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The Twins lost a tough game at Houston, but there were plenty of bright spots across the minor league system on Sunday. Fernando Romero delivered another strong, albeit brief start and Brent Rooker hit his seventh homer. Plus, the Kernels finally busted out of their hitting slump, scoring eight runs in a victory. Oh, and how could I forget, it was Sean and Poppen (h/t Jeremy Nygaard) in Fort Myers once again.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 4, Rochester 3 Box Score J.R Murphy hit a solo homer, but the Red Wings could muster only three other hits and Tim Melville had his worst start for Rochester. Over 4.1 innings, Melville gave up four earned runs on seven hits. All that’s a shame, too, because the bullpen was phenomenal. Craig Breslow retired both batters he faced, one on strikes. Mason Melotakis gave up a hit over his 0.2 shutout innings. Alan Busenitz was particularly impressive, striking out four of the five men he faced. John Curtiss finished things off with a perfect inning with two strikeouts. The Wings were rallying in the eighth, as Matt Hague reached on an error with one out, and would scored on an Edgar Corcino double. ByungHo Park drew a walk, but the Iron Pigs were able to turn two on a Tommy Field grounder to third to end the threat. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Jacksonville 2 Box Score Fernando Romero held the Jumbo Shrimp to two runs over his five innings of work, striking out six in the process. Romero threw 82 pitches, 54 for strikes. It was the third-straight start in which Romero pitched exactly five innings despite not eclipsing even 90 pitches. It would appear he’ll be on a pretty strict innings limit for the rest of the season. The Lookouts were trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second, but a big two-out rally led to Chattanooga tallying three runs in the inning. Travis Harrison had the big hit of that frame, a two-run double. Nick Gordon had a nice night at the plate, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base, but he also made his 19th error of the season. Jonathan Rodriguez and Max Murphy also had two hits each. Ryan Eades followed Romero with three shutout innings and Paul Clemens pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 3 Box Score The Miracle improved to 17-5 in the second half behind another great start from Sean Poppen, who lowered his ERA with Fort Myers to 0.55. Poppen held the Mets to one run over 6.1 innings and racked up five strikeouts while walking just one batter. Zander Wiel hit a two-run homer, his eighth of the season, and the following players got two hits a piece: Sean Miller, Mitchell Kranson and Jaylin Davis. Kranson has had a nice first 20 games since being called up from Cedar Rapids, hitting .304/.360/.430 (.791 OPS). Tom Hackimer, who has a 0.96 ERA of his own, got the last two outs of the seventh. Alex Robinson gave up two runs over the final two innings, striking out three in the process. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, South Bend 4 Box Score The Kernels snapped a season-high five-game losing streak with a much-needed offensive explosion. Cedar Rapids had scored just four runs total in their previous six games, but they managed to tally two runs before even recording an out in this one. Aaron Whitefield led off the game with a walk and stole his 20th base of the season. Joe Cronin followed with a walk and Travis Blankenhorn delivered a two-run triple. Lewin Diaz plated Blankenhorn on a groundout. Diaz was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Amaurys Minier hit a three-run homer in the third inning, his second of the year with the Kernels Anthony Marzi had a three-run lead before even taking the mound. He improved to 3-0 on the season by holding the Cubs to two runs over six innings. Marzi, who the Twins signed out of the Atlantic League, now has a 1.37 ERA and 0.71 WHIP over his first three appearances in the organization. E-TWINS E-NOTES Greenville 8, Elizabethton 4 Box Score Brent Rooker hit his seventh home run of the season in just his 21st game played, but it was one of only four hits on the day for the Twins. Shortstop Jordan Gore delivered the other big knock, a three-run double. Edwar Colina gave up three runs over 4.1 innings, Rickey Ramirez was rocked for four runs in his 1.2 innings and Jared Finkel gave up a run over two innings. This was a big game in the landscape of the Appalachian League, as the loss dropped E-Town to a half-game back of Greenville in the West division. GCL TWINS TAKES Scheduled off day. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Sean Poppen, Fort Myers (6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Amaurys Minier, Cedar Rapids (1-for-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI, 1 R). MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Charlotte, 4:05 pm CT, David Hurlbut (3.44 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) Rochester “at” Charlotte (in Rochester), Game 2, Aaron Slegers (3.75 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville, 10:15 am CT, Felix Jorge (3.14 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) Fort Myers vs. St. Lucie, 10:05 am CT, TBD Cedar Rapids at South Bend, 12:05 pm CT, Eduardo Del Rosario (4.48 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) Elizabethton at Greenville, 6:00 pm CT, Huascar Ynoa (5.06 ERA, 1.81 WHIP) GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays, 11:00 am CT, TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday's games. Click here to view the article

Saturday night we had a walk-off single, a walk-off double and a walk-off hit batsman. Wait, what? Brent Rooker also hit his first professional home run in what was a big day for the bats in Elizabethton. Find out what else happened around the Twins' minor leagues on Saturday.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 4 Box Score Leonardo Reginatto delivered a walk-off single that scored Tommy Field to put a positive end on a long night. This game started about an hour late due to rain and lasted nearly three and a half hours. Maybe Pat Venditte was up past his bedtime. The IronPigs’ ambidextrous pitcher gave up a single to Matt Hague, walked Field, walked Niko Goodrum and walked in the tying run with a free pass to John Ryan Murphy. Lehigh Valley brought in a fifth infielder, but Reginatto sent a line drive to center to end it. Zack Granite did not have a multi-hit game. You know you're rolling when that’s newsworthy. He did, however, go 1-for-4 and drew a walk. Reginatto had three hits and drove in two runs. Matt Hague was 2-for-3 and drew a pair of walks. Mitch Garver was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Field and Goodrum also had two hits. Rochester could’ve made this easier on themselves, but they left 15 men on base. All’s well that ends well, I suppose. Chris Heston got the start and struggled, giving up four runs on nine hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. The bullpen trio of D.J. Baxendale (1.2 IP), Phil Hughes (1 IP) and Ryan Pressly (2 IP) combined for 4.2 shutout innings. Pressly had three strikeouts. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Pensacola 2 Box Score There are a lot of ways you can win a baseball game, but a walk-off hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded has to be one of the weirder ones. Chattanooga was held in check all game, entering the ninth trailing 2-0, but a big rally capped off by a Levi Michael HBP gave them the W. Edgar Corcino led off the ninth with a walk, followed by singles from LaMonte Wade, Jonathan Rodriguez and Andy Wilkins. T.J. White was intentionally walked and Michael took one for the team to win it. Felix Jorge went 7.2 innings and struck out seven batters while walking zero. He gave up a season-high 11 hits, but just the two runs. Randy Rosario threw 1.1 scoreless innings. MIRACLE MATTERS Florida 4, Fort Myers 3 Box Score The Miracle pulled within a run of the Fire Frogs on three separate occasions, but their comeback attempt was stymied by a bullpen that combined to throw four shutout innings of two-hit ball, striking out six batters with no walks. Brady Anderson gave up four runs over 5.2 innings. He walked four and gave up six hits, three of them home runs. Michael Theofanopoulos pitched the final 2.1 innings, holding the Fire Frogs scoreless white tallying four strikeouts. The Miracle had only four hits, with Jermaine Palacios going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored. Max Murphy and Kevin Garcia had the only other hits, and all four were singles. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score The Kernels got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to Amaurys Minier. Playing in just his second game with Cedar Rapids, the Dominican hit a solo homer in the second inning and an RBI double in the fourth. Domenick Carlini got off to a good start, but gave up a two-run homer in the fourth inning and a solo shot in the fifth. That was all the offense the River Bandits needed. Carlini gave up three runs on five hits over five innings and he had five strikeouts. Ryan Mason struck out three batters over two scoreless innings and Alex Robinson had two K's in his inning of work. Lewin Diaz, who was DHing with Minier playing first, hit his 22nd double of the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 8, Danville 7 Box Score What a day Matt Albanese had. Hitting a two-run double to give his team the walk-off win is impressive enough, but the Twins’ seventh-round pick from 2016 was 3-for-3 with two walks and swiped home on a double steal in the eighth inning. Perhaps you heard during the draft coverage that Brent Rooker can hit a little. Well, the Twins’ 35th overall pick, Rooker was 4-for-5 with his first professional home run, a double, a couple RBI and a walk. He played left field. Trey Cabbage hit a homer and scored three runs. All the offense was needed, as Moises Gomez was shelled. He gave up six runs (five earned) over 1.2 innings. Out of the bullpen, Carlos Suniaga (3.1 shutout innings, four K's) Blair Lasko (one run over three innings) and Calvin Faucher (struck out the side in the ninth) were able to keep the Twins in position to come back. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Felix Jorge, ‘Nooga (7.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Matt Albanese, E-Town (walk-off hit, 3-for-3, 2 doubles, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley, 12:35 pm CT (Tim Melville, 2.79 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Pensacola, 3:15 pm CT (Dereck Rodriguez, 18.00 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Pesnacola, Game 2 (Fernando Romero, 3.27 ERA) Fort Myers at Florida, 4:05 pm CT (Anthony McIver, 2.27 ERA) Cedar Rapids at Quad Cities, 5:15 pm CT (Clark Beeker, 2.99 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Pulaski, 5:00 pm CT (Melvi Acosta) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

The Twins lost their 10th straight on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up one of the worst series we've seen this year, part of one of the worst stretches of Twins baseball we've seen since losing became so popular at 1 Twins Way. In addition to losing the game, the Twins lost Danny Santana to the DL with a sprained shoulder. Transaction Report: The injury to Danny Santana led to a late scratch for Rochester's Logan Schafer as the Twins selected his contract before the Red Wings started on Sunday evening. Why the Twins decided to promote Schafer is a mystery. Let the fans get a good look at players they've never heard about, probably. Anyways, Randy LeBlanc was promoted from Fort Myers to Chattanooga, and to replace LeBlanc, the Miracle received Brian Olson from the GCL Twins (from the other side of the MiLB complex in Fort Myers).Continue reading to find out more detail about Sunday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Box Score Byron Buxton was 1-5 with four strikeouts and a single. John Ryan Murphy had a nice night at the plate, 3-4 with a strikeout. Adam Walker had a pair of doubles (and a pair of strikeouts) as part of his 2-4 night. Despite what Murphy and Walker did for the Wings, they managed just one run; maybe it was because as a team they struck out 22 times and worked just two walks. That might have something to do with it. Jason Wheeler gave up three runs over seven innings, spreading six hits and three strikeouts. He gave up one home run, but was tagged with the loss despite the quality start because of the flummoxed Red Wings hitters. D. J. Baxendale pitched 2.0 innings of scoreless relief, giving up one hit and striking out a pair of RailRiders. Final: RailRiders 3, Red Wings 1 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Mississippi Braves @ Chattanooga Box Score With a 4-0 lead after four innings, the Lookouts were in good shape, attacking the Braves' starter Sean Newcomb. Aaron Slegers, starting for the Lookouts, went seven innings, gave up two runs on six hits. He struck out six, walked two, and left the game with a lead and an opportunity to pick up a win. But it wasn't meant to be as the Lookouts couldn't push any more runs across the board, and Zack Jones gave up a run in the eight and two more in the ninth to blow the save and the game. Jones' final line was 2.0 innings pitched, three hits, three runs, a walk and three strikeouts. The loss drops him to 2-2. Third baseman Ryan Walker left the game in the fourth inning after being hit in the hand by an errant pitch. He was replaced by Tanner Witt. Zach Granite had another great game with the bat, 3-5 with a double and two runs scored, plus a stolen base (and he was caught stealing). The rest of the Lookouts had just five hits. Twins former first-round pick Levi Michael was 0-2 with a walk and two strike outs and is hitting just .220/.296/.302 as a 25-year old in AA. Final: Braves 5, Lookouts 4 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Jupiter Hammerheads Box Score The Miracle jumped ahead 2-1 in the seventh and then added three more in the top of the eighth for good measure, taking down the Hammerheads 5-1. Tanner English led off for the Miracle and was 2-5 with a pair of runs scored. Trey Vavra had a pair of hits as well, including a run scored, a walk, and an RBI. Brad Hartong also contributed a pair of singles from the 9th spot in the order. Keaton Steele picked up his seventh win of the year, moving to 7-11 with a 3.66 ERA. He pitched 6.0 innings of five-hit baseball. He gave up just one unearned run, walked one, and struck out four. Nick Anderson picked up a hold with 2.0 innings of hitless relief work, and John Curtiss finished things off with a 1-2-3 ninth. Final: Miracle 5, Hammerheads 1 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Clinton Lumber Kings Box Score The Kernels won their seventh straight on Sunday afternoon and could clinch a playoff spot as early as Monday evening if things break right for them. On Sunday the Kernels were powered by their pitching staff. Brady Anderson moved to 3-0 with 6.0 innings of four-hit baseball. He walked none, gave up no runs, and struck out four. He was replaced by Logan Lombana who pitched 2.0 innings. Lombana gave up a run on three hits and struck out three. Tom Hackimer earned the save with a clean ninth inning, including a strike out. Nelson Molina was the hero of the day for the Kernels, with a 3-4 game that included a double, a solo home run and two runs scored. Jaylin Davis added a solo home run as well, part of his 2-4 night. Final: Kernels 4, Lumber Kings 1 E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton @ Greenville Astros Box Score Quite a wild back-and-forth game in the Eastern League for the E-Twins and the Greeneville Astros. The E-Twins scored eight runs on nine hits and four walks. They were led by Amaury Minier, who was 2-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Alex Kiriloff was 0-3 before being replaced by Roberty Gonzalez in the bottom of the sixth. The stat sheet reads as a defensive substitution, but Kiriloff is just 4-32 and has just two hits in his last seven games, so read between the lines a bit for the 18-year old. E-Twins starter Ryan Mason lasted just 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out one and gave up a solo home run. He was replaced by Alex Robinson, who gave up three runs (all unearned) over 1.2 innings. He struck out three, walked two and gave up ZERO hits. Rough way to let three runs across the plate. Quin Grogan pitched the final three innings, picking up a blown save and the win thanks to some late inning heroics from the bats. Quin gave up two hits, walked no one and struck out five. Final: E-Twins 8, Astros 7 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Zach Granite - Chattanooga Pitcher of the Day - Brady Anderson - Cedar Rapids MONDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester - Tyler Duffey (0-0, 1.72) Chattanooga - Randy LeBlanc (1st AA Start) Fort Myers - Luke Westphal (2-0, 2.79) Cedar Rapids - Eduardo Del Rosario (5-2, 3.81) E-Twins - Clark Beeker (0-0, 1.80) GCL Twins - Tyler Fox DSL Twins - TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Sunday games. -ERolf Click here to view the article

It was a busy night in the Twins minor league system. The Red Wings held their Hall of Fame ceremony pre-game and then hit four home runs in their game. Was it enough? The Lookouts got a quality start, but their offense was tremendous. One of the organization’s top pitching prospects put on a display in Ft. Myers. The Kernels had a batter with a five-hit game. The E-Twins had a big inning. And, Minnesota kids got the win and save for the GCL Twins on Friday. We also need you to help vote for today's Hitter of the Day. Too many good choices. There were a couple of transactions of note on Friday as well: With Tommy Milone going on the disabled list, the Twins called up Pat Dean to fill the long-relief role that Andrew Albers successfully filled on Thursday night.Following the Twins game, they announced that Andrew Albers has been DFAd and a pitcher will be added before the game on Saturday.With two of their starters now with the Twins, the Red Wings announced that lefty David Hurlbut has been promoted from Chattanooga and will start on Saturday.With that, let’s get to the Minor League Report for Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 12 Box Score In the last few days, the Red Wings have lost ⅖ of their starting rotation to the Minnesota Twins. First, it was Andrew Albers and on Friday it was Pat Dean. Things didn’t go as planned, however. Jason Wheeler, who has been the Red Wings most consistent starter all season, gave up four runs in the first inning. He gave up another in the second and two more in the third. Through three innings, he had given up seven runs. Normally that would be a time to remove the starter. However, manager Mike Quade stuck with Wheeler and the left-hander threw three scoreless innings. So his final line says that he gave up seven runs on seven hits (including three homers) and three walks in six innings. Key Play: If you had a chance to watch the game on milb.tv, you may have seen the unfortunate first inning against Wheeler. With one out and runners on first and second Wheeler coaxed a ground ball to third base. Leonardo Reginnato fielded and threw to James Beresford at second for the first out. Beresford made the turn and made a terrific throw to first base, a step before the batter reached first. However, Reynaldo Rodriguez casually caught the ball and stepped away from the bag... the problem was that he casually stepped off the bag before he caught the ball. The umpire made the correct call. Safe. Could have been out of the inning, and after the blunder, Wheeler gave up four runs in that first inning. Can't help but wonder how the game goes if that play is made properly. At that point, the Red Wings offense had caught up. Adam Brett Walker hit a three-run homer, his International League-leading 23rd homer of the season. Byron Buxton added his seventh Rochester homer, a solo blast. Reynaldo Rodriguez added his third homer to cut the deficit to 7-6. DJ Baxendale came in for the seventh inning. His ERA jumped to 1.67 as he gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks in the inning. Neil Ramirez threw the final two innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. He struck out four. John Ryan Murphy added his second homer of the year to give the Red Wings their seventh run. Buxton was the lone Wings player to have multiple hits. He was 2-4 and stole his sixth base. Before the game, the Red Wings added Jason Bartlett and Merv Rettenmund to their Hall of Fame. Bartlett played parts of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons in Rochester. In those seasons, he hit .331, .332 and .306. He played ten seasons in the big leagues. Rettenmund played 13 seasons in the big leagues after one season in Rochester. That season he was The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .331 with 22 homers for the Red Wings. He was the International League’s Rookie of the Year and MVP in 1968. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 12, Birmingham 1 Box Score Aaron Slegers returned to nearly his pre-disabled list form in this game, and his offense provided plenty of offensive support. Before going on the DL, Slegers had a run of nine straight quality starts. Since his return, he has thrown two innings twice and worked up to five innings in his most recent start. On this night Slegers gave up one run on six hits in seven innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Brandon Peterson worked two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. The Lookouts scored six runs in the third innings. They got an RBI double from Zach Granite, an RBI double from Niko Goodrum, a two-run double from Stuart Turner and a two-run single from TJ White. They added four more runs in the sixth inning, and two more runs in the ninth inning. Zach Granite led the way. He went 3-6 with his 15th double, sixth triple and five RBIs. Turner went 3-4 with a walk and his 17th and 18th doubles. Goodrum went 2-5 with his fourth double. TJ White was 2-5. Travis Harrison hit his 21st double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Charlotte 2 Box Score The Miracle lost, but Fernando Romero was as impressive has he has been all year. The hard-throwing right-hander from the Dominican went the first seven innings. He gave up no runs. He gave up six hits, walked none and struck out 11. His Miracle ERA drops to 2.39. One of the hits Romero gave up was off the bat of a rehabbing Oswaldo Arcia. Cam Booser replaced Romero in the 8th inning. He walked a batter and then gave up a two-run homer to Arcia which was the entirety of the game’s scoring. It was the only hit Booser gave up. He struck out two. Luke Bard worked a perfect ninth inning. The Miracle offense managed just three hits in the game. Joe Maloney hit his 13th double. Tanner Witt and Trey Vavra were each 1-2. Witt walked once as well. Vavra was hit by a pitch. Miracle Manager Jeff Smith was ejected in the 8th inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Kane County 1 Box Score The game was delayed by rain in the third inning, but it didn’t slow down the Kernels’ bats. Speaking of bats that haven’t cooled down, out hitter of the month of July, Zander Wiel, went 5-5 in this game to lead the way. Sean Miller and JJ Fernandez were both 2-5. Casey Scoggins went 2-4. Travis Blankenhorn added his second double. Brandon Lopez went 1-3 with two walks. It was a pretty unique game for catcher Kevin Garcia. He was on third base early in the game when Christian Cavaness stole second base. Garcia took off for home and scored. In the ninth inning, he hit a three-run homer. I am guessing that it is the first time Garcia has stolen home and homered in the same game in his career. They were his first stolen base and first home run of the season. Miles Nordgren started and returned to the mound even after the 42-minute rain delay. He went seven innings for his fourth win. He gave up only an unearned run on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. Logan Lombana threw two scoreless innings in relief. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Kingsport 4 Box Score A four-run third innings gave the Twins a lead that they were able to hang on to the rest of the way. In the big inning, infielder Caleb Hamilton hit a two-run double. Soon after, Amaurys Minier hit a two-run homer to give them a 4-0 lead. Minier went 1-2 with two walks and the homer, his eighth. Hamilton went 2-4 and both hits were doubles to give him four on the season. Sean Poppen started. He threw four scoreless innings, though he gave up four hits and walked three. He struck out four. He met his pitch count after just four innings, and Austin Tribby came into the game. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits over three innings. He struck out three and didn’t walk any. He was credited with the Win to improve his season record to 4-0. Patrick McGuff gave up a run on three hits over the final two innings to record his fourth save. He struck out three without issuing a walk, something he has called a key to his success so far as a pro. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 1 Box Score Left Bo Hellquist made the Friday start for the GCL Twins. The Minnesota-Duluth alum threw five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out three. Moises Gomez came on and threw three scoreless frames. Onas Farfan came on for the ninth to protect a two-run lead. He gave up three hits and one run, but he held on to record his fourth save of the year. Hellquist improved to 4-1. Jorge Munoz has been hitting well of late. The infielder went 2-4 in this game with his ninth and tenth doubles. Max Murphy, in another rehab appearance, added a double. Lean Marrero went 2-3 and stole his second base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – You Vote: Zach Granite, Chattanooga LookoutsStuart Turner, Chattanooga LookoutsZander Wiel, Cedar Rapids KernelsSATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (6:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Chattanooga @ Birmingham (6:30 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells Elizabethton @ Bluefield (6:05 CST) - RHP Jose Martinez GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am CST) - RH Huascar Ynoa Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday's games. Click here to view the article

Tonight, the Elizabethton Twins will open up their 2016 season on the road. Below you can find the 2016 Elizabethton Twins Opening Day roster (along with a few names who will be there shortly). This team has some older players, college guys drafted this year or last, but there are some very intriguing younger players who are certainly worth watching. Elizabethton is a great little town for minor leaguers to make their professional debut. Many of these players, particularly those drafted this month, have likely never been real far from home, had to pay their own bills, etc. Others have been in Ft. Myers for the last three months, eagerly anticipating getting to Tennessee (if not Iowa) to start playing games where box scores show up online! Manager Ray Smith has been on the coaching staff in Elizabethton for 30 seasons now. This is his 22nd season as manager. His hitting coach, another former big leaguer, Jeff Reed will be in that role for the 14th straight year. This year, Luis Ramirez is the team’s pitching coach. It is his second season in that role after spending 2014 in that same role in the GCL and 2013 in the Venezuelan Baseball Academy.Here is a very brief look at the players on the 2016 Elizabethton Twins Opening Day roster (plus a couple of others who could soon be there). Please feel free to ask questions on these players and we’ll try to answer them. With regard to the 2016 draft picks, hopefully Jeremy Nygaard can help out with some answers too. Note also that this roster is subject to change for a variety of reasons, particularly in the next few days as more players sign, etc. HITTERS Catchers: Bryant Hayman (23), Mitchell Kranson (22), Robert Molina (19) Molina is the young guy in the group. At just 19 through the season, he is one of the younger players on the roster. He is listed as a catcher, but he could play some first base as well. Kranson was the ninth-round pick this year. He is the old-school prototype for a catcher, listed at 5-9 and 210 pounds. He also played around the field a bit, mainly at third base. Hayman started the year at Cedar Rapids but went back to EST. He was a non-drafted free agent a year ago. Infielders: Travis Blankenhorn (19), Lewin Diaz (19), Caleb Hamilton (21), Andre Jernigan (22), Amaurys Minier (20), Ariel Montesino (20). Blankenhorn was the team’s third-round pick last year. He ended his season in Elizabethton. He played mostly third base last year. He spent the majority of his EST time at second base. Lewin Diaz, the bulky first baseman (inexplicably listed at 180 pounds on the roster, he’s actually about 250 pounds) can provide some power. He got into a handful of games in E-Town a year ago. He didn’t get many hits, but four of them were home runs. Hamilton and Jernigan are college guys drafted just this month and should get a lot of time in the middle of the infield. Minier is a guy who signed a big bonus four years ago, and it is time for him to stay healthy and start producing the kind of offense that many hoped from him. Montesino started last year in E-Town, but went back to the GCL because of the emergence of Jermaine Palacios. He’ll be back with the Twins this year. Note also that Trey Cabbage will likely be joining the E-Twins in a couple of weeks. He has a back injury - different than last year - and should be manning third base for this team soon. Also note, Brandon Lopez who just finished his college career in the College World Series, will also be a middle infielder on this roster when he gets signed and is ready. Outfielders: Matt Albanese (20), Shane Carrier (20), Christian Cavaness (22), Jaylin Davis (21), Roberto Gonzalez (21), Alex Kirilloff (18), Hank Morrison (22), Casey Scoggins (22) Albanese was drafted this month and will start the year on the DL. Carrier, Morrison and Scoggins are all 2016 draft picks who will be making their pro debuts in Elizabethton. Likewise, I have included first-round pick Alex Kirilloff on this roster as we have heard this is where he is likely to start his pro career. Of course, he is in the Twin Cities as we speak, likely about to sign his professional contract. Cavaness began the season as the fourth outfielder in Cedar Rapids but was sent back to Extended. Jaylin Davis is one to watch. He was drafted by the Twins in 2015 but was hurt. He has tremendous power and should be a fixture in the middle of this lineup. Likewise, Roberto Gonzalez spent two years in the GCL after being drafted in the 15th round in 2014 out of high school in Orlando. He also has incredible power. He just needs to stay healthy and make more contact. PITCHERS Starters: Jose Martinez (19), Ryan Mason (21), Sean Poppen (22), Alex Robinson (21), Alex Schick (21) Jose Martinez pitched in the Gulf Coast League last year, going 1-5 with a 4.31 ERA. Alex Robinson was the team’s fifth round pick just last year out of Maryland. He’s a college reliever they believe has the stuff to be a starter, so he is getting that opportunity. Alex Schik (6th) and Ryan Mason (13th) were both drafted out of Cal-Berkeley this month. Sean Poppen was the team’s 19th-round pick this year out of Harvard. Relievers: Tyler Beardsley (22), Domenick Carlini (22), Max Cordy (23), Colton Davis (22), Griffin Jax (21), Hector Lujan (21), Johan Quezada (21), Andrew Vasquez (22) Hector Lujan got into one game for the Miracle. He and Vasquez pitched together and were both drafted last June out of Westmont College in California. Cordy was the Twins 40th-round pick out of UC-Davis just last year. Johan Quezada is the 6-8, hard-throwing right-hander who took over as the GCL close last year. He sits 96-100 mph. Since signing with the Twins in 2012, he has added about eight inches in height and 40 pounds to go with about 10 mph on his fastball. Beardsley (16th), Carlini (21st), and Davis (25th) were all drafted in 2016. So was Griffin Jax, their third- round pick out of the Air Force Academy. He is expected to be able to pitch for a couple of weeks at some point during the season. Of course, this roster is subject to change as guys in the GCL start performing, or as more 2016 draft picks decide to sign. It has to be challenging for the coaches and for the minor league coordinator to keep things straight for the next week or so with these rosters. On Friday afternoon, the GCL Twins will play their first game. We’ll provide a roster preview for them this evening. Click here to view the article

These minor league reports are getting longer, chock full of information on six Twins affiliates; highlights, pitchers, game summaries and more, so be sure to grab a beverage of choice and enjoy. As always, feel free to discuss and ask questions. For the second straight day, all six Twins affiliates played and there was a lot of action and some good stories. Stephen Gonsalves made his AA debut. When he was done, he was replaced by a familiar face who has returned to the organization. Tom Hackimer made his pro debut, replacing a former college teammate. Domenick Carlini was also very impressive in his pro debut and was helped by a big prospect from the Dominican. The E-Twins completed a sweep. Miguel Sano played more innings. So much going on, so be sure to read Saturday night’s minor league update.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Louisville 3 Box Score Andrew Albers made the start for the Red Wings. In 5.2 innings, he gave up three runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out two. He left the game with two runners on. DJ Baxendale was called in for his AAA debut. He came through with a strikeout to end the sixth. He then struck out two more in the seventh and also worked a hitless eighth. 2.1 perfect innings makes for a strong debut. Marcus Walden threw a scoreless ninth inning. Miguel Sano was back at third base on Saturday night. He went 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts before exiting the game in the 8th inning. Adam Brett Walker went 2-3 with a walk and his 8th and 9th doubles. Kennys Vargas was 1-3 with a walk and his 11th home run. James Beresford went 1-3 with two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Jackson 3 Box Score For the last six weeks or more, we have been wondering aloud (in the Twins Daily forums) when Stephen Gonsalves would be promoted to AA Chattanooga. On Saturday night, he made that debut. An honest assessment would acknowledge that it was a bit shaky. However, if you consider that he gave up just two runs over five innings, it was solid. He gave up six hits, walked four and struck out six. He battled. He struck out three in the first inning but gave up a two-run single with two outs. In the fourth, he walked three to load the bases but did not allow a run. He battled, but overall, it was a nice first start for Gonsalves, something to build upon. In the sixth inning, Zack Jones made his return to the Twins organization and the Chattanooga lookouts. He walked one and gave up a hit, but struck one out in a scoreless inning. Mason Melotakis gave up two hits and a walk but struck out three to get out of the 7th inning without a run. Jake Reed worked a perfect eighth inning. With a three-run lead, Trevor Hildenberger was called in for the ninth inning. He actually gave up a run on two hits and a walk but he struck out three to save a 5-3 win. It is his 12th save with the Lookouts and 15th overall. He recorded the save for Stephen Gonsalves’ first AA win. The game was played on a day that ended in the letters D-A-Y, so Daniel Palka hit a home run, his Southern League-leading 18th homer. Zach Granite went 1-2 with a walk and two RBI. Ryan Walker went 2-3. Stuart Turner hit his 8th double and drove in two runs. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Jupiter 1 Box Score Keaton Steele was on the mound for the Miracle and had a terrific start. He gave up just one run on three hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out one. The lone run came on a solo homer. John Curtiss pitched a scoreless seventh. He got two outs in the eighth inning but left with the bases loaded. Todd Van Steensel came in and got the final out of the inning. He struck out two and also worked a perfect ninth frame for his fourth save. Edgar Corcino led the offense. He went 2-3 with his ninth double and fifth triple. TJ White went 2-4 with a walk. AJ Murray was 2-4 with his first Miracle double. Nick Gordon’s 14th double drove in a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 12 Box Score It was a night to forget, for the most part, in Cedar Rapids. However, 2016 draft pick, side-winding Tom Hackimer made his professional debut. But, that was about it for the highlights. That’s not quite true either. While the Kernels had just four hits in the game, one of them was JJ Fernandez. He hit his fifth home run of the season. Brad Hartong went 2-3. Sean Miller had the fourth hit. Cody Stashak started and gave up seven runs on nine hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out two. He was replaced by his college teammate at St. Johns, Tom Hackimer. He got four outs without allowing a run. He walked one and struck out one. Cam Booser came in and continued to struggle with control. In 1.1 innings, he gave up five runs (four earned) on two hits and four walks. He also threw three wild pitches. He’s fought through so many injuries, but his mid-to-upper 90s fastball makes him still intriguing. Sam Gibbons got the final two outs on strikeouts. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Kingsport 1 Box Score With this win the E-Twins start their season with a three-game road trip in Kingsport. This was a very well-played game with good pitching and hitting. Domenick Carlini made his first pro start. The lefty who was the 21st round pick from Southeastern Louisiana was on his game. He gave up one run on five hits over six innings. He walked none and struck out three. Righty Tyler Beardsley, the Twins 16th round pick from Sacramento State, picked up his first pro save with three shutout innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out one. Offensively, Amaurys Minier led the way. The first baseman went 3-5 and each of his singles drove in runs. He had a two-run and two, one-run singles to give him four RBIs. Ariel Montesino went 2-5 to drop his season batting average to .500 (5-10). Jaylin Davis added his 2nd home run of the young season. Shane Carrier recorded his first hit as a pro, a double. Travis Blankenhorn went 0-3 but was on base four times and scored three times. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The GCL Twins were shut out on Saturday morning in their second game. They managed just three hits and no runners advanced past second base. Joe Cronin had a nice day though. He went 1-2 with two walks. Jean Carlos Arias went 1-3 with a walk. Huascar Ynoa made his first start. He was charged with two runs on seven hits over five innings. He walked on and struck out two. Moises Gomez walked one in an otherwise uneventful inning. Zach Strecker made his first appearance. In his inning, he gave up an unearned run on two hits. Onas Farfan struck out four, and walked one, over two hitless innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Domenick Carlini, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Amaurys Minier, Elizabethton Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler (6-1, 2.49 ERA) Jackson @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (5-4, 3.59 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (3:05 CST) - LHP Randy Rosario (3-5, 3.38 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells (1st MWL start) Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) - RHP Ryan Mason (1st pro start) GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

Yesterday, I began posting my thoughts on the 2016 Twins Roster Projections by considering the catchers in the Twins organization. Today, we move from behind the plate to first base. The Twins first baseman is set through the 2018 season, and with Byung Ho Park signed through 2019 (with an option for 2020), it’s possible the Twins have their first baseman set for the next five years.If anything goes off of plan, who are some of the options to fill in at first base in the coming years, and are there any prospects with the potential to be impact players down the line? Read on and see what you think, and then let’s discuss below in the comments. MAJOR LEAGUES Joe Mauer enters his third season as the Twins first baseman. The last two years have been frustrating for the St. Paul native. In his first ten seasons, Mauer caught. He was a six-time All-Star, a five-time Silver Slugger, a three-time Gold Glove winner, a three-time batting champ and the 2009 MVP. In those ten years, he combined to hit .323/.405/.468 (.873), an OPS 35% better than the average player. His last two seasons, he hit a combined .270/.348/.376 (.715), the OPS is just 1% better than average. Defensively, most of his metric would call him an average or slightly better than average first baseman. Byung Ho Park will be the primary DH, though he was a Gold Glove winner at first base in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). He will likely get some time at first base as well. We have learned that the Gold Glove in Korea is more of an offensive award. The Twins brought Park in for his bat. In the last two years, he has hit a combined 105 homers and driven in 270 runs. Over his last four seasons in the KBO, his OPS were .954, 1.039, 1.119, and 1.150. He will turn 30 in May. There is likely to be a learning curve early in his season. MINOR LEAGUES Rochester Red Wings Kennys Vargas is kind of the odd man out with the signing of Park. He is a first baseman and a DH. Vargas came up from AA on August 1st of 2014 and hit ten doubles and nine homers in 53 games, mostly as the Twins cleanup hitter and DH. 2015 was a frustrating season for the slugger. He began the season in the big leagues. He was sent down to AA. He came back up, but at the end of June, he was sent back to AA, and Miguel Sano was called up. Vargas played well the rest of the way and moved to AAA and came back to the Twins in September. In 58 total games, he hit .240/.277/.349 (.626) with four doubles and five homers. There were rumors about him being sold to Korea, but that would make little sense. He’s still just 25 years old and has an option year remaining. With injury possibilities, and the possibility of Park needing a little time in the minor leagues, having depth will be important. Vargas can also be an intimidating bench bat, due to his size. Reynaldo Rodriguez is 29 years old and 2016 will mark his 11th professional season. After spending time in the Red Sox and Yankees, this will be his fourth in the organization. It will be the first time he has an invitation to big league spring training. In Rochester in 2015, he hit .255/.307/.446 (.753) with 34 doubles, 16 homers and 80 RBI. Chattanooga Lookouts Dalton Hicks was the Twins 17th round pick in 2012 out of Central Florida. He was in AA with the Lookouts in 2015. In fact, he was our choice for Hitter of the Month in April. However, he was hurt most of the rest of the season. He spent it in Ft. Myers rehabbing. He did return to the Lookouts late in the season. He will be 26 years old at the start of the 2016 season. In 2013, he led minor league baseball in RBI with 110 (1 more than teammate Adam Brett Walker). At 6-5 and nearly 250 pounds, Hicks has good power. Bryan Haar was the Twins 34th round pick in 2012 out of the University of San Diego where he played third base before moving to first base to accommodate a third baseman named Kris Bryant. At 6-3 and 220 pounds, Haar is a good athlete with some pop in his bat. He played in just 68 games in Ft. Myers in 2015, largely due to injury. Ft. Myers Miracle Trey Vavra played less than two months of the 2015 season, but he was very good with the Kernels. In fact, when he was hurt in late May, he was leading (or top three) the organization in most offensive categories. However, he suffered an ankle injury that later was determined to be a broken bone in his foot. He had surgery and missed the rest of the season. He has spent this offseason playing for the Melbourne Aces in the ABL, alongside his brother Tanner and playing for his father, Joe. It was an opportunity for him to make up some at bats. Assuming he gets to spring training and 100%, he should be pushed to Ft. Myers. Minnesotan Blake Schmit will also likely be given an opportunity to start the year with the Miracle. A late-round pick in 2014 out of Maryland, Schmit began 2013 in EST. He moved up to Cedar Rapids, but he was hit in the face with a pitch and missed a couple of months. He returned in a utility role for the Miracle. He can play all four infield spots. Cedar Rapids Kernels Zander Wiel will turn 23 next week. He played for three years at Vanderbilt. Last year, he hit .316/.406/.571 (.977) with 19 doubles and 15 homers. The Twins took him in the 12th round and he signed following the College World Series. Wiel is a very good athlete, tall and strong. After signing, he played in just a couple of games before being hit in the hand with a pitch. He missed a month. He is an advanced hitter and should jump straight to Cedar Rapids. Amaurys Minier was the Twins big international signing in 2012. He signed for about $1.5 million. He spent 2013 and 2014 in the GCL and improved his OPS from .707 to .925. He began 2015 in the GCL, but just two games before moving up to Elizabethton. The only reason for that is because he was again hurt late in spring training and rehabbed through extended spring training. He hit just .194/.279/.280 (.559) with nine doubles and two homers in E-Town. Don’t be surprised if he starts in EST again, but he should spend time in Cedar Rapids. Extended Spring Training In July of 2013, the Twins big international signing was outfielder/first baseman Lewin Diaz. His body type is often compared to David Ortiz and Ryan Howard, so first base was always the place he would most likely play. He spent 2014 in the Dominican Summer League. He came to the States in 2015. He played in 33 games for the GCL and hit .261/.354/.369 (.724) with seven doubles and a homer. He moved up to Elizabethton for the final 14 games and hit just .167 but hit three home runs. Power will be his game. He is most likely to spend the year in Elizabethton. Kolton Kendrick was the Twins eighth round pick in 2015 out of high school. He was regarded as the most powerful high school bat in the draft, compared to the likes of Mark McGwire and Josh Hamilton by Baseball America. He’ll strike out a bit, and may not hit for real high average, but his power potential is great. Unfortunately, after signing, he came down with mono and played just 24 games. He hit .200/.371/.271 (.642) with three doubles and a triple while regaining strength. He will go to extended spring training and could go either to Elizabethton or stay in the GCL. SUMMARY Joe Mauer is the first baseman. Byung Ho Park is the designated hitter. They can flip-flop once or twice a week as needed. If either gets hurt, Kennys Vargas is just Rochester away. In the lower levels, there is a lot of big power potential. Hopefully Dalton Hicks and Trey Vavra can return to their early 2015, pre-injury forms. Zander Wiel has power potential. Amaurys Minier, Lewin Diaz and Kolton Kendrick are all very raw, but have very big power potential. First Base Prospect Rankings: Byung Ho Park,Lewin DiazAmaurys MinierKolton KendrickTrey Vavra Click here to view the article

Last week, we began my preliminary Top 50 Minnesota Twins Prospect countdown with Part 1 (41-50) and Part 2 (31-40). Today the countdown continues with Part 3. We’ll run down prospects 26 through 30. This group today starts with a couple of very young, high potential bats and ends with two pitchers who are very different.As a quick reminder, players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2016. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2016 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Part 3: Top Prospects 26-30 #30 – Trey Cabbage - 18 – 3B – GCL Twins Cabbage was the Twins fourth-round draft pick in 2015 out of high school in Rutledge, Tennessee. He gave up a commitment to the University of Tennessee to sign with the Twins. He is a terrific athlete. At 6-3 and about 190 pounds, he is best known for his bat. He primarily played third base, but he also got time in the two corner outfield positions as well as a few games at shortstop. In his professional debut with the GCL Twins, he hit .252/.302/.269 (.571) with two doubles in 129 plate appearances. His season was cut short by a couple of weeks when he strained his back. He will likely begin the 2016 season in Extended Spring Training. Most likely he’ll play in Elizabethton, but if a need came up in Cedar Rapids, it is possible he could spend time there as well. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A #29 – Amaurys Minier - 19 – 1B – GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins Minier signed a seven-digit signing bonus with the Twins in July of 2012. He played for the GCL Twins in 2013 and 2014, showing big improvement the second year. Hopes were high for Minier heading into this season. Unfortunately, toward the end of spring training, he was hit by a pitch and broke his hand. He rehabbed the injury throughout Extended Spring Training and played in two rehab games in the GCL. He moved up to Elizabethton, but he really struggled offensively. In 50 games, he hit .184/.279/.280 with nine doubles and two homers. He struck out 66 times in 201 plate appearances. Signed as a third baseman, he moved quickly to the outfield and when that didn’t go well, he was moved to first base. It will be interesting to see if he moves up to Cedar Rapids to start the 2016 season, or if he returns to Extended Spring Training and spends a fourth season in the rookie leagues. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (22), 2014 (16) #28 – Travis Harrison - 23 – OF – Chattanooga Lookouts Harrison was the Twins second supplemental first round pick in 2011 out of high school in California. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, he is very strong. He played outfield in high school and then moved to third base for his first two seasons as a pro. In 2014, he moved back to the outfield which is where he played in 2015 (though he played left field in 2014 and right field in 2015). In 115 games with the Lookouts, he hit .240/.363/.356 (.719) with 23 doubles, four triples and five home runs. After hitting 15 homers for Cedar Rapids in 2013, he has hit just eight over the last two seasons. He has an advanced approach at the plate, and if patient, the power will come. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (23), 2014 (14), 2013 (14), 2012 (12) #27 – Yorman Landa - 21 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins signed Landa from Venezuela in 2010. He spent a year in the DSL, a year in the GCL, and then a year in the Appy League. He began the 2014 season with the Kernels and was named to the league’s All Star game. However, he missed the second half of the season after having shoulder surgery. He returned to the Kernels on May 19th and pitched an inning. However, he returned to Florida. A month later, he began a rehab assignment in the GCL which lasted eight games over three weeks. In mid-July he returned to the Kernels and was terrific the rest of the way. In 26 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 30 while allowing opponents to hit just .191. He was frequently hitting 98 and 99 on the radar guy. Like others, it was most important for Landa to get through the season healthy. He did and is pitching in Venezuela this winter. He should start 2016 in Ft. Myers with the Miracle. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2014 (30) #26 – Aaron Slegers - 23 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Slegers was the Big 10 Pitcher of the Year while at Indiana in 2013. The Twins made him their fifth round pick. At 6-10 and 250 pounds, the lanky right-hander has impeccable control. He ended his 2014 season with three starts with the Miracle. That’s where he began the 2015 season. In 19 starts, he was 8-6 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. In 119.1 innings, he walked just 21 and struck out 80. He earned a late-season promotion to Chattanooga where he went 1-4 with a 4.91 ERA in six starts. That’s where he’ll begin the 2016 season as well with the possibility of a promotion to Rochester at some point. He doesn’t throw real hard, but he has three pitches and a sense of how to pitch. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A So, what do you think of Part 3, Prospects 26-30? Later this week, we’ll continue the countdown. Feel free to share your thoughts on these prospects. Who is too high or too low on this list? Click here to view the article

The Red Wings won, and the GCL Twins split a doubleheader. Other than that, it was a night of tough losses in the Twins minor league system. The Twins made a trade that affected a couple of players in the Twins farm system as well, but there was another well-earned promotion.All that and more can be found as you work your way through today’s minor league report. TRANSACTIONS The trade deadline came and passed on Friday afternoon, and the Twins minor league system was affected. The Twins acquired RH RP Kevin Jepsen from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for RHP Chih-Wei Hu and RHP Alexis Tapia. With Jepsen joining the Twins on Saturday, along with the return of Trevor Plouffe from the paternity list, the Twins needed to take two players off of the 25-man roster. Danny Santana has been optioned to Rochester and Jorge Polanco has been optioned to Chattanooga. Also, hot-hitting GCL shortstop Jermaine Palacios was promoted to Elizabethton. So was catcher Brian Olson. Infielder Ariel Montesino was sent down to the GCL Twins. Also, a week ago, the Twins signed outfielder Christian Cavaness. He was an NAIA All-American and Lindenwood University-Belleville player but went undrafted. He was playing for the Bend Elk in the college West Coast League and after a tryout, signed with the Twins. Two years ago, the Twins signed LHP Cameron Booser from the same team as a non-drafted free agent. Cavaness came on as a pinch runner on Saturday, his first pro appearance. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Syracuse 3 Box Score Taylor Rogers evened his season record at 8-8 on Friday night. The southpaw gave up three runs on four hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out eight. Mark Hamburger struck out two over two perfect innings. Aaron Thompson walked one in a scoreless ninth. The Red Wings got a lot of contributions in this win. James Beresford went 2-5 with his 18th double. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-5 with his 25th double and 12th home run. Danny Ortiz had two hits, including his 26th double. Chris Herrmann went 2-3 with his first home run. He also stole his second base. Argenis Diaz was 2-3 with a walk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Pensacola 4 Box Score Greg Peavey made his first start since returning from Rochester. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits in 6.1 innings. He walked two and struck out four. Jake Reed pitched an inning. He gave up two runs on one hit and three walks. DJ Johnson got the final five outs. The Lookouts managed just five hits in the game. Max Kepler’s tenth triple drove in the team’s lone run. Shannon Wilkerson hit his fourth double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 8 Box Score Kohl Stewart spent the last several days reading rumors that he might have been traded. His start was pushed back a day to occur after the trade deadline. Finally able to focus on pitching, Stewart had a rough one. He gave up seven runs on seven hits, a walk and two hit batters in 5.1 innings. He struck out one. Zack Jones struck out three of the five batters that he faced. Tyler Jay gave up one run on one hit and a walk in his inning. The Miracle mustered just three hits. Engelb Vielma hit his ninth double. Ryan Walker hit his third double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 6 Box Score The Kernels had nine hits, but 13 strikeouts ended several threats. Edgar Corcino and Brett Doe each went 2-4. Tanner English hit his 15th double. Randy Rosario started and was charged with four runs on six hits. He gave up nine hits, walked one and struck out four. Mike Theofanopoulos gave up one run on two hits in two innings. He struck out two. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Burlington 12 Box Score After hitting .421/.472/.589 (1.061) in 26 GCL games, Jermaine Palacios was promoted to Elizabethton. He started out with a bang. He went 3-5 with a three-run homer and added another RBI. Of course, it wasn’t all great. He had two errors at shortstop in the game. Amaurys Minier went 2-4 with his seventh and eight doubles. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-3 with a walk and his third double. Brad Hartong hit his second double. Cody Stashak started and gave up three runs on five hits in just three innings. He struck out three. Anthony Mciver came on and gave up four runs on six hits and a walk in just 1.2 innings. He struck out one. Tyler Stirewalt gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in three innings. He struck out two. Josh Guyer went the final 1.1 innings. He gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 – GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 1 Box Score Williams Ramirez takes the loss in this one, though he continues to pitch great. He gave up one run on two hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out eight. His falls to 3-1 with a 0.57 ERA in 31.1 innings. Again, he will turn 23 in one week, so I asked about him. Turns out that he is a converted third baseman who had done almost no pitching growing up. He has a strong arm and good feel for his secondary pitches, but he’s still quite raw. He’s certainly making a strong impression. Johan Quezada, another strong-armed right hander, came on and struck out two (and walked one) in two innings. Unfortunately in the first game, the GCL Twins – like the big league club – managed just one hit, a Ruar Verkerk single. In some good news, infielder Blake Schmidt returned to the field. He went 0-1 with a walk in his first game since he was hit in the face with a pitch in Cedar Rapids. He required surgery and has been working to come back for a month. Game 2 – GCL Twins 10, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score After getting just one hit in the first game, the Twins put up ten runs. They had eight hits but were also helped by 10 walks. Luis Arraez went 2-4 with two RBI. Kolton Kendrick went 1-2 with three walks. Robert Molina and Ariel Montesino each walked twice as well. Jose Martinez started and gave up only an unearned run on two hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out two. John Curtiss continues to rehab. He threw two perfect innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Martinez, GCL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jermaine Palacios, Elizabethton Twins SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Pensacola @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Burlington @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00am CST) – TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

There wasn't too much to be happy about across Twins Territory on Sunday. The big league club got destroyed out in Oakland and four of the team's five minor league affiliates were also unsuccessful in their attempts at victory. Even with not such positive outcomes in the win-loss column, there were still some strong performances at multiple levels. To see who fared well through all the losing, keep reading.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 2 Box Score Greg Peavey picked up his first win since being promoted from Double-A at the end of last month and the bottom half of the batting order provided enough offense for the club's 51st win. Peavey tossed six frames while allowing two earned runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked three. Michael Tonkin and Logan Darnell combined for three perfect innings to close out the win. Rochester got off to a slow start in this one as they were being no-hit through four innings but they combined to go 4-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Eric Farris, Argenis Diaz and Carlos Paulino all had two hits as they batted seven through nine in the order. Diaz drove in two runs and scored two while Paulino drove in three and threw out a runner from behind the plate. With the win, Rochester improved to seven games over .500 as the club leads the International League North Division by one game over the Scranton/WB RailRiders. The Red Wings next opponent, the Gwinnett Braves, is two games under .500 and seven games out of first in the IL South Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga --, Biloxi -- (Postponed- Rain) Rain postponed this game before a pitch could be thrown. The two clubs will not meet again during the regular season so the game will not be made up. The Lookouts won three of the four games in the series before tonight's cancellation. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Jupiter 3 Box Score Jupiter pounded out 10 hits to slide by Fort Myers. Nick Burdi took the loss after allowing two runs in two innings of work. Stephen Gonsalves started the game and pitched five innings of one-run ball with two strikeouts and two walks. Brian Gilbert pitched two shutout innings to end the game. TJ White was the lone Miracle batter with multiple hits as he went 2-for-4. Mitch Garver kept the team in the game with a solo home run, his seventh of the year. Alex Swim collected a pinch-hit double but that runner was one of nine runners left on base by the club. Fort Myers has lost seven of their last nine games but the club is surprisingly only four games out of first place in the Florida State League South Division. The Miracle will look to get back on track as they continue the series against the last place Jupiter Hammerheads on Monday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 5 Box Score Luke Westphal took the loss but it wasn't because of his performance on the mound. He went six strong innings while allowing two runs, one earned run, with four strikeouts and two walks. At one point, the southpaw retired nine straight batters. After Westphal left, Chris Mazza got beat around for three runs on four hits, minimizing the chances for a comeback victory. Edgar Corcino reached base three times as part of a 2-for-3 effort. Tyler Kuresa scored the lone run of the game for the Kernels. The only extra-base hit came off the bat of Pat Kelly, his eighth double of the season. Nick Gordon saw his 17-game hitting streak come to an end after going 0-for-4. Overall, the team left five runners on base and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Kernels have lost six of their last eight and they sit eight games behind Kane County for first place in the Midwest League Western Division. E-Twins E-Notes E-Twins 3, Burlington 13 Box Score The E-Twins found themselves in a very tight game before the B-Royals pounded out eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tyler Stirewalt and Jose Abreu surrendered all eight runs in the inning with seven of the eight runs being earned. Cody Stashak started and finished with six innings, two earned runs, five strikeouts and three walks. It wasn't all bad for the E-Twins. Amaurys Minier went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Daniel Kihle reached base three times in four trips and hit his first triple. LaMonte Wade scored a run and knocked his third triple of the season. It wouldn't be nearly enough as the team was sent to a double-digit loss for the first time all season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Greg Peavey, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Amaurys Minier, Elizabethton Twins MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Gwinnett (6:05 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (6:15 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers vs. Jupiter (6:05 CST) – TBA Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:00 CST) – TBA Elizabethton @ Burlington (6:00 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez GLC Twins vs. GCL Orioles (11:00 am CST) – TBA Click here to view the article

Brian Dozier is an All-Star. The Twins topped the Tigers again. Kohl Stewart and Randy Rosario were very good. A 2015 draft pick continues to impress on the mound in E-Town, while a fellow 2015 pick was promoted to Cedar Rapids. The minor league leader in hits added three more on Saturday and a top prospect had his first two doubles. And, Rochester had a big, late inning rally. It was a full day in the Twins system on Saturday!Here's what happened in the Twins farm system on Saturday. TRANSACTIONS 2015 Twins draft pick Sean Miller was promoted from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids, taking T.J. White’s spot. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Syracuse 4 Box Score Down 4-2 going into the eighth inning, the Red Wings put together a very quick rally. James Beresford singled to lead off the inning. Oswaldo Arcia doubled high off the right field wall to drive in one. Reynaldo Rodriguez scored Arcia with his 21st double of his own. Danny Ortiz then homered to break the tie and give the Red Wings a 6-4 lead. All runs were charged to #OldFriend PJ Walters. The Red Wings added two more runs in the top of the ninth. James Beresford went 3-5. Arcia went 2-4 with a walk and his tenth double. Ortiz drove in three runs. Chris Herrmann went 2-3 with a walk and a double.Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-5 with a double. Pat Dean started. He went the first four innings and was charged with three runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out five. Alex Meyer went the next 2.1 innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. Michael Tonkin gave up just one hit and recorded the next five outs. AJ Achter came on to protect the four-run lead in the ninth. After giving up back-to-back singles to start the ninth, he got back-to-back strikeouts followed by a groundout to end the game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Mississippi 5 Box Score The Lookouts continue to struggle, falling to 3-12 in the second half. DJ Baxendale started and gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out two. Scott Atchison needed just 20 pitches to get through two perfect innings. Tim Shibuya walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth. The Lookouts managed just five hits. Adam Brett Walker went 2-4 (including a ninth inning single off of fellow Milwaukee native and former Twins prospect Tyler Jones – who struck out two in a scoreless ninth frame). Kennys Vargas went 1-3 with a walk and his second Lookout double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Clearwater 1 Box Score Kohl Stewart improved to 4-5 on the season and dropped his season ERA to 3.28 on Saturday night. The right-hander went seven innings and gave up one run on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two. Dallas Gallant struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning. Corey Williams gave up two hits but no runs in a scoreless inning. Alex Swim provided another big game. He went 3-4 with his ninth double and two RBIs and is now hitting .316. Michael Quesada went 2-2 with two walks. Ryan Walker went 2-4. Mitch Garver hit his 15th double. Tanner Vavra’s two-run single gave the Miracle the lead. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Kane County 0 Box Score Randy Rosario began the 2014 season in the Cedar Rapids rotation. After one start, he was done and had Tommy John surgery. On Saturday night, Rosario made his second start since his return. He went six shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out four. Cameron Booser struck out three over two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked a batter. Trevor Hildenberger worked the ninth inning. He gave up a hit but recorded his 12th save of the season, as his ERA dropped to 0.85. Brian Navarreto got the Kernels offense going. His two-run single in the second inning provided all the scoring. Newcomer Sean Miller played shortstop and went 2-4. Tanner English led off and went 2-4 with a walk. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Johnson City 1 Box Score Cody Stashak was the Twins 13th round pick in June out of St. Johns. In his first two starts, he gave up no runs in nine innings. This start began with three more scoreless innings before he gave up a single run in the fourth. In his six innings, he gave up just the one run on six hits. He struck out seven without issuing a walk. Onesimo Hernandez gave up two hits and a walk in two scoreless innings. Kuo Hua Lo pitched a perfect ninth. Amaurys Minier led the offense. He hit his first two E-Town doubles in his first two at-bats and ended the game 3-4. A.J. Murray went 2-4 and put the game out of reach with a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The homer was his second of the season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 0 Box Score The Twins scored two in the bottom of the first. That was it for scoring. Fortunately, five pitchers were able to hold the Red Sox scoreless all nine innings. Luis Arraez led off the bottom of the first with a single. Three batters later, Lewin Diaz doubled him in. Later, Jermaine Palacios scored on a passed ball. The Twins had just seven hits in the game. No one had more than one. Jose Martinez started and threw four scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked one. Miguel Gonzalez came on and struck out four over two shutout innings. Chris Mazza struck out two in his rehab outing. Johan Quezada came on and hit 97 a few times. He worked a perfect eighth. Yorman Landa finished things out with a perfect ninth. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy Rosario, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Amaurys Minier, Elizabethton Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (12:05 CST) – RHP Greg Peavey Mississippi @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (305 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (1:00 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Johnson City @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

More national prospect rankings are being unveiled each week. The Twins have been ranked as having one of the top two or three farm systems in all of baseball again this year. We know that the organization has some high-end, potential impact big leaguers and several of them are getting close to being promoted. Because of that, Twins Daily is going to, over the next few weeks, produce our Top 20 Twins Prospects. Today, we begin with our choices for Twins prospects 16 through 20.20. Amaurys Minier – OF/1B Age: 19 2014 Stats (Rookie): .292/.405/.520 (.925), 11-2B, 2-3B, 8-HR, 33 RBI ETA: 2019 Minier was the Twins big international signing in 2012. He got a $1.4 million signing bonus as a 16 year old from the Dominican Republic. His professional career began in 2013 with the GCL Twins where the switch-hitter hit just .214/.252/.455 (.707) in 31 games. However, he still showed his tremendous power potential with five doubles, two triples and six home runs. In the offseason, he had shoulder surgery. Few believed he would be able to stick at third base, so he began to work in the outfield and some at first base. He returned to the GCL in 2014 and was much improved. His plate discipline and his power were able to develop. Minier just turned 19 last week and should spend 2015 with the Elizabethton Twins. 19. Travis Harrison – OF Age: 22 2014 Stats (A+): .269/.361/.365 (.726), 33-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 59 RBI ETA: 2017 Harrison was the Twins' first of two supplemental first round picks in the 2011 draft. His career began in 2012 when he hit .301 (.845 OPS) with 21 extra base hits in Elizabethton’s short season. He moved up to Cedar Rapids in 2013 and hit .253. However, he got on base almost 37% of the time and hit 28 doubles and 15 home runs. Following that season, he made the move from third base to left field. In 2014 he played in Ft. Myers. He continued to show very good strike zone judgment. He showed doubles power in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, but the 6-1, 220 pounder hit just three home runs. Harrison will be 22 years old through the 2015 season. I suspect he’ll start the season back with the Miracle, but he should get an opportunity to move up to Chattanooga during the season. He is a solid hitter who uses the entire field. He cut his strikeout total by about 30% from the previous season in the exact same number of plate appearances. He has tremendous strength, so expect him to put up bigger power numbers as he moves up. 18. Jake Reed – RHP Age: 22 2014 Stats (Rk/A): 3-0, 8 Saves, 0.29 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 39 K ETA: 2016 With the Twins fifth round pick, they drafted their fourth straight college relief pitcher. They took Jake Reed who was the closer for the University of Oregon in 2014 after two years as a starter. He signed quickly for $350K. He pitched in four games for Elizabethton and 16 more for Cedar Rapids. In all, he put up video game numbers. For his work, he received an invitation to represent the Twins in the Arizona Fall League where he gave up just one run. Reed has a fastball that sits 93-95 mph and runs in on a right-handed hitter. He also has a very sharp slider that dives away from a right-hander. He will be just 22 years old through the 2015 season. He likely will start the season in Ft. Myers but should move up to Chattanooga fairly quickly. There is a chance he could be in the big leagues in 2015. 17. Stuart Turner – C Age: 23 2014 Stats (A+): .249/.322/.375 with 16-2B, 2-3B, 7-HR, 40 RBI ETA: 2016 Turner was the Twins third round pick in 2013 out of Ole Miss. He was awarded the Johnny Bench Award as the top college catcher that season. He spent that summer in Elizabethton. After going to big league spring training, Turner skipped the Midwest League and jumped to Ft. Myers. On May 25, he was hitting just .188. From that point on, he made some adjustments and hit .282/.360/.427 with 19 of his 25 extra base hits. At 6-3 and 230 pounds, he presents a big target behind the plate. He has the trust of his pitchers and his strong arm helped him to throw out 32% of would-be base runners. He will again go to big league spring training with the Twins and should spend the season as a 23 year old at AA Chattanooga. 16. Tyler Duffey – RHP Age: 24 2014 Stats (A+/AA/AAA): 13-3, 3.68 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 149.1 IP, 30 BB, 113 K ETA: 2015 At Rice, Duffey teamed with JT Chargois as co-closers. Duffey was the Twins fifth round pick in 2012 and pitched great in Elizabethton that summer. In 2013, he started in Cedar Rapids and quickly moved up to Ft. Myers which is where he began the 2014 season. After four starts with the Miracle, and a 3-0 record, he was moved up to New Britain. He made 18 starts with the Rock Cats and went 8-3. His season ended with three starts in Rochester where he went 2-0. As impressive, his strikeout rate rose at each level, from 5.2 to 6.8 to 9.0. Duffey’s fastball sits between 91 and 94 as a starter and 97 in the bullpen. He throws a cutter in the upper-80s. His 12-6 curveball is probably his best strikeout pitch. He’s still improving his changeup. At 6-3 and 230 pounds, Duffey gets a lot of his strength from his legs. He could go back to AA to start the 2015 season depending upon the numbers. However, if he does, he should be the first guy called up to Rochester. He was recently invited to big league camp as well. Check back later this week for Part 2 of the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects Countdown. Click here to view the article