Steven Buhr

11 more shutout innings for CR's staff in today's 1-0 win. Wilson, LeBlanc, Booser and Hildenberger.

Thanks, all, for reading and your comments. (And thanks TD, for bumping to article status). Bonilla also had some interesting things to offer on Michael Cederoth's work, but that's a story for another day. tobi, Gonsalves probably could have even been gone by now if FtM needed him, but their SPs haven't been bad, themselves. Honestly, though, I won't be surprised to read about a promotion just about any time. At the same time, if Batts keep performing well, I wouldn't be shocked to see him get the first promotion, either.

It may not be what casual baseball fans want to see, but in most cases and at most levels of professional baseball, the teams with the best pitching win the most games. Sometimes, it really is that simple. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/KernelsAutographs-600x400.jpg(L-R) Zack Larson, Stephen Gonsalves, Zach Granite and C.K. Irby sign autographs on the field after a Kernels game on April 26It arguably has been exactly that simple for the Cedar Rapids Kernels over the course of the first three weeks of their season. The Kernels are 11-7 on the year and sitting in a second place tie behind the Quad Cities River Bandits in the Midwest League’s Western Division standings. They open their first series with the Bandits on Tuesday in Davenport. Cedar Rapids’ offense has been, at best, a bit streaky. They sit at or near the middle of the MWL pack in most hitting categories, though they have managed to score the fourth-most runs in the league. But, through the weekend's games, Kernels pitchers lead the MWL in team ERA (2.27), strikeouts (187) and WHIP (1.09). When you see team numbers like those, obviously it’s not just one or two guys carrying the load. The Kernels are consistently getting quality work out of their starting rotation and their bullpen has been locking things down in the late innings. Manager Jake Mauer and pitching coach Henry Bonilla have primarily used six pitchers in their rotation, so far. Stephen Gonsalves, Mat Batts, Felix Jorge, Michael Cederoth, John Curtiss and Jared Wilson have accounted for all but two of Cedar Rapids’ starts this year. Zack Tillery has one spot start and Twins pitcher Ricky Nolasco started Sunday's game on a rehabilitation assignment. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Theofanopoulos2015b-600x400.jpgMichael TheofanopoulosGonsalves, Batts and Jorge each have ERAs at 1.50 or better, with Gonsalves leading the team at 0.90. The success of Gonsalves and Batts is impressive, but not entirely unexpected. The two pitchers combined to make 13 starts for the Kernels last season and both were being counted on from the season's onset to make strong contributions again in 2015. Jorge’s success was far from a sure thing, however, at least in the minds of fans who only saw his work on the mound for Cedar Rapids early last year. In 2014, he put up a 2-5 record in 12 appearances (including eight starts) and amassed a 9.00 ERA before being sent back to extended spring training by the Twins. Jorge turned his year around with a solid season at rookie-level Elizabethton, but nobody was quite certain what to expect from the 21-year-old right-hander during his second shot in the Midwest League. “This was the Jorge we thought we were getting last year,” Mauer said recently. “It's a lot of things. Here it was freezing cold, he probably didn't get comfortable right away. "He's got a different look to him (this year). He's way more confident. He's worked really hard with Henry as far as his timing, when his hands break. He seems to be way more in rhythm than he was last year. If you can be way more in rhythm, you're going to throw a lot more strikes.” Bonilla, who was also Jorge's pitching coach in Elizabethton last year, is happy to see the improved version of the pitcher this season. “It's good to see him get some good games under him early, especially with the cold," Bonilla said over the weekend, of Jorge. "I think the cold kind of had him a little bit last year. But he's kind of taken responsibility for that and he's gone forward. "Ultimately, at the end of the year, you can hopefully start seeing his (velocity) get back to where it was when he was a young kid and his delivery get down in the zone a little bit. His breaking balls are coming along pretty good." Bonilla thinks Jorge was primarily throwing an 88-89 mph fastball a year ago, which is not what the Twins were expecting when they gave the then-17-year-old Domincan a $250,000 signing bonus in early 2011. "That's not really what he is. I think he's kind of getting back to it. We're doing some stuff mechanically. Hopefully, by the end of the season, we're talking more plan and location, instead of delivery, with him." Of course, the downside for Kernels fans to having pitchers get off to hot starts is that the fans may not get many more opportunities to watch those players in Cedar Rapids. They are all just a phone call away from a promotion to the class high-A Fort Myers Miracle. Batts, at 23 years old, might be a guy the Twins want to push up a level as soon as he appears ready and, between the end of last season and his start to the current campaign, the Twins could be getting close to wanting to see what he can do against more mature hitters. It may be likely that the parent club would want to see Jorge demonstrate more extended success in the Midwest League, given his false start at this level a year ago. Gonsalves doesn’t turn 21 until July, but his manager feels the Twins’ fourth-round pick in 2013 has already shown just about enough to move up a level. “He’s getting close,” Mauer said recently, when asked if he thought Gonsalves might be ready for a promotion. “I’d like to see a little more shape on his breaking ball, but he's dominated the teams that he's thrown against. If he gets a breaking ball, he's going to be really dangerous. Really, really dangerous.” Gonsalves' velocity on his fastball has ticked upward this season but his manager doesn't think he's topped out yet. "I think it's going to even get better. As he keeps maturing, I think he's going to be a 94-95 (mph) guy. I really do. When he gets his 'man-muscles,' as they say. I think he's really going to bring it. "He's thrown some better this year. Some breaking balls have had some shape, compared to last year. He gets bigger and stronger, that ball will have even more shape. He's got a good change up. But I think he's going to run it up there pretty good." The bullpen could be ripe for plucking by the Miracle, as well, if the need arises. It's a bullpen that even their manager had expressed some nervousness about at the onset of the season. “We didn't know who was going to step up," Mauer recalled over the weekend, ”and they've been outstanding. Really, really good.” The nine pitchers who have made relief appearances for the Kernels have put up a combined 1.92 ERA out of the pen. Relievers Cameron Booser (1.13), Trevor Hildenberger (1.00) and Michael Theofanopoulos (1.74) are each sporting sub-2.00 ERAs for the Kernels. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Tillery15a-600x400.jpgZack TilleryThis crew has brought some heat in April. The only full-time reliever who hasn’t averaged a strikeout per inning is newcomer Miles Nordgren, who has made just two appearances since joining the Kernels as the replacement for Curtiss, who went on the disabled list with a concussion. And, while Nordgren hasn’t been a strikeout machine in those two appearances, he also hasn’t given up a run. In that regard, he joins Tillery and Wilson, neither of who have surrendered an earned run in their relief appearances. Bonilla is glad to see his staff get off to a good start, before the hitters start to catch up to them. “They're taking advantage of the cold and that's a good thing," the pitching coach explained, "because once it gets warm, the bats get hot, too. Those guys want to swing the lumber. It's good numbers-wise. It's a confidence boost a little bit." But Bonilla believes the hot start for his pitching corps is important for reasons that go beyond the obvious results on the field. He believes that early success also aids individual development. "There's some things each guy is working on - his own individual plan and the goals we have for him," he explained. "It's good to get off to a fast start because it builds confidence in the season and they're more open to do things that maybe they weren't - that they're reluctant to do when they're struggling. "When you're struggling, you want to get back to what you're comfortable with. So we can maybe add a few things like maybe sink the ball a little bit more to certain guys - working on breaking balls. They're a lot more open, when you're having success, to do things. When you're struggling, you're just grinding away.” If the Kernels can keep most of this pitching staff intact and the bats in the lineup can heat up as the weather warms up, Cedar Rapids could be a serious Midwest League contender in 2015. Click here to view the article

It may not be what casual baseball fans want to see, but in most cases and at most levels of professional baseball, the teams with the best pitching win the most games. Sometimes, it really is that simple. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/KernelsAutographs-600x400.jpg (L-R) Zack Larson, Stephen Gonsalves, Zach Granite and CK Irby sign autographs on the field after a Kernels game on April 26 It arguably has been exactly that simple for the Cedar Rapids Kernels over the course of the first three weeks of their season. The Kernels are 11-7 on the year and sitting in a second place tie behind the Quad Cities River Bandits in the Midwest League’s Western Division standings. They open their first series with the Bandits on Tuesday in Davenport. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com) Cedar Rapids’ offense has been, at best, a bit streaky. They sit at or near the middle of the MWL pack in most hitting categories, though they have managed to score the fourth-most runs in the league. But, through the weekend's games, Kernels pitchers lead the MWL in team ERA (2.27), strikeouts (187) and WHIP (1.09). When you see team numbers like those, obviously it’s not just one or two guys carrying the load. The Kernels are consistently getting quality work out of their starting rotation and their bullpen has been locking things down in the late innings. Manager Jake Mauer and pitching coach Henry Bonilla have primarily used six pitchers in their rotation, so far. Stephen Gonsalves, Mat Batts, Felix Jorge, Michael Cederoth, John Curtiss and Jared Wilson have accounted for all but two of Cedar Rapids’ starts this year. Zack Tillery has one spot start and Twins pitcher Ricky Nolasco started Sunday's game on a rehabilitation assignment. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Theofanopoulos2015b-600x400.jpg Michael Theofanopoulos Gonsalves, Batts and Jorge each have ERAs at 1.50 or better, with Gonsalves leading the team at 0.90. The success of Gonsalves and Batts is impressive, but not entirely unexpected. The two pitchers combined to make 13 starts for the Kernels last season and both were being counted on from the season's onset to make strong contributions again in 2015. Jorge’s success was far from a sure thing, however, at least in the minds of fans who only saw his work on the mound for Cedar Rapids early last year. In 2014, he put up a 2-5 record in 12 appearances (including eight starts) and amassed a 9.00 ERA before being sent back to Extended Spring Training by the Twins. Jorge turned his year around with a solid season at rookie-level Elizabethton, but nobody was quite certain what to expect from the 21-year-old righthander during his second shot in the Midwest League. “This was the Jorge we thought we were getting last year,” Mauer said recently. “It's a lot of things. Here it was freezing cold, he probably didn't get comfortable right away. "He's got a different look to him (this year). He's way more confident. He's worked really hard with Henry as far as his timing, when his hands break. he seems to be way more in rhythm than he was last year. If you can be way more in rhythm, you're going to throw a lot more strikes.” Bonilla, who was also Jorge's pitching coach in Elizabethton last year, is happy to see the improved version of the pitcher this season. “It's good to see him get some good games under him early, especially with the cold," Bonilla said over the weekend, of Jorge. "I think the cold kind of had him a little bit last year. But he's kind of taken responsibility for that and he's gone forward. "Ultimately, at the end of the year, you can hopefully start seeing his (velocity) get back to where it was when he was a young kid and his delivery get down in the zone a little bit. His breaking balls are coming along pretty good." Bonilla thinks Jorge was primarily throwing an 88-89 mph fastball a year ago, which is not what the Twins were expecting when they gave the then-17-year-old Domincan a $250,000 signing bonus in early 2011. "That's not really what he is. I think he's kind of getting back to it. We're doing some stuff mechanically. Hopefully, by the end of the season, we're talking more plan and location, instead of delivery, with him." Of course, the downside for Kernels fans to having pitchers get off to hot starts is that the fans may not get many more opportunities to watch those players in Cedar Rapids. They are all just a phone call away from a promotion to the class high-A Fort Myers Miracle. Batts, at 23 years old, might be a guy the Twins want to push up a level as soon as he appears ready and, between the end of last season and his start to the current campaign, the Twins could be getting close to wanting to see what he can do against more mature hitters. It may be likely that the parent club would want to see Jorge demonstrate more extended success in the Midwest League, given his false start at this level a year ago. Gonsalves doesn’t turn 21 until July, but his manager feels the Twins’ fourth round pick in 2013 has already shown just about enough to move up a level. “He’s getting close,” Mauer said recently, when asked if he thought Gonsalves might be ready for a promotion. “I’d like to see a little more shape on his breaking ball, but he's dominated the teams that he's thrown against. If he gets a breaking ball, he's going to be really dangerous. Really, really dangerous.” Gonsalves' velocity on his fastball has ticked upward this season but his manager doesn't think he's topped out yet. "I think it's going to even get better. As he keeps maturing, I think he's going to be a 94-95 (mph) guy. I really do. When he gets his 'man-muscles,' as they say. I think he's really going to bring it. "He's thrown some better this year. Some breaking balls have had some shape, compared to last year. He gets bigger and stronger, that ball will have even more shape. He's got a good change up. But I think he's going to run it up there pretty good." The bullpen could be ripe for plucking by the Miracle, as well, if the need arises. It's a bullpen that even their manager had expressed some nervousness about at the onset of the season. “We didn't know who was going to step up," Mauer recalled over the weekend, ”and they've been outstanding. Really, really good.” The nine pitchers who have made relief appearances for the Kernels have put up a combined 1.92 ERA out of the pen. Relievers Cameron Booser (1.13), Trevor Hildenberger (1.00) and Michael Theofanopoulos (1.74) are each sporting sub-2.00 ERAs for the Kernels. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Tillery15a-600x400.jpg Zack Tillery This crew has brought some heat in April. The only full-time reliever who hasn’t averaged a strikeout per inning is newcomer Miles Nordgren, who has made just two appearances since joining the Kernels as the replacement for Curtiss, who went on the disabled list with a concussion. And, while Nordgren hasn’t been a strikeout machine in those two appearances, he also hasn’t given up a run. In that regard, he joins Tillery and Wilson, neither of which have surrendered an earned run in their relief appearances. Bonilla is glad to see his staff get off to a good start, before the hitters start to catch up to them. “They're taking advantage of the cold and that's a good thing," the pitching coach explained, "because once it gets warm, the bats get hot, too. Those guys want to swing the lumber. It's good numbers-wise. It's a confidence boost a little bit." But Bonilla believes the hot start for his pitching corps is important for reasons that go beyond the obvious results on the field. He believes that early success also aids individual development. "There's some things each guy is working on - his own individual plan and the goals we have for him," he explained. "It's good to get off to a fast start because it builds confidence in the season and they're more open to do things that maybe they werent - that they're reluctant to do when they're struggling. "When you're struggling, you want to get back to what you're comfortable with. So we can maybe add a few things like maybe sink the ball a little bit more to certain guys - working on breaking balls. They're a lot more open, when you're having success, to do things. When you're struggling, you're just grinding away.” If the Kernels can keep most of this pitching staff intact and the bats in the lineup can heat up as the weather warms up, Cedar Rapids could be a serious Midwest League contender in 2015.

Guess I'm just not too worried about that Chattanooga group yet. I recall that when most of that group was in CR, they had a stretch to finish the first half of the season where they only won about 40% of their games over a 3 week period. Everybody seemed to slump at once. They slump, they start to press, they slump more. Eventually, the talent clicks back on. I like that Mientkiewicz has been giving some guys two games in a row off when he rests them. Not sure if that's something he's always done or if it has to do with the 5-game series they play in that league or what, but getting a couple days off to just work in the cage and take some BP without stressing over game performance might be a good thing for some guys.

Article from Jeff Johnson of the Gazette on the TrackMan set up. http://thegazette.com/subject/sports/blogs/diamonds-and-ice-by-jeff-johnson/twins-using-new-system-to-track-kernels-20150425

He's come out of the gate on fire. I guess the, "if he keeps hitting," thing is the big part of your question. Pretty hard to imagine him continuing to hit at the pace he has been, but if he does, he'll certainly open some eyes and rocket up the prospect list for 1Bs. Good guy, hard worker, who gets largely overlooked when people talk about Twins prospects. It would be great to see him succeed, but I suspect the organization will want to see him do so at AAA, in addition to AA, for an extended period before they give him a taste of the big leagues over some of the guys ahead of him in line.

Video of Nolasco's media session after he pitched, if you're interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X_h10kQiSU&feature=player_detailpage

Just bumping this topic up because I had my first chance this weekend to sit in the Kernels pressbox beside one of the guys who are administering the TrackMan set up for the Twins. Pretty impressive system (at least to a neophyte like me).

Trying to lay out the possibilities for success for the Kernels this season, I've drawn comparisons to the 2013 Quad Cities River Bandits. They had a stud SS and a bunch of contributors on offense, but not many guys you would drive too far just to see play ball. The 2nd half of the season, though, they had some awfully strong pitching. They breezed through the playoffs to win the MWL title. I could see CR having a similar team the 1st half of this season and it's impossible to predict what the roster will look like the 2nd half. None of this, of course, has much to do with what kind of potential the individual position players have to become MLBers. I suspect that the Twins are counting on that class a couple of years older to provide the core of their big league team for several years, and would only need a handful of guys from the 2013-14 draft classes to pan out. If more do, terrific.

The Kernels have been a middle of the pack offensive team in the MWL, so far. A little streaky. They have beaten up on some teams and then been real silent against others. In additio to the guys you mentioned, I've liked what I've seen at the plate from the two 1Bs, Trey Vavra and Tyler Kuresa, as well as Tanner English. It's still early, though. With their pitching, they don't have to score a ton of runs to win. Also, going back to comments about the Miracle, just to be fair, keep in mind that a couple of those "relief pitchers drafted recently with top picks" are already up in Chattanooga. I'll also be surprised (and disappointed) if Kanzler, Garver and a couple other hitters don't start to figure things out soon. A lot of slow starts on that team, though, I grant. Regarding the comments on Gonsalves, I saw observations/questions that refer to him as a "great kid" and someone "with a chip on his shoulder." I would opine that both are true. Throw in that lefty 93 mph fastball with movement and there's really not much you wouldn't like in a 20 year old.

I have to smile a bit just thinking about what pitching coach Ivan Arteaga's response would be if we asked him, right now, about Stewart's K rate at this point. I can't tell you how many questions I asked him last year in CR that got me the refrain, "It's a process." I saw that process work last year for a number of pitchers who significantly improved over the course of he season. I believe Stewart would have been getting more Ks by the end of the year if he hadn't had some issues that ultimately got him shut down. I'm sure that striking batters out is not what Arteaga has Stewart focused on in the first month of this season. My theory is that we'll see him get more Ks when Arteaga and/or others in the organization believe the process has reached the point where they tell Stewart to try to strike more guys out. He's capable of it, I'm certain. I agree with Seth. I'm not concerned yet, but it is a fair question and something that warrants continued scrutiny over the coming months. To be a front-line starter eventually, he will need to strike out more batters.

It seems to me that Santana is what he is at SS. I don't think he has ever been considered an outstanding defensive SS. He's got a strong arm and great range, but tends to screw up routine plays. I'm sure I've read that about him throughout a good chunk of his minor league days. He was deemed the "SS of the future" because he could hit. I'm not going to be surprised if that's the SS he turns out to be. The question is whether his bat is good enough to overlook mediocre defense. It's too early for me to form an opinion on that, yet.

It's a significant step up, I agree, to have an intern assigned who has this kind of responsibility. Players and coaches, both of which are trying to better prepare themselves to do their jobs better as they get opportunities to move up higher in the organization, learn more about the benefits as they get more exposure to the technology. As Seth mentioned, though, it would be wrong to assume it's the first year they've used video. Seeing last year's pitching coach, Ivan Arteaga, at the computer either by himself or along with various Kernels pitchers was certainly not a rarity. he would also man the video camera, himself, during some pitchers' bullpen sessions. I've also been to Kernels road games in at least half a dozen other stadiums and there's only one that I recall seeing multiple video cameras set up. Kernels pitchers manning a video camera was a regular occurrence in the past, both at home and on the road.

It’s pretty hard to imagine this baseball season getting off to a better start, isn’t it? I mean, even the most optimistic of us probably wouldn’t have predicted a .789 winning percentage through the first week of games! This looks like it could be a fun summer of baseball!What’s that? You say the Twins are languishing with a 1-6 record? Who cares? I’m talking about their full-season minor league affiliates! That’s where the action (and literally ALL of the fun) is! The AAA Rochester Red Wings are 3-1. The newest Twins affiliate, the AA-level Chattanooga Lookouts (with arguably one of the most loaded rosters in all of minor league baseball) are sitting at 4-1. The Class A Advanced Fort Myers Miracle are 3-2 (pending the outcome of their Tuesday game – what’s up with these morning start times, anyway?). And last, but certainly not least, the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels are still on pace to be a perfect 140-0 at the end of the year after winning their first five games of the season. That means that the four minor league affiliates, combined, are 15-4 through Monday night and have lost two fewer games than the Twins have managed to drop all by themselves. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/batteredball.jpgDoes this represent the Twins' pitching woes or their farm clubs' hitting prowess? Take your pick.Of course, it’s early. You don’t want to read too much in to the small sample size of a week’s worth of games. After all, will even the Twins continue losing at their current pace to finish the year with a 27-135 record? Of course they won’t. Well – probably not, anyway. But while those of you who insist on following only the big leaguers continue to wonder why you’re paying big league prices to watch what even Torii Hunter has admitted to essentially being “Bad News Bears” baseball, here’s a small sample of what you’ve been missing on the farm: The Red Wings have three guys, all deemed by Twins management to be unworthy of a spot with the Twins, with an OPS over 1.000. Two of them, Danny Ortiz and Aaron Hicks, would likely improve the Twins’ outfield defense if they weren’t wearing Rochester uniforms. The third, Josmil Pinto, probably deserves an entire post dedicated to discussing why he should or shouldn’t be in Minnesota.The consensus top two Twins prospects, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, both are in the Lookouts’ everyday lineup, so it’s not surprising that Chattanooga also has three guys with above-1.000 OPS numbers. Then again, none of those three guys are named Buxton or Sano. Stephen Wickens, DJ Hicks and Travis Harrison are bringing the lumber, so far, for the Lookouts. They aren’t the only productive hitters, however. That lineup is stacked, as expected. Their team OPS is .829. Oh, and their pitchers are striking out almost 1.3 batters per inning, too.Niko Goodrum is a .400 hitter going in to Tuesday’s game for the Miracle, who also had two starting pitchers, Aaron Slegers and Ryan Eades, who each tossed six shutout innings in their initial starts of the season.No less than five Kernels hitters have put up 1.000+ OPS numbers through the first five games. As a TEAM, the Kernels have put up a .316/.380/.471 (.851 OPS) slash line. That Midwest League-leading team batting average is a full 47 points over the next highest team in the league. Not to be outdone, the pitching staff has put up a 1.80 ERA, so far, and have struck out 57 batters in a combined 45 innings of work.Conversely, the Twins have put up a team OPS of .530 on the season, which is the worst in major league baseball. Their team ERA is 6.52, which is also dead last among the 30 big league teams. Not coincidentally, their 35 staff strikeouts is also good for dead last. All of this might be more understandable if the Twins had made clear that, for the good of the franchise, they were going to punt on 2015 - that the plan would be to plug journeymen “replacement level” players in to fill every perceived gap in their big league roster, in order to give their much-heralded minor league prospects more time to become adequately seasoned on the farm. But that’s not what they did. Every public comment from everyone in the organization from the end of 2014’s fourth consecutive 90+ loss season through the final days of spring training expressed the company line that they were expecting significant improvement this season. That's not really surprising. Twins fans generally hear that refrain every offseason. The truth is that the Twins have been hoping that fans would be patient, because there really is a ton of young talent approaching the Major League team's doorstep. From the sounds coming from Target Field on Monday, it seems that 'patient' is not exactly what much of the fan base is feeling. I don't think it had to be this way. Back in early October, I wrote that I thought it was time for the Twins to adjust their model, when it comes to promoting their prospects. I suggested that, despite both guys losing virtually their entire seasons a year ago to injury, the Twins should consider simply promoting Buxton and Sano and letting them learn their craft on the big stage. I argued that, yes they would struggle, but they’re likely to struggle a while whenever they are finally promoted and both young men have demonstrated that they learn, adapt and, ultimately, dominate, very quickly as each new challenge is presented. I also argued for either signing one of the top free agent starting pitchers or simply getting Alex Meyer and Trevor May in to the rotation from the start and setting up Jose Berrios for a debut not too deep in to the season. I didn’t discuss the bullpen, at the time, but if I’d known what the Opening Day bullpen was going to look like, I’d have argued pretty forcefully for an immediate youth movement there, too. Instead, the Twins have assembled a cast at the big league level that deflated and discouraged its fan base (warm welcome-home ovation for Torii Hunter, notwithstanding) virtually before the Home Opener was finished. The future does look bright. There is an embarrassment of riches in terms of baseball talent in the Twins organization. Unfortunately, the Twins have decided that you won’t see a lot of it at Target Field for a while. That’s bad news for fans in Minnesota, but Twins fans in New York, Florida, Tennessee and Iowa look to be in for a lot of fun this summer. Click here to view the article

This sort of gets back to why I think you need to make the decision early in the offseason if you're going to jump in to a youth movement with both feet. For example, for the sake of argument, let's just say TR is ready to throw up his arms and clean house, replacing a dozen "veterans" on the Twins with young players. If he makes that decision in the offseason, he can also go out and sign more minor league free agents to fill in the resulting gaps at the AAA and AA levels and still allow the guys at the Class A levels and below the appropriate development time at each level. However, if he chooses that path now, soon after the season has started, he creates a dozen new holes at AAA and AA. Filling those holes by promoting guys up from Ft Myers, Cedar Rapids and, ultimately through the dominos, Extended Spring Training, that aren't really ready for that next level yet. Which is why, at this point, as much as I might like to see quick promotions, I have a near-zero expectation that they will happen on any significant scale.

Thanks, all, for taking the time to read and for the comments. HBD - I agree. I do understand the "don't overwhelm them" approach, but Sano and Buxton are two guys that I simply do not feel would be affected much if they were pushed and, as a result, struggled a bit. They have both, at times, been temporarily stifled by pitchers at the next level. It hasn't made them crawl in to the fetal position, it makes them work harder. Dman - I understand the instinct to watch the service time, but for Sano and Buxton, I just don't see it as an issue. One of two things will happen, I believe: Either they meet our lofty expectations and the Twins work out extensions long before service time becomes an issue, or they fail to live up to those expectations and, as a result, we're not all that concerned with retaining their services long term. If either guy had an agent, such as Boras, who historically has a reputation for encouraging his clients to test the free agent market, rather than sign extensions, I might feel differently. (Which is why I have very little problem with what the Cubs are doing with Bryant.) Thanks, again, for taking the time to read my stuff, all.

I'm reading over this list and I can honestly say I would not mind at all if the Twins somehow made room on their roster for every guy you mentioned before the year gets too far along. I certainly was not among the early converts to the, "screw it, get the kids up here," mentality, but I'm growing more and more in favor every day, it seems.

I had already completed my interview with Jake before Seth sat with him, so I can't say for certain, but I would bet money the answer is, "yes, he said 'heck.'" First, he's well aware when he's talking to media and that what he's saying is being recorded and, likely, reported. But he's also much more likely to be "polite" like that after a win My observation is that Jake obviously hasn't had to deal with the media/fan scrutiny that brother Joe has had to deal with and, as a result, is far less guarded and image-conscious than what it appears Joe is, at least publicly. Both brothers seem to me to be the kind of guy you would really enjoy being able to kick back and watch some baseball over beers with. It's just much easier being able to envision having that happen with Jake. Just my 2 cents.

It’s pretty hard to imagine this baseball season getting off to a better start, isn’t it? I mean, even the most optimistic of us probably wouldn’t have predicted a .789 winning percentage through the first week of games! This looks like it could be a fun summer of baseball! What’s that? You say the Twins are languishing with a 1-6 record? Who cares? I’m talking about their full-season minor league affiliates! That’s where the action (and literally ALL of the fun) is! The AAA Rochester Red Wings are 3-1. The newest Twins affiliate, the AA-level Chattanooga Lookouts (with arguably one of the most loaded rosters in all of minor league baseball) are sitting at 4-1. The Class A Advanced Fort Myers Miracle are 3-2 (pending the outcome of their Tuesday game – what’s up with these morning start times, anyway?). And last, but certainly not least, the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels are still on pace to be a perfect 140-0 at the end of the year after winning their first five games of the season. That means that the four minor league affiliates, combined, are 15-4 through Monday night and have lost two fewer games than the Twins have managed to drop all by themselves. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/batteredball.jpg Does this represent the Twins' pitching woes or their farm clubs' hitting prowess? Take your pick. Of course, it’s early. You don’t want to read too much in to the small sample size of a week’s worth of games. After all, will even the Twins continue losing at their current pace to finish the year with a 27-135 record? Of course they won’t. Well – probably not, anyway. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com.) But while those of you who insist on following only the big leaguers continue to wonder why you’re paying big league prices to watch what even Torii Hunter has admitted to essentially being “Bad News Bears” baseball, here’s a small sample of what you’ve been missing on the farm: The Red Wings have three guys, all deemed by Twins management to be unworthy of a spot with the Twins, with an OPS over 1.000. Two of them, Danny Ortiz and Aaron Hicks, would likely improve the Twins’ outfield defense if they weren’t wearing Rochester uniforms. The third, Josmil Pinto, probably deserves an entire post dedicated to discussing why he should or shouldn’t be in Minnesota. The consensus top two Twins prospects, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, both are in the Lookouts’ everyday lineup, so it’s not surprising that Chattanooga also has three guys with above-1.000 OPS numbers. Then again, none of those three guys are named Buxton or Sano. Stephen Wickens, DJ Hicks and Travis Harrison are bringing the lumber, so far, for the Lookouts. They aren’t the only productive hitters, however. That lineup is stacked, as expected. Their TEAM OPS is .829. Oh, and their pitchers are striking out almost 1.3 batters per inning, too. Niko Goodrum is a .400 hitter, going in to Tuesday’s game, for the Miracle, who also had two starting pitchers, Aaron Slegers and Ryan Eades, who each tossed six shutout innings in their initial starts of the season. No less than five Kernels hitters have put up 1.000+ OPS numbers through the first five games. As a TEAM, the Kernels have put up a .316/.380/.471 (.851 OPS) slash line. That Midwest League-leading team batting average is a full 47 points over the next highest team in the league. Not to be outdone, the pitching staff has put up a 1.80 ERA, so far, and have struck out 57 batters in a combined 45 innings of work. Conversely, the Twins have put up a team OPS of .530 on the season, which is the worst in Major League Baseball. Their team ERA is 6.52, which is also dead last among the 30 big league teams. Not coincidentally, their 35 staff strikeouts is also good for dead last. All of this might be more understandable if the Twins had made clear that, for the good of the franchise, they were going to punt on 2015 - that the plan would be to plug journeymen “replacement level” players in to fill every perceived gap in their big league roster, in order to give their much-heralded minor league prospects more time to become adequately seasoned on the farm. But that’s not what they did. Every public comment from everyone in the organization from the end of 2014’s fourth consecutive 90+ loss season through the final days of spring training expressed the company line that they were expecting significant improvement this season. That's not really surprising. Twins fans generally hear that refrain every offseason. The truth is that the Twins have been hoping that fans would be patient, because there really is a ton of young talent approaching the Major League team's doorstep. From the sounds coming from Target Field on Monday, it seems that 'patient' is not exactly what much of the fan base is feeling. I don't think it had to be this way. Back in early October, I wrote that I thought it was time for the Twins to adjust their model, when it comes to promoting their prospects. I suggested that, despite both guys losing virtually their entire seasons a year ago to injury, the Twins should consider simply promoting Buxton and Sano and letting them learn their craft on the big stage. I argued that, yes they would struggle, but they’re likely to struggle a while whenever they are finally promoted and both young men have demonstrated that they learn, adapt and, ultimately, dominate, very quickly as each new challenge is presented. I also argued for either signing one of the top free agent starting pitchers or simply getting Alex Meyer and Trevor May in to the rotation from the start and setting up Jose Berrios for a debut not too deep in to the season. I didn’t discuss the bullpen, at the time, but if I’d known what the Opening Day bullpen was going to look like, I’d have argued pretty forcefully for an immediate youth movement there, too. Instead, the Twins have assembled a cast at the big league level that deflated and discouraged its fan base (warm welcome-home ovation for Torii Hunter, notwithstanding) virtually before the Home Opener was finished. The future does look bright. There is an embarrassment of riches in terms of baseball talent in the Twins organization. Unfortunately, the Twins have decided that you won’t see a lot of it at Target Field for a while. That’s bad news for fans in Minnesota, but Twins fans in New York, Florida, Tennessee and Iowa look to be in for a lot of fun this summer.

I noticed, too, that this year's roster has more players over 21 than there seemed to have been in the past, but I just assume it's due, at least in part, to an emphasis on college players being drafted in the last couple of years. If you draft college players, your Midwest League affiliate will have 22-23 year olds. There will probably be 45 or more players come through CR by the end of the season. I would expect plenty of them to be younger by the time you include players called up during the course of the summer.

I'll stick with James Beresford. He's been my choice for the last 15 years or so (or at least it seems that long), so I'm not giving up until either the Twins do or he does!

Or, Bull Durham, if you prefer: "you know anything that travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?"