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The Twins used the sixth overall pick of the 2015 MLB Draft on left-handed pitcher Tyler Jay. The southpaw has dealt with a variety of injuries that cost him his velocity and the electricity on his pitches. He was back in Double-A for a fourth straight season. On Monday, the Twins cut ties with Jay, trading him to the Reds for cash. Hopefully a fresh start helps Jay find his stuff again.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Pensacola announced that RHP Griffin Jax has been activated from the IL. RHP Williams Ramirez has been placed on the 7 Day IL.Pensacola also announced that the Twins have traded LHP Tyler Jay, the teams 2015 first-round draft pick, to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations.LHP Adalberto Mejia began his rehab stint on Monday with the Ft. Myers Miracle.I saw that we missed the following transactions on Sunday: KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Peoria 1 Box Score In a morning game, the Kernels scored four in the third inning and three more in the fourth inning and cruised to a 10-1 win in Peoria. They ended a 14-game road trip with a 9-5 record. However, let’s start with the pitching. Kai-Wei Teng started and gave up one run over six innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out eight batters to record his first Kernels win. Jose Martinez pitched a scoreless seventh frame. JT Perez made his Midwest League debut and tossed two scoreless innings. Jared Akins provided the power in the third inning with a three-run homer. It was his sixth of the season. In the fourth inning, Jacob Pearson hit his third homer of the season, a two-run shot, and Ricky De La Torre followed with his second Kernels homer. Pearson and De La Torre each had two hits. Ben Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with his seventh and eighth doubles. Andrew Bechtold went 2-for-4 with a walk and his 11th and 12th doubles. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-4 with a walk and his eighth double. Yeltsin Encarnacion hit his second triple, and Estamy Urena added his fourth double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Blayne Enlow, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ben Rodriguez, Cedar Rapids Kernels PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-4 #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured List #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB, K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, BB, K #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled. #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - 6 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (79 pitches, 49 strikes) #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled. #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List (elbow) #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB, HR(6), R, RBI, K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 1-3, BB #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (thumb) #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, BB, 2B(8), R #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, 2B(13), K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer (0-1, 1.82 ERA) Pensacola @ Biloxi (10:35 am CST) - RHP Andro Cutura (1-2 4.45 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Tampa (DH @ 3:30 CST) - TBD, TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Austin Schulfer (4-3, 3.02 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games or any other minor league topics you would like. Click here to view the article

A milestone will have to be put on hold for at least one more day. Long-time Elizabethton manager and former Twins catcher Ray Smith currently stands at 999 career wins in the Appy League. Unfortunately rain postponed his team’s game on Wednesday. Maybe Thursday, though the scheduled doubleheader is questionable if you look at the forecast. But there was still a lot of action in the Twins minor leagues on Wednesday. Tyler Austin hit another homer. Griffin Jax was really good again too.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Byron Buxton was placed on the Red Wings disabled list with a left wrist strain.Rochester added RHP Chase De Jong. He will start on Thursday afternoon.1B/3B Ryan Costello came to the Twins from the Mariners where he had been playing at Clinton under former Twins utility man Denny Hocking. He reported to the Miracle, so he received a promotion with his new organization.1B/DH Robby Rinn was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers.1B/C Ben Rodriguez was sent down to Cedar Rapids because C David Banuelos went on the Kernels DL with a concussion.IF Victor Tademo returned to the GCL Twins from the Miracle.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 6, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score Zack Littell put together a strong start and was helped by the bullpen and the bats to earn his third Red Wings win. Littell gave up two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out three. Ryne Harper came on and struck out five batters over two perfect innings. Alan Busenitz got the ninth inning and struck out two batters to end the game. Jon Kemmer went 2-for-4 with his fourth double and first triple since joining the Red Wings. He drove in three runs. Jordan Pacheco went 2-for-4 with his third double. Tyler Austin continued to hurt the team that he played for just two days ago. The former Yankees player went 2-for-4 with his second homer in as many games, his eighth International League homer of the year. And yes, it was a long one again. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton, Johnson City Box Score Rain also caused the postponement of this game. The teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday. Perhaps delaying for a day a huge milestone. With the next Elizabethton win, manager Ray Smith will reach the 1,000 win total. GCL TWINS TALK Game 1 - GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 6 (resumption from Tuesday) Box Score Down a run heading into the bottom of the ninth inning of this game resumed from Tuesday, the Twins put the ball in play enough to score two runs and get a walkoff win. Before the rains came on Tuesday,Tyler Benninghoff started. He gave up three runs on two hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out two. Then Erik Cha came on and struck out two in his inning. When the game resumed on Wednesday, Junior Navas took the mound. He gave up two runs on four hits over two innings. He struck out one. Steven Cruz gave up an unearned run on one hit and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. Denny Bentley came on for the final two outs. Former Twins pitcher Ryan O’Rourke came on for the bottom of the ninth inning, continuing his rehab. The inning started with an error on the third baseman. Then a bunt single down the third base line. And then another, to load the bases. There was a fourth grounder toward third base which scored the tying run despite the throw coming home. Finally, Tyler Webb came up and hit a sacrifice fly to end the game. Yeison Perez went 2-for-4 with his seventh double and two RBI. Erick Rivera and two hits and two RBI. Hunter Lee also had two hits. Charlie Mack went 1-for-3 with a walk. Game 2 - GCL Twins 1, GCL Orioles 0 (8 innings) Box Score The regularly scheduled game ended up going an extra inning, but this time the Orioles won in a walkoff. Donny Breek, the reigning Twins minor league pitcher of the month, gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits over four innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out five. JT Perez came on and struck out one in a 1-2-3 inning. Osiris German got the sixth inning and struck out two. Petru Balan pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but in the eighth frame, he gave up the tying run (who started the innings at second base) and one more run to take the loss. Alberoni Nunez got the Twins off to a big start. He hit a first-inning grand slam. Agustin Marte went 2-for-4 with his fourth double. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Ben Rodriguez, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Griffin Jax, Ft. Myers Miracle (7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 96 pitches, 71 strikes) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. Please note that this Prospect Summary has been updated. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-4, BB, 2B(6), 3 R #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) -1-3, HBP, RBI, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 0-4 #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch #6 - Trevor Larnach (Elizabethton) - Rained out. #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - Rained out. #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, 2 BB #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (97 pitches, 60 strikes) #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-4, 2B(8), R #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, HR(10), 4 RBI, R, K #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Rained out. #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - Rained out. #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - will have surgery on his wrist soon. Out for season. #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, BB, R, K #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - Rained out. #21 - Jose Miranda (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4 *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (11:35 am CST) - RHP Chase De Jong (1st Red Wings/Twins start) Mississippi @ Chattanooga (6:00 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (6-4, 3.61 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - Bullpen Game started by Jovani Moran Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00 CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (7-3, 3.53 ERA) Elizabethton @ Johnson City (DH @ 4:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm, RHP Andrew Cabezas GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions about Wednesday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Ben Rodriguez looks the part of a great athlete. He stands 6-6 and weighs in at about 230 pounds.He’s lean, and he’s strong. He is an athlete, and he’s a pretty good baseball player. But Rodriguez is more than just baseball. He’s got a fascinating family, and he’s got plans beyond baseball. Today, let’s get to know a little bit more about Cedar Rapids first baseman and catcher Ben Rodriguez.“I’m good at being an athlete. I want to be a good baseball player.” Ben Rodriguez is 23-years-old, one of the elder statesmen on a very young Cedar Rapids Kernels roster. However, he may have the least time spent on a baseball field relative to many of the hitters on the roster. He is currently on the Kernels disabled list. Through his first 35 games, he has hit .237/.302/.377 (.680) with seven doubles and three home runs. He has come up with some big hits for the Kernels. But he acknowledges that he needs time and games and at bats. Rodriguez grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he played a lot of basketball. His father has played basketball in the Dominican Republic. Ben played a little baseball, but he was also a good basketball player. He didn’t start playing baseball only until midway through his high school years. He was pretty good at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, so as graduation approached, he had several college options to continue playing baseball. One school that jumped out for him was Pepperdine for a variety of reasons, and then he took his visit to the school and was sold. Rodriguez said, “I had options. Before I visited the school, I knew it was a very competitive academic school, which meant a lot to me. It was a smaller school, which I liked, great academics and great athletics. Once I visited, I was sold. I had to go there.” His first year at Pepperdine, he didn’t play much. The next year, he missed a lot of time due to injury. But he played in 91 games over his final two seasons. As the draft approached following his senior season in 2017, he wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. He didn’t have an agent. He knew he wouldn’t go on Day 1, but senior signs can start getting phone calls from teams around the fifth or sixth rounds. He heard from a couple of teams on Day 2, but he wasn’t drafted. Day 3 is a long day as Rounds 11 through 40 are covered. It’s a long day for the teams, and it can be a long day for the players. Rodriguez noted, “I didn’t know what was going on. I was pretty confused. I was a little overwhelmed. Teams were calling and asking a lot of questions. I didn’t really follow the draft. I figured if someone called me, they’d call me. If not, I don’t know.” Mid-afternoon, Rodriguez went to lunch with a friend. “Basically, I hadn’t received a call. I guess I wasn’t getting drafted. It was a good run. I had a good time. That whole process, I went through it with him at that time. What am I going to do now?” And right after that, he said, “I got a text from the Twins. They were saying, ‘It’s late, but you’re still on the board and we want you to be on our team. What would you think if we drafted you here?’” He was interested, but there were some deep thoughts going on through his head in literally just a few moments. “To be honest with you, at first I was thinking to myself, I don’t know. What kind of opportunity will I get? Then I talked to some people close to me very briefly, but I had an overwhelming Yes. You have to go. You have to give it a shot. It was incredible. I had realized that dream I had all my life. No matter if it doesn’t come to you how or when you want it to, I had still achieved it. That was huge. That was a really big moment for me. I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t expecting to feel that way.” Let’s just say this… If Ben Rodriguez had not been drafted and been given this opportunity in baseball, he was going to be just fine. When he said that he picked Pepperdine in large part for the academics, it wasn’t just lip service. Rodriguez graduated in four years from Pepperdine with a degree in physics with an emphasis in electricity and magnetism. “I went there originally as an engineering major. A lot of physics overlaps with engineering. I love science and I just thought it was so interesting. After my freshman year, I had taken some physics classes, and after that I thought, Absolutely, this is what I want to do. As far as interest in magnetism, I just thought it was cool. Those were fun classes for me. They were super challenging, really hard, and I like them so much. It was some extra class. I picked it, and that was my track.” If he wasn’t playing baseball right now, he would be continuing his education. “Last summer, before I had been drafted, I had applied and been accepted into the medical school at Columbia University.” While he hadn’t taken a pre-med curriculum at Pepperdine, Columbia has a program designed to achieve that goal. “It’s called the post baccalaureate pre-medical program. It’s a program specifically designed for people who didn’t necessarily major in something to do with medicine. If you want to go there, you take the pre-med classes and then you get accepted and go to their medical school. I was on track to get into their medical program.” Not a bad fall back plan, I’d say. While he notes that the acceptance can only be deferred for a year, he did talk to people at Columbia and told them he was playing baseball. “They were extremely supportive of the decision, and they told me whenever your career is over, try again.” He acknowledged, “It gives me time. I didn’t really know what I wanted, to be honest. I knew I was a good student, and I knew I wanted to continue my education. That seemed like the most altruistic way to continue my education, to go to medical school and help people the best way that you can which is all I really cared about doing. Now that I’m here, I’m afforded more opportunities and I have more time to see if maybe there is another path that I can go on to fulfill that. Whatever it is. At some point, either during or after my career, my education will be continued.” Helping people is something that is very important in the Rodriguez family. It’s not just words. They put their will to help people into action. Ben’s mom joined the Peace Corp after college and was sent to the Dominican Republic where she was able to help a lot of people. That’s also where she met Ben’s dad, who is a doctor. Ben also has an older sister who is a public school teacher in Brooklyn. “She did ‘Teach for America’ which is a branch of the Peace Corp. She went to the inner-city of Dallas and taught. She postponed continuing her education to do that. I’m very proud of her. Right now, she’s at Columbia getting her Masters in Education and teaching at the same time.” His junior year of college, Ben went to Ecuador to teach. Yes, it is fair to say that altruism runs in the family’s genetics. A scouting report on Ben Rodriguez might look optimistic and glowing. At first glance, Rodriguez has the size (6-6, 230), some good speed, power and power potential and more. He's got the size to play first, but is nimble around the bag which is important. He has the ability to, as he said, “look good in a showcase. I can throw really hard. I can hit really far. I can run pretty fast.” It was that athleticism and the tools that made him standout to me during spring training. He continued, “I think I’m good at being an athlete right now. I don’t know if that’s necessarily something to be good at. That’s what I feel. I can react to pitches. I can hit guys who throw really hard. I can make good plays at first base. I can move around. I can catch well. I am flexible. I am a good athlete right now, but I want to be a good baseball player.” But Rodriguez is still very raw on the field, and he knows it. “I need to work on everything in the sense that I need to develop myself as a ballplayer. I’ve always been toolsy. But as a ballplayer I need to develop. I talk about that with Toby all the time, whether it’s having a better approach at the plate, or being more savvy with how I approach things offensively or defensively. Being a baseball player. I have a brain. I love learning, and I love thinking. My whole career thus far has been predicated on the fact that I can do things that are cool. I can come into a game and hit a ball really far, but I’m less attune to some things that others do. There are some things that you can only get through playing more and more games. I didn't play much in college. The last two years, I played, but I didn’t play summer ball. I don’t have the game time that most guys have. I think that’s a plus for me. When I look at my career. When I look at my strengths as a baseball player, I think I have the tools that I need. The thing that I need is just more time. What do I need to work on? I need to work on everything. I need to work on approach and knowing myself as a player.” When the Twins called his name in the 38th round in 2017, they selected him as a catcher. Of his 35 games played this year, just six of them have been behind the plate. He played little behind the plate in college, but he was a catcher in high school. “The scout who drafted me had seen me in high school as a catcher. Can you still catch? Obviously, being a kid who wanted to play professional baseball, I was like Sure, I’ll do whatever you want. I loved catching. In college it didn’t work out that way. There was more of an opportunity for me to play in different spots, so I moved around.” Here’s hoping that the Twins give him some of that time that he needs to develop. Watch him play and you can see the potential. With his size and strength and speed, it is certainly worth giving him time to see if those athletic tools can turn into more polished skills in time. Click here to view the article

The Kernels scored nine. The Lookouts scored 13. Chattanooga and Ft. Myers got terrific starting pitching performances. Alex Kirilloff became the first Twins minor leaguer to reach double-digits in home runs. Find out which minor leaguers were named the organization’s Player and Pitcher of the Week. And, by the way, Eddie Rosario had an incredible game for the big league club.Keep reading to find out more on the events in the Twins minor league system on Sunday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. AWARDS The Twins announced that Cedar Rapids infielder Jose Miranda was the organization’s Player of the Week. Lookouts righty Omar Bencomo was named the organization’s Pitcher of the Week. TRANSACTIONS Almost surprisingly, there were no Twins minor league transactions on Sunday.RED WINGS REPORTRochester, Norfolk Box Score The game was delayed and soon after it was called. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in Rochester in July. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 13, Mobile 5 Box Score Maybe Lewis Thorpe has figured things out in the Southern League. After posting his best start of the season last time out, he posted a new best start of the year on Sunday. The lefty from Australia threw six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, walked two and struck out six. Sam Clay came on and was charged with five runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two. Zack Jones got the final four outs. He gave up a hit and walked one. The Lookouts offense was helped by some shaky pitching. They scored their 13 runs on just seven hits, but they also took 12 walks. A nine-run fifth inning started with an error. LaMonte Wade then hit his seventh home run. After an out, Mobile pitchers went on to walk six straight batters. When Wade came back to the plate, he added another run-scoring single. Wade led the way. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, his seventh homer and four RBIs. He also stole his fifth base. Zander Wiel went 2-for-5 with his 17th double. Chris Paul walked twice while Alex Perez and James Ramsey each walked twice. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 1 Box Score Right-hander Tyler Wells has had a strong start to his 2018 season for Ft. Myers. Wells put together the best start of his season on Sunday afternoon. In eight innings, Wells gave up just one run on two hits. The only blemish was a solo home run in the seventh inning. He walked one and struck out seven. He improved to 4-3 with a 2.86 ERA. Well noted following the outing, “I would say that commanding the inside part of the plate with my fastball was the key. Really made my offspeed better, and more effective!” As impressive, Wells completed eight innings for the first time this season and just the second time since being drafted in the 15th round of the 2016 draft out of college. Not only was it the first time he’d completed eight, it was the first time this season that he had made pitches in the seventh or eighth innings. Wells was at 90 pitches through seven innings and manager Ramon Borrego had him go out for the eighth. He finished with 101 pitches. Was he surprised he got the eighth inning? “I wouldn’t say surprised is the right word. I’ve had issues this season and many seasons before with pitch counts getting high very fast. So I would say I was pleased to get there and the fact I could finish it off strong!” Wells threw a one-two-three eighth inning and struck out the final two batters. Lefty Andrew Vasquez picked up his fourth save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning. He walked one and reduced his ERA to 0.64. With one out in the fifth inning, Taylor Grzelakowski walked. Jimmy Kerrigan was next to the plate and he hit a double to score Grzelakowski to give the Miracle a 1-0 lead. Following the game-tying home run in the seventh inning, the Miracle quickly responded with two runs in the top of the eighth inning. Caleb Hamilton and Luis Arraez walked. Then Brandon Lopez hit a double that scored Hamilton. Arraez scored on a passed ball with two outs to give the Miracle their third run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Burlington 10 Box Score The offense showed up in Burlington on Sunday afternoon, but unfortunately, the home team bats scored one more run. Alex Kirilloff got things going. He went 2-for-5 and hit his 10th home run of the season in the first inning. Jean Carlos Arias went 3-for-4 with his fourth double and also stole his fourth base. Andrew Bechtold went 2-for-4. Ben Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a walk and a hit, a three-run homer. It was his third homer of the year. Edwar Colina gave up five runs on five hits. Unfortunately he recorded just five outs. He also walked two and struck out two. Jose Martinez came on and did a nice job. He gave up one run on two hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three. Calvin Faucher gave up two runs on one hit and one walk. He struck out two in 1 2/3 innings. Carlos Suniaga got the final out of the eighth inning, but he got just one out in the ninth before taking the loss. Each of the four Kernels pitchers gave up one home run. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: LaMonte Wade, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-3, BB, HR(7), 4 RBI, SB(5)) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Lewis Thorpe, Chattanooga Lookouts (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K) or Tyler Wells, Fort Myers Miracle (8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)... Vote here: PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 2B(11), RBI, K #2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch #3 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Rained Out. #4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Rained Out. #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, HR(10), R, RBI, K #6 - Wander Javier - out of for the season #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 0-3, BB, 2 K, RBI, SF #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - Disabled List (hand contusion) #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, R, K #11 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch (MLB Debut on Tuesday) #12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 89 pitches, 59 strikes) #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Did not play. #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 2-3, BB, HR(7), 4 RBI, SB(5) #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Play #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #18 - Yunior Severino (Extended Spring Training) - #19 - Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Felix Jorge (Chattanooga) - Disabled List, still no official timetable for return. MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester - No Game Scheduled Mobile @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (3-3, 6.60 ERA) Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

I spent eight full days in Ft. Myers, and for at least some of each day, I spent time down on the minor league side of things. When there was a big league game, I would maybe only spend a couple of hours watching practice. When the big league team was on the road, I would spend as much as seven hours watching practices and games. There is a lot of talent in the Twins minor league system. Today I wanted to highlight a handful of players who caught my eye, specifically with guys who are not often found on prospect sheets.I don’t know if you want to call them sleepers or just guys that stood out to one observer, me, but there were several players that I didn’t necessarily rank real high on Twins prospect lists. This isn’t an article to say that suddenly these guys will jump into my Top 10 or even my Top 30. But every year there are a couple of players that do good enough work throughout the time I’m there (admittedly a small sample) to get noticed. At the same time, Royce Lewis is a standout. Brent Rooker's approach and swing at the plate are eye-popping. Akil Baddoo is impressive at the plate, on the bases and in the field. Alex Kirilloff’s swing is so smooth. Blayne Enlow appears to be as advertised. Brusdar Graterol throws gas and looks the part of a starter. Fernando Romero and Stephen Gonsalves look close to big-league ready. We already know that. That’s why those guys are top ten types of prospects. Today I want to highlight some guys that maybe you haven’t heard a lot about. Maybe some of them will end up being Top 20 guys by season’s end. Maybe some of them won’t be with the organization in September. I don’t know. But it’s fun to observe, and in some ways, play amateur scout. While I was in Ft. Myers, I watch a lot. I love watching bullpens. I love watching infielders take group balls. I love pop up drills. I love watching guys take game at bats against live pitching because that is often different than batting practice swinging, which is also fun to watch. In my time down there, I had the chance to briefly talk to Mike Radcliff, and I met Deron Johnson for the first time. I only wish I had their abilities to scout and evaluate players not only for what they are today, but what they might be in three years, or five years. Scouting is a tough job. And maybe this little exercise will highlight that. So let’s get to it. Here are five guys (non-Top 20 types) who stood out in my mind having watched them over the course of my eight days in Ft. Myers. Ben Rodriguez Ben Rodriguez was the Twins 38th-round pick last June out of Pepperdine where he had played for four years. Drafted as a catcher, Rodriguez stands 6-6 and about 230 pounds. After being drafted, he played 50 games in the GCL where he hit .290/.399/. 457 (.856) with 17 extra base hits. While I did see him working on a few drills with the catchers, Rodriguez spent the majority of his time at first base. What is noteworthy is that he spent most of spring training with the Ft. Myers group that is starting the season in Cedar Rapids. He essentially passed by the likes of Kolton Kendrick and JJ Robinson who played first base at Elizabethton last season. He’s had some swing-and-miss in his game, but as you would guess from his size, he has a ton of power and power potential. We’ll see if it comes to fruition, but in my mind, that was a great late-round pick. Rodriguez is very athletic, strong and has potential that makes him intriguing. Andrew Vasquez Vasquez is kind of a late bloomer on this list. The left-hander was the Twins 32nd- round pick in 2015 out of Westmont College in California. He’s been moved fairly slowly, but he ended 2017 strong. After starting in Cedar Rapids, he moved up to Ft. Myers. Combined, he posted a 1.55 ERA and struck out 85 batters in 58 innings of work. He ended the season with an invitation to the Arizona Fall League where he struck out 14 batters in 12.2 innings (1.42 ERA). I first noticed him in the spring of 2017 when I watched him throw a bullpen. Actually, I heard him throw a bullpen. Just warming up, the ball could be heard as it went by. While his velocity wasn’t too high, it was a heavy fastball. This year, I watched him pitch in a couple of spring games. As I was taking in pitches from the side, and seeing hitters’ knees buckle, I decided to go stand behind home plate and watch. I’d obviously heard about the slider of Vasquez, but to see it is something else. After watching a couple, I looked at Twins assistant minor league pitching coordinator JP Martinez and he just shook his head at me and said, “I wish I could take credit for that.” We watched a couple more of his sliders dart into the strike zone, and it made his fastball appear even faster than its low-90s velocity was. He’s a two-pitch pitcher, and both pitches are really good. Tanner English 2017 was a forgettable year for Tanner English. He began the season by spending about a month in Chattanooga, but he just couldn’t get his bat going. He moved back to Ft. Myers and continued to struggle with the bat. He will begin 2018 with the Lookouts again, looking to take his career to the next level. You may recall the big league spring training game that English played hero in just over a week ago. He entered the game in the 8th inning as a pinch runner and then hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game. While he’s not a big guy, English has good tools. The first one you notice is his speed. He’s a good base runner and base stealer. He really shines in center field. English can cover a lot of ground, and he possesses a very strong arm. While he hasn’t hit for average, English puts together really good at-bats. He knows the strike zone and he understands the value of getting on base. And again, despite the lack of size, English has a bit of pop in his bat. The spring training big league home run landed near the top of the berm in left center field at Hammond Stadium. 2018 is a big year for him, and a solid offensive year, with his defense, could make him a candidate for a fourth or fifth outfielder job. Taylor Grzelakowski Grzelakowski went undrafted last year after his four years at Madonna University in Michigan. After the draft, “Gelly” was set to play in the United Shores Professional Baseball League, but after playing in 29 games, the Twins signed him. He went to the GCL where he played in 12 games. He spent this offseason continuing to work on his body. He noted that he lost 20 pounds since the end of last season, and he has now lost 62 pounds since entering college. All that is a nice back story, but Grzelakowski was impressive this spring. Though he played in the GCL last year, he has made the Ft. Myers Opening Day roster because he had such a strong camp. He’s got a smooth, but strong, left-handed swing. He knows the strike zone. Defensively, he’s got work to do behind the plate, but his improved physique has made him much more agile on balls in the dirt. His footwork has improved a lot. And, he’s always had a strong arm. With Mitchell Kranson and Caleb Hamilton also in Ft. Myers, it will be interesting to see how playing time is allocated. Kranson and Hamilton both have the ability to play multiple positions. Landon Leach Leach was ranked in the 20s among Twins prospects by most ranking sources. That was probably too low if only based on him being a second-round pick. Leach will begin the season in extended spring training, but he does have a lot of potential. People are excited about the Twins 2017 draft, but generally the focus is turned to Royce Lewis, Brent Rooker and Blayne Enlow. Leach isn’t talked about as often. However, after seeing him work in the bullpen and in games, I’m convinced he will be very good too. Drafted out of high school in Canada, the term “helium” was appropriate as the draft approached. He may be a bit more raw than some, in part due to cooler climate, but he also has only been pitching for a couple of years after being a catcher before that. Leach is a big, tall kid with a strong frame. He was clocked at 96 in a game, but he sat 94. He’ll have to continue to work to improve his secondary pitches, but he’s got a huge arm and will continue to grow. Like Brusdar Graterol, Leach could be a guy who gets to Cedar Rapids before the short season leagues start. Just a few more… Shortstop depth is good. Even after trading Jermaine Palacios, the Twins have Nick Gordon, Royce Lewis and Wander Javier at the position. And Sean Miller was named the Twins organization’s best minor league infielder for 2017. At Extended Spring Training, the Twins will have 2017 draft pick Ricky De La Torre and international signings Victor Tademo and Yunior Severino. All three were impressive with the glove and the bat.Centerfield defense is also an important trait, it seems, throughout the Twins system. Byron Buxton. Zack Granite. Tanner English. Aaron Whitefield. Akil Baddoo. Having watched 2017 draft pick TJ Dixon man centre field, they may have another. And Jacob Pearson can also play center field, though he played mostly right field.While watching the Astros/Orioles game last night, the announcer pointed out that Carlos Correa was clocked at 97 mph from the hole at shortstop to first base. That’s pretty impressive. Twins fifth-round pick in 2017, Andrew Bechtold, told me that before he came to spring training, he was clocked at 101 mph on a throw across the infield. While he has a good approach at the plate and some power potential, his defense is a big positive in his game.Along with all of the new coordinators and other positions in the minor leagues, the Twins have also added a fourth coach at each of the minor league levels. In the past, each affiliate would have a manager, a hitting coach and a pitching coach. One more coach can only be a positive.A little over a week ago in a minor league spring training game, Felix Jorge took a laser liner to the knee. While it is not believed to be serious, it is the reason he’s starting the season on the Disabled List.While the Twins added minor leaguer pitcher Adam Bray and first baseman Robbie Rinn in trades, the Twins also traded catcher Rainis Silva to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash.Losing weight was an important offseason activity for several Twins minor leaguers besides Taylor Grzelakowski. RHP Tyler Wells lost nearly 30 pounds over the winter. After losing about 25 pounds last offseason, catcher Mitchell Kranson said he lost about 10 more this offseason. And outfielder Shane Carrier, who had a fantastic second half in 2017, lost about 20 pounds as well. And he did so without losing any power as he launched a couple of the longest home runs I've seen.Roster Previews Kernels Class of 2018 “Should Be Pretty Entertaining” - Steve Buhr Ft. 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