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It’s fair to say that The Debut of Stephen Gonsalves didn’t go as well as he would have liked. Debuts rarely do. But for the rest of his life, he can be called a big leaguer. And that’s what every player in the minor leagues dreams of. Monday in the minor leagues, both Rochester and Ft. Myers got a rare day off. But there was some terrific pitching and powerful hitting for Chattanooga. They also added a former big leaguer to their roster. Cedar Rapids scored a dozen and got a great relief appearance. Elizabethton played neighboring Johnson City in a doubleheader. And the GCL Twins got to face first-round pick Matthew Libertore for the third time.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Monday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Chattanooga put RHP Omar Bencomo (foot) and infielder Chris Paul finger) on the disabled list. Catcher Brian Olson was activated. Also, the Twins signed RHP Austin Adams from the Sugar Land Skeeters and placed him on the Lookouts roster. Adams is 31-years-old and pitched in 53 games for Cleveland between 2014 and 2016.RED WINGS REPORTRochester Box Score The Red Wings enjoyed a rare night off to watch the Stephen Gonsalves MLB debut. OK, it was a scheduled off-day, but still… Brian Rapp started and gave up two runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four. Pedro Garcia came on and did well. He threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings. In the extra innings, both the eighth and the ninth, he was able to leave the bases loaded and keep the game tied. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out four. Casanova led the way. He went 2-3 with a sacrifice fly to give him two of the three RBIs. The other run scored on a pinch-hit single by Chris Williams. Roberto Molina also had two hits. Gilberto Celestino went 1-for-3 with two walks. GCL TWINS TALK GCL Twins 0, GCL Rays 6 Box Score The Twins again had the opportunity to try to hit against Rays pitching prospect and 2018 first-round pick Matthew Libertore. It is the third time in the last few weeks that the Twins have faced the lefty. On this day, Libertore gave up three hits over five shutout innings. He struck out eight without issuing a walk. In the three starts combined, he has thrown 14 2/3 scoreless innings. He’s given up six hits, walked none and struck out 19. Shane Carrier led the offense with a 2-for-4 game. Erick Rivera added his fourth double. Andriu Marin started. He gave up two runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out five. Dylan Stowell gave up two unearned runs on one hit and two walks in his 1 1/3 innings. He struck out three. Erik Cha recorded the next four outs. He struck out one and didn’t allow a base runner. Niklas Rimmel gave up two runs on four hits over the final two innings. He struck out two. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Gabriel Maciel, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 3B(2), 3 R). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Johan Quezada, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Minnesota) - 1.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, BB, 2B(5), 3 R, RBI, K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - Did not play #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - 2-4, 2 RBI, R, K | 1-5, R, 2 K #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist) #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 3-5, 3 R #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, 2 K, SB(6) #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - 0-3, BB, R, K #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 CST, completion of a suspended game + regularly scheduled game) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-1, 4.26 ERA), RHP Michael Pineda (rehab) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 CST) - TBD Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker (4-7, 4.73 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (8-5, 3.35 ERA) Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - Luis Rijo (4-1, 2.06 ERA) GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (9:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Another top Twins prospect is set to make his big league debut. Stephen Gonsalves will take the place of the injured Ervin Santana. Since being promoted to Triple A this season, Gonsalves has posted a 2.96 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 100.1 innings. The 24-year old lefty has been one of the team’s top pitching prospects throughout his time in the organization. Before Gonsalves makes his debut, there was plenty of other Sunday action down on the farm.ROSTER MOVES OF Robbie Grossman returned to the Twins after ending his rehab assignment with Rochester.RHP Alan Busenitz was recalled from Rochester to Minnesota.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Toledo 4 (10 Innings) Box Score Kennys Vargas got the scoring started for the Red Wings with a solo home run in the fourth inning. It was his 19th long ball of the season. Vargas also drove in the tying run in the top of the ninth. Byron Buxton and Gregorio Petit had both walked before Vargas popped a single to left. In extra-innings, Juan Graterol drove in LaMonte Wade, the runner that started on second. Rochester was up 3-2 but it wouldn’t last. On the mound, Ryan Eades pitched four scoreless inning, striking out five and walking one. Luke Bard surrendered two runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. Ryne Harper calmed some of the storm with 2 1/3 scoreless innings while adding a pair of strikeouts. John Curtiss took the loss, his fourth. He allowed one earned run (two total runs) on four hits in the final frame. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Montgomery 6 Box Score Chattanooga was staked to an early lead after a two-run double off the bat of Brian Navarreto. Jaylin Davis and Chris Paul had both drawn two-out walks to get on ahead of the Navarreto extra-base knock. Unfortunately, that’s where the scoring ended for the Lookouts. Jorge Alcala pitched into the fourth inning (3 2/3 innings) by allowing three earned runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked four. Cody Stashak took over for Alcala and limited the Biscuits to one hit in 2 1/3 innings. Anthony Marzi allowed one earned run (two total runs) on five hits with two strikeouts in two innings. The Lookouts left eight men on base and went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Navarreto was the only batter with an extra-base knock. Zander Wiel reached base three times out of the lead-off spot. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Clearwater 2 Box Score Fort Myers had won nine straight series but that came to an end on Sunday. Griffin Jax started and went six innings for the 11th time in his last 13 starts. Both runs scored came on the same play. Jax gave up an RBI triple but then the relay throw soared into the Miracle dugout. Jax struck out four and didn’t walk any. The Miracle bullpen combined for three scoreless frames. Hector Lujan was asked to get one out. Ryan Mason allowed two hits and struck out one in 1 2/3 innings. Kevin Marnon finished off the game with a scoreless ninth as he struck out one. Alex Kirilloff went 3-for-4 and is hitting .375 in the Florida State League. He extended his on-base streak to 31 games. Aaron Whitefield added his fifth double as part of a two-hit day. Caleb Hamilton had one hit but it was his 17th double. Overall, the team went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Charlotte lost on Sunday so Fort Myers remains 0.5 games back in the second half South Division standings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Wisconsin 2 Box Score Edwar Colina set a career high with 10 strikeouts as he helped the Kernels to improve to 66-59 on the season. It was the sixth consecutive quality start for Colina as he only allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings. He also took over the team lead for strikeouts (95) by passing Bailey Ober (88). Michael Helman gave Colina some early support as he cracked a solo shot in the first inning. It was his first Midwest League home run. The Kernels added to their lead in the seventh after David Banuelos hit a double and moved to third on an error. Akil Baddoo drove him in with a single. In the ninth inning, Michael Davis gave Cedar Rapids an insurance run with a solo home run. Trevor Larnach went 2-for-3 and reached base a third time with a walk. Moises Gomez earned a save the hard way by tossing 2 2/3 innings. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out a pair. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 5, Johnson City 3 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score In the completion of a game suspended on August 1st, the E-Twins were able to pull away from Johnson City. Elizabethton had scored a first-inning run after Lean Marrero and Trevor Larnach notched back-to-back doubles. Marrero helped add to the lead with an RBI single in the fourth frame. Colton Burns would also single to push the club up 3-1. Johnson City tied things in the bottom of the fourth but the E-Twins found a way to get back on top. Ricky De La Torre collected a one-out single and moved to second after Jared Akins was hit by a pitch. Robert Molina singled to drive in the go-ahead run. Luis Rijo had originally started the game and went two innings by allowing one earned run. He struck out two and walked one. Carlos Suniaga pitched all five innings on Sunday. Two unearned runs were scored against him but he still earned his second victory. He struck out six and didn’t walk any. Elizabethton 0, Johnson City 6 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score Johnson City jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and didn’t look back. Josh Winder started and allowed two earned runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked one. J.T. Perez pitched a pair of scoreless innings before running into trouble in the seventh. He allowed four runs on two hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. Juan Gamez got the final two outs but he did allow so inherited runners to score. The E-Twins only had four opportunities to bat with runners in scoring position. Ricky De La Torre had his eighth double, the team’s only extra-base hit. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Alex Kirilloff, Fort Myers (3-for-4, 31-game on-base streak) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Edwar Colina (6.1 IP, 1 ER, 10 K, 3 BB, 5 H) TOP 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 (FM): 0-for-4, 2 K 2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): 3-for-4 3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not play. 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-for-4, K 5. Stephen Gonsalves (MIN): Did not play. 6. Trevor Larnach (CR): 2-for-3, BB -(ET): 1-for-1, 2B, RBI (Completion 8/1) 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 0-for-4, 2 K 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K 9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season 10. Zack Littell (ROC): Did not play. 11. Blayne Enlow (CR): Did not play. 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 0-for-3, R, BB 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 0-for-4, K 14. Lewis Thorpe (ROC): Did not play. 15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): Did not play. 16. Yunior Severino (ET): 0-for-7, R, BB, 3 K 17. Lewin Diaz (FM): Did not play. 18. Ryan Jeffers (ET): Did not play. 19. Jacob Pearson (CR): Did not play. 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): Did not play. MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Scheduled Off-Day Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 CST) – RHP Tyler Wells (0-2, 1.69 ERA) Fort Myers – Scheduled Off-Day Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:05 CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (4-6, 4.87 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Johnson City (5:00 CST) – TBD Elizabethton vs. Johnson City (Game 2) – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

It was a very busy Saturday. The Vikings played. The Twins honored Jack Morris pre-game and played the Tigers. All six Twins stateside affiliates played, including two games for Chattanooga and the GCL Twins. Jhoan Duran and Austin Schulfer put together strong starts. Chase De Jong and Sean Poppen were also very good. Byron Buxton hit well. Luis Arraez and Brian Navarreto hit well for Chattanooga. So much happening. Check in on everything that happened in the Twins minor league system.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS On Friday night, the Kernels announced that right-hander Calvin Faucher had been placed on the DL with elbow tendinitis. On Saturday afternoon, they announced that right-hander Johan Quezada has been promoted from Elizabethton to the Kernels.Following the Twins game, Paul Molitor announced that Johnny Field would be sent back to Rochester. He will be optioned with, most likely, Robbie Grossman returning from the Disabled List.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Toledo 2 Box Score The Red Wings got some strong pitching and enough offense to get the win in this game. In the first inning, Byron Buxton doubled and scored on a double by Robbie Grossman. Buxton went 2-for-5 in with his sixth and seventh doubles. Grossman went 2-for-4 and is expected to return to Minneapolis on Sunday. Kennys Vargas went 2-for-4 including his 18th home run. Jake Reed was the “opener” for the Red Wings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in the first inning. He struck out one. Chase De Jong came on and gave up one run on five hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out four. DJ Baxendale worked a scoreless ninth inning to secure De Jong’s first win in the Twins organization and his first save of the season for the Red Wings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Game 1: Chattanooga 0, Mississippi 1 Box Score Sean Poppen gave the Lookouts exactly what they needed in the first game on Saturday, a complete game. The right-hander from Harvard gave up just one run over six innings. The lone run came on the 16th home run of the season for Mississippi’s cleanup hitter Travis Demeritte. Unfortunately, he only needed to go six innings because the Lookouts were shut out. The team had just five hits. Luis Arraez and Brian Navarreto each had two singles. Game 2: Chattanooga 7, Mississippi 10 Box Score The Lookouts went with an all-lefty bullpen game in Game 2. Andrew Vasquez started and gave up nothing over the first two innings. He struck out three. Sam Clay came on and got just two outs. He gave up four runs on four hits and a walk. Devin Smeltzer came on and got the next four outs, three on strikeouts. However, he was also charged with an unearned run on three hits. Tyler Jay got the final two innings. He gave up five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks. Jaylin Davis led the offense. He went 1-for-3, but he hit his fifth home run, a three-run shot and added a fourth RBI. Brent Rooker was 2-for-5 with his 31st double. Luis Arraez went 3-for-4. It was his third straight multi-hit game. Brian Navarreto was 2-for-3 with a walk. Luke Raley went 1-for-1 with two walks and was also hit by a pitch. Zander Wiel had a single and two walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Clearwater 4 Box Score The Miracle bats just were not able to figure out Clearwater’s Mauricio Llovera. Well, except for Taylor Grzelakowski. “Gelly” had three of the team’s four hits. Royce Lewis had a single for the other. Charlie Barnes started and gave up four runs on six hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out two. Colton Davis got the next five outs, three of them on strikeouts. He walked two. Alex Robinson threw two scoreless innings. Adam Bray threw two zeroes on the board as well. Alex Kirilloff went 0-for-3 with a walk. It was his second straight game without a hit. He hadn’t gone back-to-back games without a hit since July 7th and 8th. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Wisconsin 2 Box Score This was quite the pitcher’s duel. Jhoan Duran threw seven innings and gave up just one run on five hits. He struck out a career-high nine batters while not issuing a walk. Unfortunately, the TimberRattlers’ starter, Dylan File, also threw seven innings of one-run ball. Starter Randy Dobnak, whose most recent appearance lasted just one inning before the rains came, worked a scoreless eighth inning. However, an error to lead off the ninth was followed by two strikeouts. Unfortunately, they were followed by two singles which ended the game. Strikeouts were a big part of this game. Kernels pitchers combined to strike out 11. Meanwhile, Kernels batters struck out 13 times. Michael Helman led the way by going 3-for-4 including his first triple with the Kernels. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 3, Bluefield 4 Box Score Big runs in the ninth, but unfortunately Bluefield ended their ninth with one more run and the win. Austin Schulfer started for the Twins and worked five shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out four. Jacob Blank came on and gave up two runs on four hits over his two innings. He also struck out four. But then came the rain and there was a delay. When the game returned, Zach Neff worked a scoreless eighth inning. Yunior Severino went 2-for-4 with his eighth double. Alex Robles hit his ninth double. But the score was tied 2-2 going into the ninth. Chris Williams, who had a sacrifice fly earlier in the game, blasted his 15th home run to give the E-Twins a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth. However, Neff returned for the ninth inning. He gave up a solo homer to lead off the inning to re-tie the game, this time at three. He gave up a single, and then on a sacrifice bunt, Neff had an error. He was able to coax a double play, but a two-out single ended the game. GCL TWINS TALK Game 1 - GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score This game started on Friday and went four innings before the rains came and the game was suspended. Donny Breek had started and went the first 3 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks. He struck out five. Denny Bentley came on and got the next two outs, one on a strikeout. When play resumed on Saturday morning, Landon Leach took the mound. He worked two scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out two batters. Petru Balan pitched the final inning. He gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs. Rehabbing Shane Carrier went 2-for-3 with both of the Twins RBIs. Tyler Webb added a double. Austin Hale had a walk and his second double. Game 2 - GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Kai-Wei Teng gave up three runs in the first inning, but the right-hander from Taiwan went four innings and gave up four total runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out four batters. Osiris German struck out the side in the fifth inning, and Junior Navas worked a scoreless inning as well. Victor Tademo led the offense with a 3-for-3 game. Agustin Marte went 2-for-4. Alberoni Nunez hit his first triple. Tyler Webb added his third double. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Luis Arraez, Chattanooga Lookouts (5-7). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Jhoan Duran, Cedar Rapids Kernels (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-4 #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-5, RBI, 3K, SB(10) #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, RBI, 2 K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 0-3, K | 2-5, 2B(31), 2 R, K #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 3K #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-4, K #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, 2 K #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-4 #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - 2-4, 2B(8), R, K #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist) #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2K #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3 #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - 2-3 | 3-4 #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Toledo (5:05 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (9-3, 2.96 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (5:05 CST) - RHP Jorge Alcala (2-5, 3.99 ERA) Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (1:00 CST) - RHP Griffin Jax (3-1, 3.16 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (1:05 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (6-4, 2.55 ERA) Johnson City @ Elizabethton (DH @ 5:00 CST) - TBD, TBD GCL Twins - No Games Scheduled on Sundays Please feel free to ask any questions about Saturday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

The Twins made a few promotions of note recently, one being catcher Ben Rortvedt getting the call up to Fort Myers. He made his Miracle debut tonight and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Check out what else happened across the system on Saturday.TRANSACTIONS -Jake Cave promoted to Minnesota with Tyler Duffey optioned to Rochester. -LaMonte Wade promoted to Rochester. -Jordan Balazovic and Robert Molina promoted to Cedar Rapids. RED WINGS REPORT Durham 3, Rochester 1 Box Score SP: D.J. Baxendale (3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Willians Astudillo The Willians Astudillo saga continues. He made his first appearance of the season at third base tonight, was 2-for-3 with an RBI and stolen base. You wouldn’t figure a guy listed at 5-foot-9, 225 pounds who’s primarily a catcher would be a threat on the bases, but that was Astudillo’s fifth steal of the season. Unfortunately, the Red Wings could muster only one run. This ended up being a bullpen game for Rochester, and the pitching staff performed admirably, all things consideed. D.J. Baxendale gave up one run over 3 2/3 innings and struck out five batters. Maybe the biggest item of note was the fact that Trevor May only pitched 1 2/3 innings in a night that Rochester could have used some length. He gave up a run on two hits and walked three batters. Gabriel Moya pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings and John Curtiss gave up a run in two frames of work. This was the seventh-straight loss for the Red Wings, who have now fallen below .500. LaMonte Wade was 0-for-4 in his Triple-A debut. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Montgomery 4 Box Score W: Omar Bencomo (8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) HR: James Ramsey (2) Multi-hit games: Brian Navarreto, Chris Paul The Lookouts had a 2-0 lead before they even recorded an out. This game opened with back-to-back singles which were followed by a two-run triple from Edgar Corcino. Catcher Brian Navarreto had a big night, going 3-for-4 with a couple of doubles and two RBIs. He now has 11 doubles on the season, which is just two shy of his career high. Omar Bencomo held the Biscuits to one run over eight innings. He improved his Southern League record to 5-0 and he now has a 1.94 ERA for the Lookouts. Left fielder James Ramsey hit a two-run homer. Chattanooga had a 7-1 lead heading into the ninth, but Tyler Jay surrendered three runs, two of which were earned. MIRACLE MATTERS Dunedin 6, Fort Myers 4 Box Score SP: Andro Cutura (5.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Luis Arraez, Brandon Lopez, Ben Rortvedt Fort Myers fell behind 6-0 in this one thanks in part to three errors in the field. They battled back to get the go-ahead run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, but could not complete the comeback. Ben Rortvedt went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs in what was his Florida State League debut. Luis Arraez led the team with three hits. Starter Andro Cutura gave up four runs, though only two were earned, over five innings. Andrew Vasquez gave up yet another unearned run in his two innings of work. Logan Lombana gave up an earned run over the final two innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 4, Cedar Rapids 0 Box Score SP: Edwar Colina (5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Royce Lewis The Kernels just could not get anything going on offense, as they combined for four hits, two of which came off the bat of Royce Lewis. Edwar Colina gave up four runs over five innings, though one run was unearned due to Lewis’ 10th error of the season. The Cedar Rapids bullpen provided three no-hit innings, as Carlos Suniaga handled the sixth and seventh innings and Jared Finkel covered the ninth. Trey Cabbage was 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. It’s only been six games, but Cabbage is hitting .389/.455/.722 so far this month. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Omar Bencomo, Chattanooga Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Brian Navarreto, Chattanooga TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis, CR: 2-for-4, 2B 2. Fernando Romero, MIN 3. Nick Gordon, ROC: 0-for-4 4. Stephen Gonsalves, ROC: Did not pitch 5. Alex Kirilloff, CR: 0-for-3, BB 6. Wander Javier: Out for the season with a shoulder injury. 7. Brent Rooker, CHAT: 1-for-5, R 8. Blayne Enlow, CR: Did not pitch. 9. Brusdar Graterol, CR: Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo, CR: 0-for-4 11. Zack Littell, ROC: Did not pitch. 12. Lewis Thorpe, CHAT: Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz, FM: 1-for-5, 2B 14. LaMonte Wade, ROC: 0-for-4 15. Mitch Garver, MIN 16. Ben Rortvedt, FM: 2-for-4, 2 RBI 17. Travis Blankenhorn, FM: 0-for-1 18. Yunior Severino: Expected to join E-Town this month. 19. Tyler Jay, CHAT: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K 20. Felix Jorge: Out with injury. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Durham, 12:05 pm CT - Zack Littell Chattanooga at Montgomery, 5:05 pm CT - Kohl Stewart Fort Myers vs. Dunedin, 3:00 pm CT - Tyler Wells Cedar Rapids at Wisconsin, 1:05 pm CT - Melvi Acosta Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

The Chattanooga-Montgomery game had 21 runs on 27 hits, three errors, six wild pitches, a pickoff, a balk, six hit batsmen and a triple play started by Lookouts catcher Brian Navarreto. Oh, and Brent Rooker was a triple shy of the cycle. Check out what else happened around the Twins’ minor league system Saturday.Transactions Cedar Rapids placed Bryan Sammons on the DL due to a sprained ankle and added Moises Gomez to their roster. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 0 Box Score W: Dietrich Enns (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) SV: Nick Anderson (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Kennys Vargas, Wynston Sawyer Dietrich Enns (5 2/3 innings), Alan Busenitz (2 1/3 innings) and Nick Anderson (one inning) combined to pitch a four-hit shutout. You’d have to imagine Busenitz’s time with Rochester won’t last too much longer. He’s given up one earned run over 14 2/3 frames and has 22 strikeouts for the Red Wings, or I guess tonight they were the Hop Bitters. Catcher Wynston Sawyer drove home Kennys Vargas on a single to score the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Sawyer is hitting .379/.526/.517 in 10 games since being promoted to Triple A. The next inning, Nick Gordon singled home Jermaine Curtis for his first career RBI in Triple A. Jacob Pearson, acquired from the Angels over the winter, played center field and hit leadoff for the Kernels. He was 2-for-4 with a double and his second stolen base. Cedar Rapids is going to be playing another doubleheader tomorrow, so they had Jordan Gore, usually an infielder, pitch the final inning of this one. He gave up a run on a hit and three walks. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Brusdar Graterol Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Brent Rooker TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis, CR: 1-for-5, double, 2 RBIs, 2 runs 2. Fernando Romero, MIN 3. Nick Gordon, ROC: 1-for-4, RBI 4. Stephen Gonsalves, ROC: Off 5. Alex Kirilloff, CR: 1-for-5, 2 RBIs 6. Wander Javier: Out for the season with a shoulder injury. 7. Brent Rooker, CHAT: 4-for-5, double, home run, 3 RBIs, 3 runs 8. Blayne Enlow, CR: Off 9. Brusdar Graterol, CR: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 9 K 10. Akil Baddoo, CR: Out with a hamstring injury. 11. Zack Littell, ROC: Off 12. Lewis Thorpe, CHAT: Off 13. Lewin Diaz, FM: 0-for-2 14. LaMonte Wade, CHAT: Off 15. Mitch Garver, MIN 16. Ben Rortvedt, CR: 1-for-4 17. Travis Blankenhorn, FM: 0-for-2 18. Yunior Severino: Expected to join E-Town next month. 19. Tyler Jay, CHAT: Off 20. Felix Jorge: Out with tricep injury. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Buffalo, 12:05 pm CT - Trevor May Rochester vs. Buffalo, Game 2 - Adalberto Mejia Chattanooga vs. Montgomery, 5:15 pm CT - TBA Fort Myers at Charlotte, 11:35 pm CT - Clark Beeker Cedar Rapids vs. Clinton, 3:05 pm CT - Edwar Colina Cedar Rapids vs. Clinton, Game 2 - Randy Dobnak Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

Randy LeBlanc continued what’s been a strong start to his 2018 season with an excellent performance and his catcher, Brian Navarreto, had a big night at the plate. The Miracle lost a late lead, the Kernels were kept in check by Brendan McKay and Rochester was rained out.TRANSACTIONS Zack Granite was on the Red Wings’ lineup card prior to the game being called. Also, Jake Reed was reinstated from the DL. Casey Crosby was sent from Rochester to Chattanooga. Jimmy Kerrigan was transferred back to Fort Myers from Rochester. Robby Rinn was sent from the Miracle to Elizabeton’s roster. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester at Scranton POSTPONED CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 0 Box Score W: Randy LeBlanc (7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) SV: Williams Ramirez (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) HR: Brian Navarreto (2) Multi-hit games: Navarreto, LaMonte Wade, Chris Paul Randy LeBlanc continued his excellent start by delivering seven shutout innings, striking out eight batters in the process. Drafted in the 10th round back in 2014, LeBlanc had some trouble stepping up to the Southern League last year, seeing his ERA spike from 2.82 during his time with the Miracle to 3.99 with the Lookouts. It appears LeBlanc is settling in, as he lowered his ERA to 2.23 and improved to 5-1 with tonight’s performance. In 40 1/3 innings, he has 35 strikeouts and 10 walks. Catcher Brian Navarreto had a nice two-way night. He helped lead the Chattanooga staff to a shutout performance behind the dish and was 3-for-4 with a solo homer. LaMonte Wade and Chris Paul each had two hits while Nick Gordon had a double and drew a pair of walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Dunedin 8, Fort Myers 6 Box Score SP: Andro Cutura (5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) HR: None. Multi-hit games: Mark Contreras, Jimmy Kerrigan The Miracle held a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, but a big four-run inning put the Blue Jays up for good. Mark Contreras continued his hot streak by going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. He’s recorded multiple hits in four of his last seven games. Jimmy Kerrigan was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Jaylin Davis was 1-for-3 and drew a couple walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Bowling Green 4, Cedar Rapids 0 Box Score SP: Randy Dobnak (4.1 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) HR: None. Multi-hit games: None The Kernels faced last year’s No. 4 overall pick Brendan McKay, which was unfortunate because he was dealing. McKay gave up just one hit in the six innings he handled and Cedar Rapids only mustered another base knock against the bullpen. Alex Kirilloff hit a triple, David Banuelos singled and Shane Carrier drew two walks. That was it for the offense. The bright spot for the Kernels pitching staff was Moises Gomez, who held the Hot Rods scoreless over the final 2 1/3 innings of the game. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Randy LeBlanc Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Brian Navarreto TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis: 0-for-4, K 3. Nick Gordon: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BBs, R 5. Alex Kirilloff: 1-for-3, 3B, K 7. Brent Rooker: 1-for-4, R 10. Akil Baddoo: 0-for-4, K 13. Lewin Diaz: 0-for-4, RBI 14. LaMonte Wade: 2-for-4, BB 16. Ben Rortvedt: 0-for-3, 2 Ks 17. Travis Blankenhorn: 0-for-4, 3 Ks FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Scranton, 4:35 pm CT - Zack Littell Rochester at Scranton, Game 2 - Stephen Gonsalves Chattanooga vs. Jackson, 6:15 pm CT - Anthony Marzi Fort Myers at Dunedin, 5:30 pm CT - Brady Anderson Cedar Rapids at Bowling Green, 6:35 pm CT - Blayne Enlow Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

As minor league camp starts today, the Minnesota Twins made their first cuts from big league spring training. Pitchers Zack Littell and Lewis Thorpe were optioned to AA Chattanooga. Pitchers Felix Jorge and Dietrich Enns were optioned to AAA Rochester. Catchers Brian Navarreto and Wynston Sawyer were reassigned to minor league camp.No real surprises among this first group of players sent across the parking lot to minor league camp. Zack Littell has had a very strong camp including a win and two saves among his outings. Felix Jorge pitched well at times as well. He debuted with the Twins last year. Dietrich Enns and Lewis Thorpe didn't pitch a lot. With minor league camp starting today, there is definitely a need for more catchers in that camp, so two non-roster guys (Navarreto and Sawyer) find themselves back over there. Both are likely to play in Chattanooga in 2018. The spring training roster is now at 53 players. 26 pitchers (3 non-roster)5 catchers (3 non-roster)13 infielders (5 non-roster)9 outfielders (4 non-roster) Click here to view the article

There wasn’t much action on Tuesday night in the Twins system as Chattanooga enjoyed a day off and Rochester was rained out an hour-and-a-half west of home in New York. But in the games that were played, there were fireworks. One version was of the walk-off variety in Fort Myers, while in Cedar Rapids a slugger recorded his first multi-home run game of his young career to propel his team to victory.To find out how it all went down on Tuesday night in the minors, keep reading! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Buffalo (Postponed – Rain) Tuesday’s series opener against the Buffalo Bisons was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday. David Hurlbut will likely take his normal spot while early season standout Nik Turley, freshly promoted to AAA is scheduled for game two. In award news, Jose Berrios was named the International League player of the week for his two most recent, dominating efforts. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Scheduled day off. The Lookouts were on their way back home on Tuesday after winning three of five against the Generals of Jackson, TN. They start a five game series at home vs. the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Chattanooga is looking to get back to .500 on the season in the opening game, as they are 3.5 games back of Jackson in the North Division at 12-13. MIRACLE MATTERS Daytona 1, Fort Myers 2 (10 innings) Box score Fort Myers got on the board in the bottom of the first inning courtesy of Zack Granite, who led off their half with an infield single. He then stole second base, moved to third on a groundout, and raced home on a passed ball to put them up 1-0. It got pretty boring after that as pitching took over on both sides. Starter Cody Stashak scattered six hits over six innings, allowing just one run while striking out seven in a quality start effort. His one run came in the sixth as three consecutive singles loaded the bases with one out, before a sacrifice fly tied the game at one. Tortugas pitcher Jose Lopez matched Stashak through the sixth as the Lookouts couldn’t capitalize on a double-steal attempt of home in the third after Brian Navaretto led off the inning with a double, his fifth of the season. Michael Theofanopoulos took over for the Miracle in the seventh, and struck out the side in a scoreless inning. He went on to pitch two more scoreless frames, getting Fort Myers to extra innings. He allowed two hits and struck out five. In the bottom of the tenth, Navaretto stepped into the batter’s box with two outs, and walked his team off instead of playing another inning. His solo shot was his second homer of the season and capped a 2-4 day at the plate for the 2013 sixth rounder from Florida. Jonny Drozd picked up the win by pitching a scoreless top of the tenth. He struck out one while setting the opposition down in order. Granite was 3-3 on the night with a walk and his first three stolen bases of the year. Chris Paul added his sixth double in a two-hit game. KERNELS NUGGETS Lake County 3, Cedar Rapids 7 Box Score Lewin Diaz put the Kernels up early when he popped one out to right field for his second home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning. He made it 2-0 in the fourth when he hit his third, marking the first multi-home run game of his young career. On the mound for Cedar Rapids was Eduardo Del Rosario, coming off a seven inning shut-out effort in his last turn where he struck out ten. He wasn’t as good in this one although he didn’t run into major trouble until the fifth. That was when he loaded the bases and walked one run in before a Diaz throwing error led to another and ended his night at 4+ innings. He allowed five hits, three walks, and struck out four on the night. Right-hander Hector Lujan came on in relief and allowed an inherited runner to score and give the Captains the lead 3-2, but escaped further damage with a double-play ball and a caught stealing attempt to end the inning. The home team tied the game back in the bottom of the fifth when Aaron Whitefield slugged his fifth home run of the year. Lujan finished two more scoreless innings to keep the game tied and struck out two along the way. As if Diaz hadn’t done enough already to make up for his earlier miscue, he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the seventh and cleared them with a double to break the game open and give him five RBIs on a 3-4 night at the plate. Catcher Caleb Hamilton tripled in the eighth and was driven in by a Brandon Lopez single to add an insurance run before Colton Davis picked up his first hold with a scoreless inning. Tom Hackimer closed the door in the ninth, striking out the side to put an exclamation point on the victory. Lopez (2-4, R, RBI) and Jermaine Palacios (2-4, R, 2B) added multi-hit efforts for the Kernels offense. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cody Stashak, Fort Myers Miracle (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H’s, 7 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Lewin Diaz, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 5 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo, Game 1 (3:15PM CST) – LHP David Hurlbut (1-2, 1.04 ERA) Rochester @ Buffalo, Game 2 – LHP Nik Turley (0-1, 0.44 ERA, 20.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 36 K’s at AA) Pensacola @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – TBD Daytona @ Fort Myers (5:35PM CST) – RHP David Fischer (2-0, 0.95 ERA) Lake County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Tyler Beardsley (2-1, 3.94 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

The Twins had Thursday off to recover from a blasting delivered by the Rangers in the series finale, and the minor league squads took center stage. Rochester and Cedar Rapids won games in their last at-bats, and three of the four games were one-run squeakers.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 4 @ Rochester 5 Box Score Jason Wheeler cruised through six innings, and the Red Wings were in a scoreless tie headed to the seventh. Wheeler gave up a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but the Wings scored two more in the bottom half of the inning. Wheeler came back out for the eighth, but gave up hits to the first two batters he faced and was replaced before getting an out. He was replaced by Alan Busenitz. Busnetiz got a line-out from the first batter he faced, but let both base runners score, one by wild pitch and the other on a single to right field. It was a bumpy inning for Busenitz in the eighth, but he came back out in the ninth and shut the Braves down. In the bottom of the ninth, the Wings pushed three runs across for a come from behind win with six consecutive singles to open the frame. The Red Wings ended up with 12 hits (six of them in the ninth inning alone!), and were led by Matt Hague, 2-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. John Ryan Murphy continues to turn things around with a 2-4 night that included an RBI. In his last four games, Murphy has improved his average from .067 to .233 with six hits in 15 at-bats. Ehire Adrianza continues his hot play, was 2-3 and is hitting .500 after six games. Interestingly he started the game in left field, perhaps signaling the Twins desire to find a replacement for Danny Santana, their ultra-utility man who brings poor play to almost every position on the diamond, and doesn’t hit well enough to make up for any of that. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5 @ Jackson 4 Box Score Starter Paul Clemens ran into trouble in the fifth inning and was lifted after 4.2 innings, giving up just a pair of hits, but walking four to go along with four strike- outs. He was replaced by Todd Van Steensel who didn’t have a great night, giving up two runs in just 0.2 innings, on three hits and three walks. He struck out one. Van Steensel was replaced by Luke Bard who frickin’ mowed some dudes down, 2.2 innings pitched, one hit, no walks, five strikeouts. John Curtiss came in for the ninth and earned his third save of the year with a scoreless ninth. Despite falling behind in the fifth inning, the Lookouts rallied in the top of the sixth, putting three runs across, which gave them just enough offense to hang on for a 5-4 win. No Lookouts player had multiple hits, and they combined for just six hits but added eight walks. Engelb Vielma, Edgar Corcino and Travis Harrison all had doubles, and Ryan Walker was 0-2 but contributed three walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Bradenton 1 @ Miracle 2 Box Score In a pitchers’ duel in Fort Myers, the Miracle earned a 2-1 come-from-behind victory. Starter David Fischer pitched into the fifth, but put the first man aboard and was lifted for Sam Clay. Fishcher gave up four hits, one run, three walks and struck out five over four-plus innings. Clay came in and earned the win with 3.0 scoreless innings. Clay gave up just a single hit and struck out three, and has pitched 10 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts since giving up 6 earned runs over 0.2 innings in his first appearance of the year. Anthony McIver pitched a couple of scoreless innings to earn the save for the Miracle. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. Max Murphy had a nice night with three singles, and Brian Navarreto was 3-3 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the way for the Miracle. The Miracle had plenty of opportunities to score more runs on Thursday night, but were just 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5 @ Peoria 3 Box Score With the score tied 3-3 in the top of the 12th inning, the Kernels got a lift from the number nine hitter, Aaron Whitefield, who launched a two-run home run to cap an exciting road victory. Whitefield finished the night 2-5. Four other Kernels had multi- hit nights, including Mitchell Kranson 2-5, Jaylin Davis 3-5, Caleb Hamilton 2-5 (including a solo home run), and Ariel Montesino 2-5. The Kernels needed six pitchers to get through 12 innings, thanks to a couple of blown saves. Starter Sean Poppen went 6.1 solid innings, gave up 1 run on five hits, two walks, and struck out six before being lifted for Andrew Vasquez who let an inherited runner score and surrendered the Kernels’ narrow lead giving up a pair of hits, a pair of walks, and a run of his own on a bases loaded walk, in just a third of an inning. Hector Lujan, the third pitcher of the evening, came in and quickly got a ground out to end the bases loaded threat. Lujan pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, but gave up a leadoff single in the ninth (a run that would come around to score) and was lifted for Tom Hackimer. Hackimer got two quick outs, but a two-out liner to center brought home the tying run, and after a ground out, the game went to extra innings. Alex Robinson replaced Hackimer to start the 10th and gave the Kernels two scoreless innings, giving up a hit, a walk, and he struck out a pair to earn the win when the Kernels pushed across two in the top of the 12th. Quin Grogan earned the save to end the 3 hour and 42 minute game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Sam Clay, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Aaron Whitefield, Cedar Rapids Kernels FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (5:35pm) – Adalberto Mejia (0-0, -.--) Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:05pm) - Randy LeBlanc (0-0, -.--) Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (5:35pm) – Keaton Steele (1-2, 6.19) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:30pm) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games. Click here to view the article

Today I’ll start a series in which I am going to try to (somewhat) predict which players will start the season at which levels, which affiliates. It’s a fun exercise to try to predict. I’m going to include everyone who is currently in the organization. As you know, the unfortunate side of the business is that some players will not be in the organization following spring training. Hopefully this series will spur some interesting discussion. We’ll start today behind the plate. Kurt Suzuki has been the Twins primary catcher the last three seasons. He left via free agency and recently signed with the Atlanta Braves. The Twins looked to free agency this offseason for a replacement and signed one early. Jason Castro received at three year, $24.5 million contract, primarily for his pitch framing abilities.However, who will be the backup to Castro, and how will the rest of the catchers fit into the rest of the organization? Let's walk through the catchers throughout the Minnesota Twins organization. Minnesota Twins - Jason Castro (29), John Ryan Murphy (25) No, aside from spring training injury, there is no way that Jason Castro isn’t the team’s primary catcher coming out of spring training. So really it’s all about who the backup will be to start the season. I think going into spring training, there are three guys on pretty equal footing. John Ryan Murphy got the job last year but really struggled in the season’s first month. He spent most of the rest of the season in Rochester. He was very good defensively, but the offense never came on for more than a couple of weeks at a time. He’s still just 25. He has one option remaining. Mitch Garver was just added to the Twins 40-man roster (so he’s got three options left). He was drafted and immediately started hitting. However, over the last three seasons, he has developed into a very solid defensive backstop. He’s got a strong arm and his pitch framing numbers are acceptable and improving. Chris Gimenez was brought in recently on a minor league deal, which puts him a little bit behind the eight-ball. He’s a veteran who has been around a long time. He’s definitely a backup type. Also, he’s played for Cleveland and Texas in recent years so Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are very familiar with him. Which of the three will be the backup? Rochester Red Wings - Mitch Garver (26), Chris Gimenez (34), Eddy Rodriguez (31) Well, the other two will be at Rochester. If Garver is in Rochester, he will continue to get the majority of time behind the plate but will also get to DH and play first base. Murphy would catch at least 50% of the time if he’s there. Gimenez would likely have the same role in Rochester as he would have in the big leagues, backup catcher. Eddy Rodriguez has been around a long time. The 31-year-old was born in Cuba, came to the States and played in high school and college in Miami. He’s played in AAA each year since 2011, and he even played in two games for the Padres in 2012. Chattanooga Lookouts - Brian Navarreto (22), Dan Rohlfing (27) Rohlfing spent the first eight seasons of his pro career in the Twins system including spending the entire 2014 season in Rochester. He left and had spent the last two seasons playing in the Mets and Diamondbacks systems. The 27-year-old may find himself splitting time between AA and AAA. Navarreto remains a big prospect behind the plate. That’s mostly because he is a big man. Unfortunately to this point his bat hasn’t been big. But I maintain hope that it will improve at some point, at least enough to be a quality backup backstop. Defensively, Navarreto fits into the elite category. He has a huge arm and does very well behind the plate. Ft. Myers Miracle - AJ Murray (23), Kevin Garcia (24), Brian Olson (24) Murray was a Midwest League All-Star in 2016. Right after the game (in which he homered), he was promoted to the Miracle (and homered in his first game). He’s got work to do defensively, and after hitting well in Cedar Rapids, he struggled with the Miracle. Kevin Garcia came to the Twins as a free agent before the 2016 season. He moved back and forth between Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids. He is solid with the glove and a good leader for a pitching staff. He caught every game for the Kernels once the playoffs started. Brian Olson played in the GCL, Cedar Rapids, Ft. Myers and even a game in Rochester. He’s got some bat and puts together quality plate appearances. He’s solid defensively and could likely ride the same roller coaster in 2017. Cedar Rapids Kernels - Ben Rortvedt (19), Rainis Silva (20), Bryant Hayman (24) Rortvedt was the Twins second-round pick in 2016 out of high school in Wisconsin. While it’s possible he could start the season in extended spring training, he will be the primary catcher wherever he is. He’s got plenty of room for improvement across the board, but he’s got the tools to develop into a very good player. Bryant Hayman began the 2016 season in Cedar Rapids but really struggled and went back down to extended spring training where he got hurt while at Elizabethton. Rainis Silva is a solid defensive catcher. He hasn’t hit, and he’s still young. He spent the second half of the 2016 season with the Kernels. Mitch Kranson played a lot of third base in college, but he went to Instructs to catch, and that's where he would like to play going forward. So expect him to do a lot of catching. Extended Spring Training - Justin Hazard (23), Dominic Blanco (21), Robert Molina (19), Jhon Alvarez (19), Kerby Camacho (19), Kidany Salva (18) Blanco was released by the Mariners midseason last year and the Twins quickly signed him. He got into a handful of games in the GCL, and he should bump up to E-Town this year. Robert Molina can catch but he struggled with the bat at E-Town last year. He’ll likely head back there. Jhon Alvarez is young and debuted in the States in 2016. He is likely to repeat the level. Kidany Salva was drafted last year. A Puerto Rico native, he moved to Texas for his senior year in high school. While he is very young and will head back to the GCL, he has some potential to be good both offensively and defensively. The Top Prospects 1.) Mitch Garver, 2.) Ben Rortvedt, 3.) Brian Navarreto, 4.) Kidany Salva, 5.) AJ Murray So what do you think? Who will start the season as Jason Castro’s backup? Which prospects are you most excited about in 2017? Please feel free to discuss and ask questions in the Comments below. Click here to view the article

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Granted, it probably wasn't anywhere near the "worst of times" for Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver, but the excitement of learning they had been drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the June, 2013 Amateur Draft had to have been at least slightly dampened with the realization that the Twins had drafted both of them.Going into that draft, the Twins knew they needed catching. They didn’t yet know just how desperately they needed catching. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com) The Twins had allowed their organization to become thin at a critical (if not THE most critical) defensive position. And it was understandable, to a degree. After all, they had the reigning American League Most Valuable Player behind the plate. Catcher Joe Mauer was not only good for a .300 batting average and .400 on-base percentage every season, but he had only just turned 30 years old a few weeks earlier. What the Twins’ brass didn’t know – and couldn’t know – as they gathered in their offices for the June 2013 Amateur Player Draft, was that Mauer would never get behind the plate to catch another big league game after the 2013 season, due to persistent concussion problems. Still, to their credit, they identified the catching position as one that warranted some focus in the 2013 draft. And focus they did. The Twins used three of their top 10 picks in 2013 on catchers and added another in the 22nd round. After selecting pitchers Kohl Stewart and Ryan Eades in rounds one and two, Minnesota picked Ole Miss catcher Stuart Turner in the third round. He was the 2013 Johnny Bench Award winner, presented to the top NCAA Division I catcher. In the sixth round, the Twins grabbed a high school catcher, Brian Navarreto. New Mexico Lobo catcher Mitch Garver was selected by the Twins in the ninth round. Garver was one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench award that Turner won. In fact, it was the second year that Garver was a Bench Award finalist. The Twins added Alex Swim out of Elon (NC) University in the 22nd round, to complete the 2013 catching class. Adding that many catchers to the organization at one time required a bit of roster manipulation on the part of the Twins farm director Brad Steil and his group. You obviously can’t just start the entire group at the same level and still get everyone enough work behind the plate to develop them. Navarreto, being a few years younger than the others, was easy to plug into the rookie league programs. Fair or not, as a lower round pick, there would be less emphasis on getting Swim adequate opportunities to show what he could do behind the plate. By the end of the 2013 season, of course, the Twins pretty much knew Mauer’s career as a catcher was effectively over and suddenly the club and its fans became much more interested in the catchers coming up through the farm system, particularly in Turner and Garver. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Turner3-450x600-450x600.jpgStuart Turner (Photo: SD Buhr)The Twins don’t make a habit of starting many of their young players at the Advanced Class A level in Ft. Myers, but it was important that both Turner and Garver get as much time working with pitchers from behind the plate as possible. That could only be accomplished by splitting the two catchers up in their first full season of professional ball. To accomplish that, Turner was assigned to Ft. Myers, while Garver spent 2014 at Class A Cedar Rapids. A year later, Turner and Garver remained one level apart as Turner was promoted to AA Chattanooga and Garver moved up to Ft. Myers. In fact, the first time the two became teammates wasn’t even technically with a Twins affiliate. The Twins sent both catchers to the Arizona Fall League in October, 2015. Both caught 11 games and DH’d in one for AFL champion Scottsdale. Garver hit .317 for the Scorpions, while Turner hit just .171. That set up a 2016 season where Garver and Turner would both begin the year at Chattanooga. While the two had been effectively competing with one another for some kind of mythical “Twins top catching prospect” designation since that 2013 draft day, this was the first time Garver and Turner were set up to go side-by-side into a regular season at the same professional level. That dynamic continued into the second week of August, when the Twins had a spot for a catcher open up at their AAA affiliate in Rochester and the call went out to Chattanooga for someone to finish out the season with the Red Wings. Since Turner was about to finish his second Class AA season with the Lookouts and Garver was still in his first tour through the Southern League, you might have thought that Turner would get the promotion – but you would have been wrong. With Garver hitting a respectable .257 (.753 OPS) at the time, while Turner was hovering around .210 (and an OPS around .650), it was Garver who was packing for Rochester. But it wasn’t just his bat that appeared to have pushed Garver ahead of Turner on the Twins’ organizational depth chart. He threw out 52% of runners attempting to steal on him (23 of 44 attempts) in Chattanooga. Turner threw out 19 of 48 attempted base stealers for a 40% clip. Admittedly, using “caught stealing” statistics as a measure for a catcher’s work behind the plate is iffy, at best. For one thing, runners steal bases off of pitchers as much as (if not more than) off catchers. However, in this case, that factor is largely mitigated since the two were catching members of the same Chattanooga pitching staff. After the season, the Twins again sent Garver to get additional work in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .229 and put up a .756 OPS, fueled by four home runs and four doubles in 70 at-bats for the AFL runner-up Surprise Saguaros. Whether Garver will eventually hit and, perhaps more importantly, catch well enough to work his way into the Minnesota Twins lineup on a regular basis certainly remains an unknown. However, we do know the Twins like him enough that, as the AFL season wrapped up, they added him to their 40-man roster. Meanwhile, Turner was not added to that roster, exposing him to Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 draft. On Thursday, the Cincinnati Reds selected Turner from the Twins in said draft. Ironically, while it’s clear that the Twins now value Garver’s big league potential over that of Turner, it’s Turner that very well could get to the big leagues ahead of Garver. As a Rule 5 pick, the Reds will need to keep Turner on their big league club in 2017 or return him to the Twins (or offer the Twins some sort of additional compensation in return for being allowed to keep him at a minor league level). At the same time, Garver will open spring training in the big league camp but has no guarantee in his pocket assuring him a spot with the Twins on Opening Day. On draft day in June of 2013, Turner and Garver had to be wondering what the chances were that the two of them would somehow both work their way into a Minnesota Twins uniform. It seemed likely that, some day, the Twins were going to need to make a choice between them. That day came and the Twins chose to cast their lot with Garver. Fortunately for Turner, he’s getting a pretty good consolation prize, courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds. Click here to view the article

Big league spring training starts in a little over a month. Rosters throughout the organization are starting to come together. As you likely would expect, I have my 2016 Twins Roster Projections document already set up. Today, I’ll start sharing my roster projections by looking at the catching position throughout the system.As always, there are a lot of catchers. There are two to four catchers listed at each level. A lot of catchers are needed during spring training, and then during extended spring training. Depth is also important as catchers get hurt. We’ve seen concussions and other injuries throughout the system. Catcher is a key position in any organization. MAJOR LEAGUES Kurt Suzuki is the incumbent. 2016 will be his tenth in the big leagues. He is coming off of a frustrating 2015 season in which he hit just .240/.296/.314 (.610). He threw out just 15% of the 94 would-be base stealers. The Twins traded Chris Herrmann to Arizona. Eric Fryer signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. Josmil Pinto was claimed by the San Diego Padres when the Twins took him off of their 40-man roster. (He was since DFAd by San Diego and claimed by Milwaukee.) The day after trading Herrmann, Terry Ryan traded Aaron Hicks to the Yankees in exchange for 24-year-old catcher John Ryan Murphy. He has played in 115 games for the Yankees, backing up Brian McCann, over the last three seasons. Over that time, he has hit .267/.311/.374 (.685). In 67 games in 2015, he hit .277/.327/.406 (.734). He threw out 28% of base runners. The Twins claimed John Hicks from Seattle shortly before the Winter Meetings. The 26-year-old appears to be an adequate offensive player. He has thrown out at least 38% of would-be base stealers in each of his five professional seasons. MINOR LEAGUES Before we get to the minor league catchers, a quick reminder that you can now pick up the 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook in paperback or eBook version. With the 142 pages, you will be able to learn much more about each of the players mentioned below. Please consider picking up a copy. Or, you can order five or more copies and get 20% off print books by using the promo code, JANBULK20. It expires on Wednesday. ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $15.99) ORDER NOW: 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $10.99) To learn more about all of the prospects in the Twins organization, make sure to order the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. The 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook goes in-depth and provides player bios, scouting reports, statistics and much more on almost 160 Twins minor leaguers. From Abreu to Young, learn more about some of the Future Minnesota Twins. Rochester Red Wings Hicks will likely be the primary catcher in Rochester. 26-year-old Juan Centeno played 14 games with the Mets in 2013 and 2014, and another ten games with the Brewers in 2015. The Twins signed him to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training. He’s solid behind the plate. In 2013, he threw out 56% of base stealers. That number was 25% in 2015. Carlos Paulino split time between Chattanooga and Rochester a year ago. The 26-year-old has a strong arm and a little pop in his bat. Chattanooga Lookouts The catching situation in Chattanooga could be very interesting early in the season. Two very good prospects, Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver, could both start there. Turner was the Twins third-round pick in 2013 out of Ole Miss. He spent the 2015 season with the Lookouts and hit .223/.322/.306 (.628) with 18 extra base hits. Known for his all-around defensive game, he threw out 39% of base stealers last year. He hit .171 in 12 games in the Arizona Fall League. He hit better in the second half. He was pushed right to Ft. Myers in his first full season. I think it mght benefit Turner to spend another half-season with the Lookouts to continue to work on his offensive game. He just turned 24 a week ago. Garver was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2013 out of New Mexico. He was our choice for Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2014 at Cedar Rapids. He struggled a bit, especially early, with the bat in 2015 in Ft. Myers. Defensively, he has made big improvements and last year threw out 38% of base stealers. He played in 12 games in the AFL and hit .317 (.916 OPS). He will turn 25 in a little over a week. Alex Swim was a late-round pick in 2013 out of Elon University. He hit .311 in Cedar Rapids in 2014, and last year, he hit .311 in Ft. Myers. He can catch and has a strong arm, but he’ll play a lot at 1B and RF as well as DH. The Twins signed independent league All-Star Joe Maloney as well. The 25-year-old hit .337/.432/.559 (.991) with 33 doubles and 14 homers for Rockland in the Can Am League. He’ll compete for a spot with the Lookouts. Ft. Myers Miracle Brian Navarreto (21) was the Twins sixth-round pick in 2013 out of high school in Florida. At 6-4 and 230 pounds, he is a big target and has a very strong arm behind the plate. In 86 game in Cedar Rapids last year, he threw out 56% of baserunners, just below the remarkable 59% of would-be base stealers the year before in E-Town. To this point, he has not hit as a professional. He hit .217/.256/.281 (.537). As a 24-year-old in Cedar Rapids in 2015, Brett Doe hit .246/.300/.321 (.621) with 11 doubles and three homers. He got eight games with Ft. Myers as well and that’s where he should spend 2016. Doe is solid behind the plate. At Baylor he played all over the place, including some shortstop. Alex Real was the Twins 24th round pick in 2014 out of New Mexico where he was a teammate of Mitch Garver. Real’s 2015 was delayed due to a 50-game suspension. He returned and played 64 games for the Kernels. He hit .261/.322/.383 (.704) with 11 doubles, four triples and three homers. He can catch, but he can also play first base and DH. Cedar Rapids Kernels Jorge Fernandez was the Twins seventh-round pick in 2013 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He is a very good athlete and there is frequent talk about him being moved to the outfield. He actually played two games in right field in 2015. He also played more first base than catcher in 2015. In 56 games, he hit .215/.268/.341 (.610) with 14 doubles, two triples and three homers. He didn’t throw out a base runner in 2015. He could return to the Kernels, but he may not be catching as much going forward. Rainis Silva is a 19-year-old from Venezuela. He played 32 games in Elizabethton after getting into 11 games with Cedar Rapids earlier in the season. He should move up to Cedar Rapids in 2016. He’s a good glove, strong-armed backstop who continues to grow his game. 20-year-old Rafael Valera joined the Kernels in the middle of their season. He played in 62 games, mostly at second base, and hit .283/.378/.338 (.716) with ten doubles and a triple. He went to Instructional League to work on catching, a position he has not played to this point. Jose Ortiz was signed last month as a free agent after being released by the Reds organization. He has played a combined 82 games for Dayton in the Midwest League over the past two seasons. He hit .198 and .199 in those seasons. He’ll likely get a shot to play for the Kernels. 2015 College Draft Picks There are several catchers selected by the Twins in the later rounds of the 2015 draft who will compete for spots with the Kernels. It’s likely several of them will begin the season at extended spring training, awaiting an opportunity. Brian Olson (34th round) was the best hitter of the bunch in his debut season. In 32 games between the GCL and E-Town, he hit .302/.414/.415 (.829) with four doubles and two homers. He threw out 9 of 14 base runners (64%). AJ Murray was the team’s 14th round pick out of Georgia Tech. He went right to Elizabethton where he hit .264/.366/.409 (.774) with 11 doubles and four homers in 51 games. He threw out 32% of base runners. Bryant Hayman went undrafted after four years at Valdosta State. In 33 GCL games, he hit .222/.322/.394 (.716) with seven doubles, two triples and two homers. Likely at least two of those three will go to extended spring training. Kerby Camacho and Lean Marrero, two high school catchers from Puerto Rico, will certainly be in EST and likely play in the GCL. Camacho was suspended for 60 games for PED use. 19-year-old Robert Molina hit .235/.289/.294 (.583) with four doubles and a homer in 37 games in the GCL. He could move up to Elizabethton. SUMMARY I would fully expect Suzuki and Murphy to split time early in the 2016 season. I think that within a couple of months, Murphy will begin to see more playing time. Murphy is young and can be a league average catcher. He could be the catcher of the future. Eric Fryer has been the #3 catcher the last couple of years, able to come up and go down. There was risk as he wasn’t kept on the 40-man roster. That role could be filled by Hicks who has two years of options remaining. The top prospects remain Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver. In reality, one of them could be ready for a big league spot sometime in 2017. It is a big year for both of them. It’s pretty clear that the Twins have made a concerted effort to improve their catcher defense. You can see that throughout the system. Catcher is, and should be, a defense-first position. However, as we all know, a catcher also needs to be able to hit a little bit to provide much value. Catcher Prospect Rankings Stuart Turner,Mitch Garver,Brian Navarreto,Rainis Silva,John Hicks. Click here to view the article