendriks 72 7/2 Kuo Hua Lo 72 6/10 BJ Hermsen 71 5/1 BJ Hermsen 69 4/13 BJ Hermsen 68 4/19 BJ Hermsen 68 6/3 Madison Boer 68 6/23 Taylor Rogers 68 7/5 BJ Hermsen 68 The conclusions that I drew from compiling these lists: Oswaldo Arcia has been even better than I realized. He made the Top 10 for the Twins a bunch, but his name also appeared a bunch more times on the daily report. Miguel Sano hasn't shown up on the daily report since April 30th. Chris Parmelee, Chris Herrmann, Max Kepler and Aaron Hicks all showed up multiple times. BJ Hermsen's name appeared nearly every time he started for Fort Myers. He also made the list pitching for New Britain. He's got to be moving up Twins prospect lists. Liam Hendriks dominates AAA like he sucks for the Twins. Matt Summers has had a few excellent games for Beloit and will continue to get better with experience. Logan Darnell was the only other player to be mentioned multiple times. Many lower-level pitchers made the Top 10 daily report list once. (There have been some games in the last couple of nights that will probably change the lists a little bit; unfortunately, those days aren't posted yet.)

The Twins bats started off hot today and the team got another excellent performance from Scott Diamond. Gardenhire curiously gave the 8th inning to Alex Burnett, who allowed a hit and a walk before being relieved by Tyler Robertson who promptly served up a 3-run meatball to Prince Fielder. Anthony Swarzak, who also made an appearance despite being the only possible weekend starter on the active roster, gave up a home run to Delmon Young. After the game it was announced that Chris Parmelee would be heading back to Rochester to make room for P Sam Deduno, who would be having his contract purchased and starting Saturday’s tilt against the Texas Rangers. Deduno missed a month and half earlier this season with shoulder tendinitis. Deduno last pitched for the Red Wings on Monday. The Twins have known since sending Nick Blackburn down that they would be short a starter for the weekend. Many of those in the Twittersphere speculated that Deduno would be the guy getting the call for one of this weekend’s games. The other news out of Rochester was that RP Deolis Guerra, the last wheel of the Johan Santana trade, was placed on the 7-day D.L. He will be replaced in the pen by RP Dan Sattler. Sattler was signed from the independent St. Paul Saints on May 29th. Sattler will join LRP Caleb Thielbar in the Red Wings bullpen. They are the only two players the Twins have ever signed from the Saints. If you missed the report of yesterday’s action, you can find it here. Before we take a spin around the farm, let me warn you that it appears those at MiLB.com are still on holiday vacation. The box scores aren’t updating nearly as quickly as you’d expect, and when they are, they’re not always accurate. So if something that you read tonight is totally not true, well… you’ve read my disclaimer. ROCHESTER 6, PAWTUCKET 4 Box score This report is going to start with a non-Twins player, only because it’s that bad. Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard entered the game and managed to do the following in only 20 pitches: Hit batter, double, hit batter, wild pitch, wild pitch, single, hook. I mention that also because his little brother and recent Twins-draftee, Luke, was probably on hand to watch big brother fall apart. Let’s hope that the two don’t share all the same DNA, if you know what I mean. With the win, the Wings improve to 40-47 and 26-24 since May 15. Matt Carson led the offense with two hits (one double) and with his two RBI, he has a team-leading 32 on the season. IL All-Star Pedro Florimon, who has struggled recently, added two hits as did Wilkin Ramirez who also added two walks. Danny Valencia snapped an 0-for-14 skid with his single off of Bard. Jeff Manship labored through four innings before turning the game over to Luis Perdomo. Perdomo struck out three in two innings to earn the win. Perdomo can also grow the best beard in the system, but that’s neither here nor there. Brendan Wise did all he could to make the game interesting again (2 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, K) before Caleb Thielbar ended it with one out, walking the first batter he faced on four pitches, before striking out the next batter on three pitches to earn his first AAA save. NEW BRITAIN 7, TRENTON 1 Box score The Rockcats were led by the bat of the best hitter in the system, Oswaldo Arcia. Arcia went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .303. Chris Collabello went 3-for-4 with two doubles. Five of the team’s runs came in the fifth inning. B.J. Hermsen, who will eventually join the pitching carousel if he keeps it up, went seven innings on 90 pitches. He allowed an unearned run on five hits and two walks. He struck out five. David Bromberg, who’s bounced around levels and roles, pitched two innings, allowing a hit. The win brings the Rockcats within a half game of Trenton in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. That in itself, should be encouraging for Twins fans. FT. MYERS 8, CHARLOTTE 5 Box score The game of Dannys. Daniel Santana hit a 3-run blast in the fourth inning. It was his only hit, but he made it count. He also stole a base. Danny Ortiz was 3-for-5. He also added a home run and has his average up to .289. Danny Rams, who was once a decent prospect, continues his fall. After going 0-for-3 tonight, he’s batting .198. Though he did homer yesterday, the most powerful prep bat in the 2007 class is slugging only .339. He was much better – in the same league – in 2010. Tom Stuifbergen was much better than the box score suggests (only because the box score is actually wrong). He scattered six hits (not nine) over 5 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs (only one earned) and struck out two. The big-bodied Dutchman is working his way back from a variety of injuries. Stuif should move up to New Britain before long. BELOIT 3, CLINTON 5 Box score The Snappes were the last of the affiliates to finish their game and they were the first to lose. Tyler Jones is ready for the next step. He struck out seven in five innings, allowing two hits, a run and a walk. His ERA is now 2.51. He lowered his WHIP to 0.96 and raised his K/9 to 11.98. I really wonder why his season began in EST and not Beloit. Ryan O’Rourke had a rough couple of innings before giving way to Corey Williams, who couldn’t complete the 8th without giving up the go-ahead run and an insurance run. Clint Dempster got the final out of the inning before the bats came up short in the top half of the ninth. Drew Leachman had three singles (and an error). J.D. Williams had two hits (and a stolen base). Jon Goncalves added two hits as well. Tyler Grimes contributed two hits – a double and a home run. ELIZABETHTON vs KINGSPORT - postponed GCL TWINS 5, GCL ORIOLES 0 Box score It seems a lot longer than the eleven games it took, but Byron Buxton collected his first professional extra base hit (a double) as well as his first professional run batted in. His batting average is up to .143, but over the last two days (three games), he’s batting .333 (4-for-12). Joe Benson made his second rehab start – his first since a forgetful 0-for-2, 2 K night – and went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. He was also aggressive on the base paths, stealing a base and getting caught stealing. I’m not sure what the timetable is on Benson’s return to the upper levels, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get a few games in with the Miracle before heading back to New Britain (and eventually, hopefully, Rochester). Considering he is DH’ing, but not fielding, it would suggest he may have to stay around the GCL for a while yet. John Murphy stole two bases, including swiping home. Sam Gibbons pitched five innings of three hit, three strikeout ball. 2012 draftee Alex Muren made his second appearance, pitching two innings and striking out one. Melciades DeLaCruz finished off the shutout with two scoreless innings. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, July 5, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – B. J. Hermsen [ATTACH=CONFIG]1481[/ATTACH] www.mlbdirt.com Hitters of the Day – Chris Collabello [ATTACH=CONFIG]1482[/ATTACH] www.boston.com --- A Look Ahead – Friday, July 6, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Pawtucket – RHP P.J. Walters (rehab) New Britain at Trenton – LHP Aaron Thompson (3-2, 5.23) Ft. Myers at Charlotte – RHP Madison Boer (4-6, 7.69) Beloit at Clinton – RHP Matt Summers (7-4, 3.75) Elizabethton vs Kingsport (Game 1) – RHP Ricardo Arevalo (1-0, 1.50) Elizabethton vs Kingsport (Game 2) – NO STARTER ANNOUNCED GCL Twins at GCL Orioles – NO STARTER ANNOUNCED --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Any other comments also welcome.

The Big Picture The Dodgers have a very loyal following. They attracted over 3 million fans every year from 1997-2010. Then there was an ugly divorce between owners and a multi-billion dollar sale of the team. New ownership is trying to put all of that in the rearview and make the playoffs for the first time since winning their division in 2009. The Dodgers were the hottest team in baseball out of the gates and were 17 games over .500 as recently as June 17. A late-June swoon – losers in eleven of their last twelve games – where injuries to key players certainly played a part, dropped them back to reality and they now trail the Giants in the NL West, with the Diamondbacks quickly gaining ground. Why They Will Trade With The Twins The Dodgers offense in June was downright ugly. They scored only 83 runs in June (including a six-game stretch in which they were shutout five times), the least in the Major Leagues. Their June OPS was .571. That’s not quite Buteran; but it is 40 points worse than Nick Punto during his worst Twins year! To add insult to injury (or maybe the other way around…), stud outfielder and clean-up hitter Andre Ethier went down with an oblique injury: One of the most fickle of all injuries. He could be out days or months. If they have to throw him on the disabled list, he’d join the likes of All-World CF Matt Kemp, starting 2B Mark Ellis, starting P Ted Lilly, set-up man Matt Guerrier and closer Javy Guerra. As you probably guessed, the Dodgers are actively working the phones, looking for help – not only in the middle of the order – but presumably at the back of the bullpen. Despite all of the injuries and off-the-field distractions, GM Ned Colletti has put together a collection of players that, when healthy, are arguably the most-talented group in the National League, if not Los Angeles and all of baseball. As the word gets out that the Dodgers are looking for “middle-of-the-order thumpers”, it would be wise for the Twins to make a courtesy call. You see, where the Dodgers need power the most (left field, first base and third base), just so happens to be the positions of the Twins three most-powerful hitters. I’m not going to suggest that the Dodgers can “afford” to take on Justin Morneau’s remaining salary of over $20m. I will, however, point out that the Dodgers current 1B combo of James Loney/Juan Rivera has a combined OPS of around .650. And their 2013 commitment to the two? Only Rivera’s $500,000 buyout. The Dodgers are in the market for a first baseman. Right now. LF Bobby Abreu isn’t nearly the player he used to be (when he was drilling line drives off Nick Blackburn’s face), yet he’s batting 3rd due to all the injuries. If I were the Dodgers, I would feel much better using the 38-year old’s bat in a pinch-hitting role. When Kemp (batting 3rd/RH) and Either (4th/LH) come back, having a RH/LF “masher” batting 5th would be the ideal situation. The Twins also have one of them – signed to a very reasonable contract – in Josh Willingham. Moving onto the final (and probably most controversial) position: Third base. Juan Uribe is listed as 33 years old. Does anyone actually believe that? If you’re fat and 33, fine. But when you’re fat and Uribe’s age (whatever that actually is… 36? 37?), that’s not a good sign. Regardless, Uribe, when healthy in 2012, is hitting .205 with an OBP of .248 and an OPS of .535. Sheesh, up until a month ago, I thought the Twins 3B situation was bad. Might the Twins listen if the Dodgers called about Trevor Plouffe? His value over the last few weeks is the highest it’s ever been (and probably the highest it ever will be). Is this power we've seen over the hot streak sustainable? He did cool off a little, but hit two home runs again today. What do the Dodgers think? How much could you get for him, who has five more years of team control? Trading Plouffe would be a unique attempt by the Twins to “sell high”. If not, Dodger fans, there’s always Danny Valencia… Options that may help the Dodgers bullpen would obviously be Jared Burton and/or possibly Matt Capps. If I were the Dodgers (or any team), I would inquire on Jared Burton, he would be a Matt Guerrier-type asset to a bullpen that misses the real (and more expensive) Matt Guerrier. I would also fake bad reception if the Twins bring up Matt Capps’s name. Why They Won’t Trade With The Twins Listen, the Dodgers have a window of opportunity right now and they can’t afford to let this season slip away. The underlying issue is that their best players are hurt now… and they need reinforcements now. By the end of July, there is a pretty good chance (or at least the hope) that they’ll have the heart of their offense back and rolling. If the Twins want to maximize value, dealing a month before the deadline isn’t the best way to achieve it. As far as first baseman, where there will continue to be a need, there are options out there with less risk. The Dodgers have been linked to Astros 1B Carlos Lee. Lee has finally returned from a hamstring injury. The rumors of the Astros getting back a solid pitching prospect – and the Dodgers picking up some of his remaining salary (close to $10m of the $18.5m 2012 salary) – would be hard for the Astros to turn down. There are conflicting reports about who the Astros would acquire in this trade as well as who would pick up what amount of Lee’s bill. The hang-up, as I type this, is whether El Caballo will waive his no-trade clause and accept a trade to L.A. (away from his ranches in Texas). Acquiring Lee would probably mitigate any interest the team might have had in Justin Morneau, though the Dodgers apparently believe Lee can still play a little in the outfield. Conclusion The Dodgers are going to deal, so keep an eye on them. They also made a trade for an aging player (Casey Blake) a few years ago and because they didn’t want to pick up the $6.1m tab that was owed to him, they shipped a top prospect (Carlos Santana) back. If the Twins were willing to pick up most of Morneau’s contract, would the Dodgers sweeten the pot? Something worth noting from the Dodgers perspective: They have 3 guys on the 60-day DL, so they have 43 players on their 40-man. To take on more guys, you’d have to assume they’d be dealing from their active roster. They’ve also recently agreed to sign Cuban OF Yasiel Puig to an absurd 7-yr, $42m major-league deal, so they’ll have to make more room… and might be less inclined to take on an outfielder in a deal. Though I don’t believe Puig is going to be contributing this year (or next). ~~~ Possible Trade Targets Zach Lee – RHP Lee, the 28th overall pick in 2010, dropped down draft boards because it was nearly certain he would be attending LSU to play baseball and quarterback the football team. When the Dodgers selected him, it was viewed as a “punted pick”, made to save the club some money. In the biggest shocker of all draft signings in 2010, Lee signed for $5.25 million at the August deadline. His top-of-the-rotation ceiling moved him to the top of Dodger prospect lists. He was left off of this list initially, because it appeared there was little to no chance of the Dodgers trading him. But once he was mentioned in Carlos Lee trade rumors - even though it doesn't appear likely he'll be traded - he was added. Nate Eovaldi – RHP Eovaldi made his big-league debut last year and held his own over six starts (ten appearances). Forced by injuries to join the rotation this spring, he is 0-4, 4.04. He’s a power pitcher who may end up in the back of a bullpen. Allen Webster – RHP The Dodgers #2 prospect behind Lee has slowly been climbing the ladder and has struggled in his first full season at AA. Webster is a sinkerball pitcher who sits in the mid-90s. His change-up is phenomenal. He was baseball’s #68 rated prospect coming into the year, according to MLB.com Chris Withrow – RHP The 2007 1st round pick out of Midland, Texas fits the “power” mold the Twins were looking to add in the 2012 draft. If he could harness his stuff, he’d be a middle-of-the-rotation type guy; if not, his future’s in the bullpen. Currently, his future is on hold. He’s on the minor league DL after suffering a vicious cut on his hand while throwing a snorkel mask. (You can’t make this stuff up!) This is Withrow’s first option year as he was added to L.A.’s 40-man last November. Garrett Gould – RHP Gould made his full-season debut last year in Midwest League and went 11-6. He was promoted to High-A this year and currently has a 1-6 record. His peripherals haven’t changed much (besides his BABIP going from .260 last year to .352 this year) and he’s still striking batters out (72 Ks in 72 IP this year). His status could eventually elevate to the top-of-the-rotation starter, though #3 starter is more likely. Scott Barlow – RHP A 6th round draft pick in 2011 out of a California high school, Barlow added weight and velocity and was primed to breakout as a prospect. Earlier this week, it was announced that Barlow would miss the rest of the year due to Tommy John surgery. As was discussed about Kyle Drabek earlier, could this be a chance for the Twins to “buy low”? Chad Billingsley – RHP If the Dodgers were to deal from their right-handed pitcher depth, may they be willing to part with a member of their current rotation? The big-bodied righty is the type of pitcher the Twins prefer to employ. He has a hefty contract – he’s in the first year of a three-year, $35 million deal - and moving it would free up money to spend elsewhere. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1437[/ATTACH] (picture from franklinavenue.blogspot.com)

It was an off-day on a hot day for the Minnesota Twins. For season ticket holders and others, you may have spent the evening listening to fans grill Trevor Plouffe and Scott Diamond. Some highlights from the 6th Fan Forum: Scott Diamond: The best thing about being Canadian? It’s being Canadian! On differences between Atlanta and Minnesota: “The atmosphere… feeling welcome.” Trevor Plouffe: On his hair – “I probably will (grow my hair out).” On how he stays hydrated: “I’ve been crushing (the coconut water).” On other sports: “I definitely could have gone pro in hacky-sac.” On who will lead the team in home runs: “I hope we all hit 70 home runs.” Be sure to read Cody's blog on the conference call here) It was not a great day for Twins starters on the farm. A spin around a busy Monday: ROCHESTER 1, LEHIGH VALLEY 10 Box score According to the Red Wings game notes, Cole De Vries is Saturday’s scheduled starter (though he’s likely to be recalled for the doubleheader). P.J. Walters will be making a rehab start on Sunday. Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Clete Thomas both had multiple hits. Matt Carson and Rene Rivera added doubles as well. Thomas scored the lone run for the Red Wings after doubling, advancing on a wild pitch and scoring on an error. Kyle Hirschfeld had a rough start. He exited with two outs in the third, after allowing nine hits and seven runs. He walked one and struck out one. Deolis Guerra’s night started off better, but certainly didn’t end much better. He got through 2 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out one. Esmerling Vasquez struck one out in two hitless innings. Bobby Lanigan walked one in an inning. NEW BRITAIN 5, TRENTON 4 Box score The Rockcats entered the bottom of the 9th down 4-1 with only two hits to their name. At that point they were given the gift of “opposing pitcher wildness.” Deibinson Romero started off the inning with a walk. Nate Hanson followed with a single. Romero advanced to third on an error. Dan Rohlfing, who represented the tying run, was hit and replaced by Estarlin DeLosSantos. Chris Herrmann, pinch-hitting, struck out swinging. After James Beresford and Aaron Hicks both drew walks to make it a 4-3 game, Oswaldo Arcia stepped to the plate. Arcia ended the game in walk-off fashion with a two-run line-drive single to right field. He continues to raise his prospect status. Blake Martin got his second straight spot-star. In 4 2/3 innings, he gave up four hits and three wins (all earned). He struck out four. Dakota Watts relieved Martin with two guys on and allowed them both to score (credited to Martin). Watts ended up going 2 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and a run. He also walked and struck out one. Bruce Pugh earned his first AA win this season after giving up three hits in two innings. He also walked two and struck out two. FT. MYERS 5, CHARLOTTE 7 Box score This comeback fell short. The Miracle started off hot, jumping to a 3-0 lead after half of an inning. And then Cole Nelson got chased early. He made it only 2 1/3 innings allowing eight hits and six runs. He walked two and struck out two. Miguel Munoz got the final two outs in the third, stranding an inherited runner. He went two more innings, allowing only one hit and striking out two. Nelvin Fuentes scattered five hits (and an unearned run) over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out three. Ricky Bowen got two outs in the eighth. Danny Ortiz had a quiet, awesome night at the plate. He went 1-for-1, a home run in the 9th, with three walks. Lance Ray had double hits (one double) and drove two runs in. Levi Michael stole a base. Daniel Santana accounted for three of the teams 11 strikeouts. BELOIT x, CLINTON x Box score This comeback fell short too. The Snappers left the tying runner standing on third to end the eighth inning. Miguel Sano got on it early smashing a double to drive in a run in the first inning. Drew Leachman followed it up with a triple to score Sano. Later in the game, Sano blasted his 16th home run of the year over the centerfield fence. And though his bat wasn't enough to get the win, getting on base three out of four times (one walk, one strikeout) is an improvement over what we've seen over the past couple of months. (Except for getting picked off first... but at least he was on base, right?) Leachman added two hits. Tim Shibuya’s second start since re-entering the rotation didn’t go as well as his first one (6 IP, H). He got roughed up, but "battled his tail off" to finish seven innings. He gave up 11 hits, six earned runs, walked one and struck out five. Bart Carter gave up a hit in an inning. Clint Dempster struck out one in a hitless ninth. ELIZABETHTON 14, PULASKI 1 Box score Much like Plouffe crushes coconut water, the E-Twins were crushing the ball today (14 runs on 18 hits). Rory Rhodes led the charge with four hits, including a double and home run, two runs and four RBI. Romy Jimenez had a similarly great night with three hits – a double and two home runs – three runs and three RBI. Jorge Polanco had three hits (double), three runs and an RBI. Niko Goodrum was a HR short of the cycle (he now has five triples), driving in three and scoring twice. Candido Pimentel had two hits including a triple. Travis Harrison had two hits including a double. Max Kepler 0-for-2, three walks and Jhonathan Arias 0-for-4 were the only starters to not get a hit. Jimenez (formerly Trinidad) is going to enter into the prospect discussion much the way Oswaldo Arcia did a couple of years ago. He didn’t play much last year, but in his minor league career he has been getting on base a lot, not striking out and now hitting for a lot of power. Keep en eye on him. Taylor Rogers had a very good start on a night where the ball appeared to be flying. He went four innings, striking out seven. He did allow a run on three hits and a walk. He’s made two starts so far as has struck out 14 in nine innings, only allowing one run. Josh Burris was really good again, striking out three in three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Tyler Herr struck out two and walked two in an inning. Dallas Gallant struck out one in a perfect 9th. GCL TWINS 3, GCL RAYS 4 (Game 1) Box score Finally back on the field in the GCL. The headline coming into the game was the rehab appearances by Joe Benson (struck out twice) and David Bromberg (4 H, 2 ER, K, 1 IP). It wasn’t a memorable game for either of them. The guy that everyone else is wondering about, Byron Buxton, went 0-for-3 with a groundout and two pop outs. Kelly Cross and Javier Pimentel both contributed multi-hit games and accounted for all three of the team’s RBI. Dereck Rodriguez added a double. The staff besides Bromberg pitched really well. Kuo Hua Lo allowed two hit and struck one out in three innings. Yorman Landa allowed a hit and run, walking three and striking one out in two innings. Trent Higginbotham struck out one in a perfect inning. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 1 (Game 2) Box score Byron Buxton picked up his first professional hit – a single. He also drew a walk and scored a run. He flew out in his only other at-bat. Fellow draftee Jorge Fernandez, who DH’d, went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Josue Montanez walked three and struck out three in three innings. He allowed only two hits and one run. Sam Gibbons picked up a win with two innings of two walk, two strikeout ball. He also had a wild pitch. Melciades DeLaCruz picked up a two-innings save, giving up a walk and two hits. He also struck out one. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, June 28, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Romy Jimenez (over a number of other E-Twins hitters), for the 2nd straight day *photo from Thrylos98 [ATTACH=CONFIG]1407[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Taylor Rogers [ATTACH=CONFIG]1408[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Friday, June 29, 2012 Schedule Rochester at Lehigh Valley – LHP Luke French (1-3, 5.84) New Britain vs Trenton – LHP Logan Darnell (6-6, 4.39) Ft. Myers vs Charlotte – RHP Matt Hauser (1-1, 2.57) Beloit vs Clinton – LHP Steven Gruver (5-6, 3.46) Elizabethton vs Bristol – RHP Hudson Boyd (0-2, 4.32) GCL Twins at GCL Orioles – NO STARTER ANNOUNCED --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome.

The Twins just beat the White Sox 4-1. Ben Revere had a four-hit night. Frankie Liriano found his mojo and went seven strong, striking out five. (I've officially declared on Twitter that unless the Twins are blown away by a trade offer, I want them to keep Liriano and offer him arbitration.) Glared Berkins (or do you prefer Jaren Purton?) slammed the door. Sadly, Ozzie Guillen wasn’t in the opposing dugout to enjoy watching the Twins do what the Twins do. Yesterday, it was announced that the Twins would promote LHRP Tyler Robertson. Robertson becomes the 7th player selected by the Twins in the 2007 to make the major leagues (in a Twins uniform). He was their third round selection following Chris Parmelee and Joe Benson. Congratulations to Tyler! The organization felt a trickle-down effect after the promotion of Robertson and the subsequent placing of P Matt Maloney on the 7-day DL. The Red Wings press release cited Maloney’s “strained left (throwing) elbow”. Taking one of these empty spots is P Luis Perdomo, on his way up from New Britain. While Perdomo doesn’t have a lot of starting experience (only three starts ever), he does have big league experience and did pitch five innings in relief Saturday. So Perdomo could be given a chance to start. On his way from Fort Myers to New Britain is RP Dakota Watts. Watts has essentially split the last two years between high-A and AA, so the hard-thrower will not be a new face in the Rockcats clubhouse. He has been dominant in limited innings so far for the Miracle in 2011. Finally, A.J. Achter will be heading to the Miracle bullpen to replace Watts. Achter was the Twins 46th round draft pick in 2010, so the fact that he is continuing to climb the ladder exceeds the typical standard for a 46th round (which don’t even exist anymore!) draft pick. No word yet on who the Snappers will be getting to replace Achter (but it would be irresponsible for me not to suggest that the Twins have signed many recent draft picks who have lots of relief experience). A spin around a busy Monday: ROCHESTER 4, CHARLOTTE 2 Box score Despite what you believe about the Red Wings, they completed their third season series tonight and they didn’t lose any of the three series. The Red Wings were 6-2 against Louisville, 4-4 against Gwinnett and, after tonight’s win, 5-3 against Charlotte. Cole De Vries, in what many believe was a tune-up before a call-up, went eight solid innings. He gave up six hits, two walks, two runs and struck out four. Kyle Waldrop went 1-2-3 in the 9th, striking out one, to pick up his second save on the year. It was a good thing that De Vries was as good as he was, because the bats weren’t very effective tonight. Luckily, in an inning where they were able to collect two hits, they were aided by a hit by pitch, an error and a passed ball on a strike out. Those three runs in the 5th were enough to get the win. J.R. Towles was the lone hitter with multiple hits. NEW BRITAIN 6, RICHMOND 2 Box score The Rockcats snapped a seven-game losing streak last Thursday… and they haven’t lost sense. Today’s win over Richmond not only completed a four-game sweep, but also extended their winning streak to five games. After the Rockcats made their last out in the eighth inning (the game was shortened, presumably due to weather), Andrew from TwinsFanFromAfar was overheard saying, “We’re going streaking! We’re going up the quad and to the gymnasium.” No word yet on whether he made it, or if his wife intercepted him on the way home. Brett Jacobson started for the Rockcats and had a head-scratcher of a game. He gave up a double to start the game, but got an assist for Arcia for an out at third. He then mixed in walks and a wild pitch to fill the bases. And then he got a double play. In the second, he walked two more and got another outfield assist for a double-play. How about the third? Hit-by-pitch, followed by a… you guessed it: another double-play! In the fifth inning, Jacobson walked to more and was relieved by Edgar Ibarra. Facing his first batter, Ibarra coaxed a ground-ball double play. Jacobson’s final line: 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 7 BB, 1 WP, 1 HBP, 1 K. 81 pitches, 32 strikes. ZERO RUNS. (As Seth would say, “This is why I love baseball. You think you’ve seen it all… and then something new happens!”) Evan Bigley continues to be the story in New Britain. Last week’s Eastern League player of the week came out today and hit his 10th home run of the year – a 3-run, 2-out blast. Chris “Don’t call me Pee-Wee” Herrmann, Oswaldo Arcia, Estarlin DeLosSantos and Shawn Roof all added two hits. FT. MYERS 3, TAMPA 9 Box score As Tropical Storm Debby continues to R. Kelly all over the state of Florida, the Miracle were (luckily) able to get only one game in today. Tom Stuifbergen went four innings and was far from his World Cup form: 4 IP, 9 hits, 6 runs, 1 K. The positive is that he was able to make and finish his start without injury. Matt Hauser relieved Stuif and continued the run-fest, yielding 3 runs on 4 hits. He struck out four, while walking one. Michael Tonkin struck out two (and hit one) in an inning. Miguel Munoz struck out one and allowed a hit in one inning. The bats played like they didn’t expect to have to show up at the ballpark today. Danny Ortiz was the sole Miracle hitter with more than one hit. (He had two singles.) Daniel Santana had a double. Angel Morales had a three-run home run, which is a promising sign for the once highly-rated prospect. He is in the midst of a bad season, and an even worse month of June. BELOIT 4, KANE COUNTY 2 Box score The Snappers are now 3-1 on the 2nd-half-opening-road-trip. Tonight’s win (again) should be credited to a stellar pitching performance. Jason Wheeler didn’t turn in his best performance of the year judging by his line: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K. But looking closer, after laboring through the first inning – where he walked the first two batters he faced, had an error behind him and hit a batter – resulting in two unearned runs, he came back and did a solid job getting through five innings before turning it over to the bullpen. Tim Atherton, who’s ERA is now 0.51, made it through 2 1/3 innings, allowing only one hit, but walked three while striking out three. Corey Williams picked up a five-out save, striking out three. The bats did just enough to get the team a win. J.D. Williams can become a significant offensive catalyst. He stole two bases tonight, including home. His problem is his inability to get on base. He hasn’t taken a walk in his last ten games. And his OBP is currently .311. I would love to see the Twins take an even-slower-than-normally-slow approach with Williams. He could be huge for this organization someday. Miguel Sano hit his 15th double tonight, but also committed his 27th error. He is on a four-game hitting streak and has hits in six of his last seven games, but is only batting .188 in his last ten games. I expect Sano to turn it around offensively and also settle down defensively over the next couple of weeks, now that people aren’t calling for his promotion every day. (Yeah, I get that he doesn’t understand English all that well, but I’m sure he was hearing the talk.) Drew Leachman added two hits and Tyler Grimes had a double. ELIZABETHTON 9, BRISTOL 1 Box score My first impression after looking at the box score: No triples! In fact, all 12 of the E-Twins hits were singles. But the bats – particularly at the bottom of the order – did get it done. Travis Harrison had three hits and a walk. Michael Quesada had two hits and four RBI. Jhonathan Arias, Romy Jimenez and Rory Rhodes all had two hits. Max Kepler had a hit and a walk. Niko Goodrum struck out three times. Goodrum (5) and Harrison (6) both committed errors. Ricardo Arevalo made his second start of the year and still has a 0.00 ERA. After 9 1/3 IP, he has an 11/3 K/BB ratio. Today’s start lasted 4 1/3 IP, allowing five hits and two walks. He struck out seven and surrendered an unearned run. He did have two wild pitches. Tyler Herr struck out four in 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, but abandoned both inherited runners. Zach Jones (BB, K) and Dallas Gallant (2 K) both pitched an inning. Gallant, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, is a prospect to watch. ELIZABETHTON 9, BRISTOL 1 Box score My first impression after looking at the box score: No triples! In fact, all 12 of the E-Twins hits were singles. But the bats – particularly at the bottom of the order – did get it done. Travis Harrison had three hits and a walk. Michael Quesada had two hits and four RBI. Jhonathan Arias, Romy Jimenez and Rory Rhodes all had two hits. Max Kepler had a hit and a walk. Niko Goodrum struck out three times. Goodrum (5) and Harrison (6) both committed errors. Ricardo Arevalo made his second start of the year and still has a 0.00 ERA. After 9 1/3 IP, he has an 11/3 K/BB ratio. Today’s start lasted 4 1/3 IP, allowing five hits and two walks. He struck out seven and surrendered an unearned run. He did have two wild pitches. Tyler Herr struck out four in 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, but abandoned both inherited runners. Zach Jones (BB, K) and Dallas Gallant (2 K) both pitched an inning. Gallant, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, is a prospect to watch. GCL TWINS, GCL ORIOLES postponed due to weather. --- Players of the Day for Monday, June 25, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Cole DeVries [ATTACH=CONFIG]1356[/ATTACH] Hitters of the Day – Michael Quesada [ATTACH=CONFIG]1357[/ATTACH] (arizonawildcats.com) --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Schedule Rochester at Lehigh Valley – RHP Brendan Wise (is replacing Maloney in the rotation. He hasn’t made a start since May 27. Wise is 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA. Of his 42 2/3 innings pitched, 36 2/3 have come in relief.) New Britain vs Trenton – LHP Aaron Thompson (1-2, 5.57) *based on current rotation Ft. Myers vs Tampa – RHP Madison Boer (3-6, 8.41) Beloit at Kane County – RHP Matt Summers (6-4, 4.09) Elizabethton vs Bristol – LHP Corey Kimes (0-0, 4.50) *based on current rotation GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (two games scheduled) – NO STARTERS ANNOUNCED --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome.

The Twins lost another series to a National League foe. The news came out today that Brian Duensing will be starting against the Reds on Saturday. Instead of dwelling on the Twins shortcomings, read 1,100 words about Thursday’s minor league action: ROCHESTER 8, DURHAM 14 Box score The Wings scored eight or more runs for only the third time in June; however, the 14 they allowed were the second most of their season. Brian Dinkelman had three hits, including a double and a three-run home run. Clete Thomas added a double and a solo home run. Pedro Florimon, Sean Burroughs and Michael Hollimon all added doubles as well. J.R. Towles had two hits. Matt Maloney, who started the season in the Twins bullpen, might soon be looking for a new place of employment. He allowed five earned runs and only recorded five outs. His stats since becoming a starter at the end of May: 6 GS, 20 IP, 45 H, 32 R (25 ER), 5 HR, 6 BB, 13 K. Opponents are batting .429 off of him. The fact that he is still starting is an indictment of the starting pitching depth in the higher levels of the organization. Brendan Wise went 3 1/3 innings in relief and allowed three hits and only one run while striking out two. He also came into the game with the bases loaded and got the final out of the second. Bobby Lanigan, making his AAA debut, had a forgettable game. He pitched two innings. He gave up seven hits, a walk and allowed six earned runs. Caleb Thielbar fared much better in his AAA debut. He walked a batter, struck out a batter and allowed a hit, but didn’t allow any runs. Deolis Guerra allowed a run and two hits. He also struck out a batter. NEW BRITAIN 5, ALTOONA 3 Box score The Rockcats ended their 7-game swoon with a win tonight. Aaron Thompson – who may be called upon soon to help out in AAA – had arguably his best game as a Rockcat. He scattered eight hits, allowing only three runs. He struck out two. Daniel Turpen (1 2/3, K) and Bruce Pugh (IP, H, BB, 2 K) did a great job closing the game out. Evan Bigley was the offensive headline. He had a home run, drove in two and scored twice. The only regular who didn’t have a hit was Aaron Hicks. Oswaldo Arcia scored and drove in a run, he also drew a walk. While unconfirmed, Andrew from TwinsFanFromAfar will probably be celebrating this win into the early morning. FT. MYERS 9, ST. LUCIE 5 Box score The Miracle jumped all over the Mets with five first-inning runs. They gave back three in the second, but matched it in the third. The offense was spread out pretty evenly. Kyle Knudson continued to hit well (three straight three-hit games) since his promotion, including a double. Levi Michael, Danny Ortiz (triple), Danny Rams (double) and Andy Leer (double) all had two hits. Ortiz and Leer each drove in two. Knudson and Leer both scored twice. Leer also stole a base. Pat Dean made it into the sixth, but was an out short of making it out of the sixth. He struck out five. He also allowed five runs and nine hits. Michael Tonkin made his Hi-A debut. He wasn’t as good as he has been lately – he didn’t strike out everybody he faced! But he was still solid. He got seven outs, three by strikeout. He walked two, allowed a hit and abandoned his inherited runner. Dakota Watts finished it off with an inning that included a hit and strikeout. BELOIT – MWL ALL-STAR GAME BREAK ELIZABETHTON 7, DANVILLE 2 Box score The E-town Twins won their second straight after losing their season opener. Rory Rhodes, playing left field, had his third straight solid game, going 2-for-5 with a home run. He drove in two and scored twice. Niko Goodrum, playing third base, had his third triple in his young season. He also committed his second error. Bo Altobelli had a double. D.J. Hicks went 1-for-2 with two walks. Max Kepler, DHing, went 0-for-5, but did score a run and drive one in as well. Corey Kimes made the start and pitched four innings. He allowed two runs on three hits (including a home run). He walked two and struck out one. He got 10 outs by groundball, only two by flyball. Josh Burris struck out three in three perfect innings. Steven Evans struck out two in a perfect inning. Zach Jones struck out two in an inning. He allowed a hit. GCL TWINS 8, GCL RAYS 4 Box score The Gulf Coast League affiliate won for the third straight time tonight. The offense was led by Bryan Santy, who had three hits (including a double) and an RBI. After an 0-for-8 start to his professional career, he’s 5-for-8 in his last two games. Kelvin Ortiz had a double and a triple and scored three runs. Jose Ramirez had two singles and two RBI. Aderlin Mejia had a three-run double and five RBI total. Joel Licon added a triple. Sam Gibbons struck out five in three innings and allowed three hits. Gerardo Ramirez pitched 2 1/3 innings and was credited with his second win, but allowed two earned runs on four hits. He struck out one. Gonzalo Sanudo pitched 2 2/3 innings. He allowed one run on two hits. He struck out three and abandoned his inherited runner. Felix Jorge allowed two hits and a run in one inning, walking one and striking out one. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, June 21, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Kyle Knudson [ATTACH=CONFIG]1316[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Josh Burris [ATTACH=CONFIG]1317[/ATTACH] (photo courtesy of Burris’s Twitter account) --- A Look Ahead – Friday, June 22, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Charlotte – No starter announced New Britain at Richmond – No starter announced Ft. Myers at St. Lucis – Marty Popham (3-2, 5.31) Beloit at Cedar Rapids – David Hurlbut (2-0, 2.48) Elizabethton at Burlington – Angel Mata (season debut) GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox – No starter announced --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome.

Trevor Plouffe hit another home run tonight. But so did Jim Thome, so Plouffe was unable to close the gap at all (607 to 22). Thome’s damage was also a three-run shot, while Plouffe’s was solo. The rest of the offense was pretty stagnant, and failed to plate any more runs (while also failing to win their fifth straight series). It’s been an interesting past few weeks for the no-longer-shaggy Trevor Plouffe. After Luke Hughes was DFA’d, many wondered how closely Plouffe would follow. Plouffe now has a 2012 OPS of .841, despite batting .232 (which is about 100 points higher than it was when this hot-streak began). Suffice it so say, not DFAing Plouffe was a great call and it appears that Plouffe will be the everyday third baseman for the foreseeable future. Let’s check on the minor leagues on this Thursday night: ROCHESTER 8, LOUISVILLE 6 Box score The Red Wings had an offensive outburst tonight, scoring eight runs on thirteen hits. Danny Valencia (two doubles) and Matt Carson paced the offense with three hits each. Valencia had three RBI and walked twice, reaching base in all five plate appearances (which would lead to being named “hitter of the day”… most days). Carson added two RBI as did Clete Thomas, who hit his 3rd AAA home run of the year. The pitching staff just fared well enough to give their team a chance to win, and it took all of their offense to do so. Luke French had a rough go of it. He only made it 3 1/3 innings and he only allowed four hits. French’s problem was his control, as he walked four and threw only 45 of 76 pitches for strikes. He struck out three. Kyle Waldrop replaced French and did what Kyle Waldrop does: get groundball outs, including one double play. He allowed two hits. Deolis Guerra allowed a two-run home run, but struck out two in his two innings of work. Casey Fien picked up the win for his two innings of work, not allowing any runs, but walking two and allowing two hits, while striking out one. NEW BRITAIN 2, AKRON 3 (12 innings) Box score It was a tough 12-inning loss for the Rockcats tonight. Despite collecting fourteen hits, they were only able to score two runs. The story of the game was Nate Hanson, who went 5-for-6 and was a home run short of the cycle. I would consider it somewhat amazing that he only scored once and didn’t drive in any runs. Rene Tosoni, Deibinson Romero and Matt Rizzotti all had two hits. Brett Jacobson had his longest outing as a starter this year, going 5 1/3. He allowed three hits and three walks. He struck out six and allowed two runs. He left two runners on, which Bobby Lanigan stranded. Lanigan allowed two hits, but didn’t allow any runs in 2 2/3 innings and struck out two. Bruce Pugh, who has always had an issue with control, struck out three in two innings, but also walked two. Luis Perdomo took the loss. He pitched two innings. He struck out three, but allowed a run on two hits. Former Twin farmhand Loek Van Mil pitched a hitless 2 1/3 innings, striking out two. FT. MYERS 0, BRADENTON 6 Box score The Miracle finished the first half with a very quiet night and enter the All-Star break with a 27-37 record. Daniel Ortiz provided three (one double) of the Miracle’s four hits. (Angel Morales collected the other.) Daniel Santana went 0-for-4 tonight (following 0-for-5 last night) to lower his average under .300 for the first time all season. Pat Dean went 5 1/3 innings allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck out two. Ricky Bowen recorded eight outs, allowing only two hits and a walk. He did allow his only inherited runner to score. Dakota Watts pitched a perfect ninth. BELOIT 5, PEORIA 3 Box score With today’s win, the Snappers clinched a spot in the playoffs as the 1st Half Western Division Wild Card. Miguel Sano went hitless in two at-bats, but managed to walk twice. He has struck out 15 times in his last 37 at-bats (41%). He has struck out in 33% of his at-bats this season. He also walked twice tonight and has a respectable OBP of .351 despite batting only .239. It will be interesting to see how teams pitch to him without Eddie Rosario in the line-up. (Though I would imagine Sano’s absence would have a greater effect on Rosario.) J.D. Williams led the offense with two hits (one double). Adam Bryant started off the scoring with a 3-run home run in the first inning. Nate Roberts, who has spent a lot of professional career on the disabled list, added a home run. Roberts is an interesting case. Though he hasn’t often found himself batting leadoff, he does have a career OBP of .437 and has a penchant for getting hit (29 HBP last year). If he can stay healthy, he’s a guy to watch. Tyler Jones struck out nine in six innings. He allowed only three hits, walking two and allowing three runs. He left a tie ballgame, so was credited with a no decision. Jones now has 33 Ks in 25 innings. Tim Atherton struck out four in two innings. Michael Tonkin, who has been on fire of late, continued his run. He struck out the side in the ninth for the save. In Tonkin’s last 8 IP, he has struck out 18. He'll be heading to Fort Myers soon. (Hopefully!) --- Players of the Day for Thursday, June 14, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Nathan Hanson [ATTACH=CONFIG]1236[/ATTACH] taken from nodaktwinsfan.com Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Jones [ATTACH=CONFIG]1237[/ATTACH] taken from lsusports.net --- A Look Ahead – Friday, June 15, 2012 Schedule Rochester at Louisville – RHP Liam Hendriks (not likely; as it appears Hendriks will be pitching for the Twins on Saturday) New Britain vs Erie – LHP Aaron Thompson (0-2, 9.35) Ft. Myers – All-Star Break Beloit at Burlington – LHP David Hurlbut (2-0, 1.80) --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome.

The penalty would be the 75% tax on the overage. They have up to a $618,400 cushion, yes... but that cushion would cost them $1,082,217.50. I don't think the Twins are going to push it. There was a senior drafted this year in the 4th round (I believe...) who took a bonus in between 5K and 10K. The comment he made afterwards was that he'll always be a 4th round pick and no one will remember his signing bonus. Mazzilli could do something like that. I think, for the sake of the Twitter discussion I saw today, we should compare Mazzilli to Dan Uggla... and Luke Hughes.

Merck has another year of eligibility left. He red-shirted in 2011 after undergoing TJ surgery. His Facebook status on draft day: “Horrible Day. Disappointed” The Twins will probably save a half mill (or less) on Buxton, and that could very well go Mazzilli's way. What does he stand to gain re-entering as a college senior? He is interesting case though and I hope the Twins get it done with him.

With the deadline being moved up by a month, we've seen many draft picks come to terms and report. I usually take the week following the draft to gather information and then make a (somewhat educated) guess at what draft picks will sign and which will return or go to college. (Going to have to shorten that time frame up in the future.) Now that the draft has been shortened by 10 rounds, it is hard to use precedence to set a number on how many players the team will sign. I'm guessing it's going to be around 26. I break the draftees into four tiers: Will sign, probable sign, doubtful sign, won't sign. Last year, the Twins signed a "doubtful sign" (Torres) and a "won't sign" (Malinowski). All of the players I thought would sign, eventually did. In 2010, the Twins didn't sign one player I thought they would (a senior - Gregg), one that I thought they might (Kuresa) and signed four that I didn't see coming. Here are this year's draftees, broken into the four tiers. (Boldfaced names are those that have already signed/agreed to terms). Will sign (19; 16 have signed): Byron Buxton , J.O. Berrios , Luke Bard, Mason Melotakis (signed for $68.5K under value), J.T. Chargois , Adam Brett Wa lker , Zach Jones, Ty ler Duffey, Jorge Fernandez, Christian Powell, D.J. Baxendale*, Taylor Rogers, Alex Muren, Erich Knab, Jarret Leverett, D.J. Hicks, Jonathan Murphy, B.K. Santy, Brian Haar. *Baxendale is still pitching in the College World Series, so it's impossible to know/guess what his intentions are. Probably sign (7; 3 have signed): Andre Martinez (signed for $60K over value), L.J. Mazzilli, Jake Proctor, Zach Larson, Bo Altobelli, Travis Huber, Jerad Grundy. Doubtful sign (11; 2 have signed): Will Hurt, William LaMarche, Josh Graham, Jose Favela, Joel Licon, Justin Jones, Carson Goldsmith, Sean Hagan, Jared Wilson, Brandon Bayardi, Brad Schreiber. Won't sign (6): Timmy Robinson, Andrew Farreira, Kaleb Merck, James Marvel, Austin Rel, Alex Liquori. --- Buxton's signing bonus will be the next domino to fall. If they are able to bank some of their pool (as of now, they have only banked $8,500), I think that improves the team's chances of signing Timmy Robinson and/or Josh Graham. James Marvel, who is heading to Duke, is a huge Twins fan... so he remains a darkhorse. Regardless, this is me putting it out there for the whole world to see.