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Only the Rochester Red Wings were off today across the Minnesota Twins affiliates. Runs were put up in bunches across the lower three levels of the farm, and the long ball continued to be a fun theme across multiple lineups. Wednesday saw a professional first for a 2018 draftee, and Miguel Sano even got in on the action for Fort Myers. Read about all the action below.TRANSACTIONS Rochester Red Wings RHP Alan Busenitz recalled by Twins C Cameron Rupp released Fort Myers Miracle RHP Brady Anderson released LHP Kevin Marnon reinstated from the DL and sent to Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids Kernels LHP Jovani Moran promoted to Fort Myers RED WINGS REPORT The Red Wings were off tonight for the Triple-A All-Star game. However, Rochester representative Nick Anderson got in the contest and threw one inning of relief. He gave up one hit and struck out one for the International League All-Stars. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jacksonville 8, Chattanooga 1 Box Score Looking to salvage a game in the series, the Lookouts sent Dietrich Enns to the bump. After trading zeroes with the Jumbo Shrimp through four innings, the scoring began in the fifth and not stop. Unfortunately for Chattanooga, the final tally saw them fall 8-1. Trailing by eight runs, the Lookouts needed a ninth inning rally to spark some sort of a comeback effort. Having quickly given up the first two outs, they found themselves backed against a wall. Taylor Motter drew a walk, and Zander Wiel then was put on intentionally. Given a scoring opportunity Mitchell Kranson camethrough with a single to center. After Motter crossed the plate, Chattanooga faced long odds to keep the rally going. A Jimmy Kerrigan strikeout on the next at-bat ended this one, and the Lookouts will head home and await the Biscuits. Having dropped to 5-15 in the second half, the Twins Double A squad will be hoping to right the ship in short order. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Palm Beach 4 Box Score Called up today from Cedar Rapids, Jovani Moran found himself in the game after four innings from starter Charlie Barnes. Working one out shy of the innings in relief, Moran blanked the Cardinals and secured his first High A win. By the time Fort Myers came to the plate in the fourth inning, they faced a four-run deficit. Needing to climb back in the contest, Miguel Sano stepped to the plate and delivered in a big way. His second home run since joining the Miracle was a three-run blast that cut the Cardinals lead to one. In the sixth, Fort Myers drew even, and then took the lead. Mark Contreras ripped a solo shot, his fifth for the Miracle, and then Caleb Hamilton drove in Joe Cronin on a sac fly. Thanks to an errant throw from the shortstop, Alex Kirilloff would also score on the play. Not done yet, a Travis Blankenhorn single drove in Sano, and the sixth inning ended with Fort Myers holding onto a 7-4 lead. That would be enough to get the job done, and Adam Bray worked 2 1/3 innings to pick up his first save of the season. He lowered his ERA to 0.84 with the effort. The Miracle wrap up the series with Palm Beach tomorrow and need a win to grab a split. KERNELS NUGGETS Fort Wayne 8, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Tyler Watson was on the bump for the Kernels in this one, and while he lasted just shy of six innings, eight runs (six earned) crossed the plate. Despite getting 10 hits from the lineup, Cedar Rapids was only able to plate four runs on the evening and fell short in this one. Fort Wayne did their damage early and often. By the end of the fourth inning, the home team trailed 6-0. The Tin Caps would also add two in the sixth, and the deficit reached 8-0 before the Kernels found themselves pushing a run across the plate. Looking for a rally, the scoring came in the seventh inning for Toby Gardenhire’s squad. David Banuelos plated the first run, driving in Trey Cabbage on a sacrifice fly. Royce Lewis got in on the action blasting his ninth long ball of the season; a two-run shot that scored Jacob Pearson. Jose Miranda went back-to-back with his ninth as well, and the Kernels found themselves quickly halving the deficit. Unfortunately, that’s where the scoring ended. These same two clubs will square off tomorrow night in Iowa for game two of the series. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 10, Johnson City 6 Box Score Just a night after scoring 15 runs, the Twins put up 10 runs on 15 hits against Johnson City in another offensive outburst. Tyler Palm did his part on the mound, blanking the opposition over five strong innings to get his second win of the season. Trevor Casanova started things off in the first inning, scoring Lean Marrero on a groundout to short. Michael Davis then followed up his strong Tuesday game with an RBI single to drive in Yunior Severino. While his first took some time, Ryan Jeffers homered for the second straight night. His solo shot in the third inning put the Twins up 3-0. Another crooked number came in the top of the 4th. Colton Burns singled in Michael Davis, and then Hunter Lee drove in Albee Weiss. A wild pitch during Severino’s at-bat then allowed Burns to come around and touch the plate for himself. Going into the bottom half of the fourth, it was 6-0 good guys. Not done adding, Severino launched a homer for his second of the season. This one was of the three-run variety, plating both Lee and Marrero. Up 9-0 after six, this one looked to be well in hand. In case there were any doubts however, Ricky De La Torre picked up his first bomb of the year to make it 10-0 in the seventh. Johnson City answered with one in the seventh, and pushed across another five in the 9th, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback. Up two games to none in the series Elizabethton will look to secure the series victory in game three of four tomorrow night. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Rays 6 Box Score Down three going into the bottom half of the third inning, the Twins needed to find a way to claw back. With Rays top prospect Brendan McKay on the bump for a rehab start, this wasn’t going to be an easy task from the get go. The Twins got to him for one run however, and they’d mount a comeback after his departure. Janigson Villalobos got the GCL Twins on the board with a groundout to short, scoring Yeltsin Encarnacion. Later in the inning, Gabe Snyder doubled for the third time this season, and Samuel Vasquez scored on the play. Heading into the fourth, the Twins trailed by just one. In the sixth inning, it was time for the Twins to start doing some damage. Erick Rivera singled to drive in Edgar Herrera and knot the game at three. From there an Encarnacion single scored Victor Tademo, and a Vasquez single plated Rivera from third. Thanks to a throwing error from the right fielder, Encarnacion was also able to score on the play. Kidany Silva capped off the inning with his second double, driving in Vasquez and pushing the lead to a 7-3 tally. The Rays attempted to pull out the rally caps in the ninth, but their efforts fell just short. Despite the three-run inning, they came one shy of tying things up and forcing the Twins to their last raps. Regi Grace came on in relief for the GCL Twins in this one, and his three scoreless innings were enough to secure his first professional win. He’s now turned in five scoreless innings to begin his career. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Palm 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) – 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR(2) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-5, R, 2 RBI, HR(9) 5. Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 2-4, 2 R, 2B 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-4 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, BB, 2 K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-3, RBI 18. Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) – 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR(2) 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton Wilkes-Barre (6:05PM CST) – LHP Adalberto Mejia (4-2, 2.68 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – TBD Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Tyler Wells (7-3, 2.58) Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (5-1, 4.87 ERA) Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00PM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Click here to view the article

With the first half of the season quickly coming to a close for some of the Twins minor league affiliates, taking a couple extra victories before the second half remains the goal. In day matinee, Jose Miranda stole the show in a losing effort for the Kernels, while starting pitching was the focus for Rochester, Chattanooga, and Fort Myers. The Lookouts broke out the bats, and runs were put up in bunches. Read about the action below.TRANSACTIONS Fort Myers Miracle OF Jimmy Kerrigan promoted to Chattanooga RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3 Box Score Dietrich Enns was on the bump for this one, and he turned in a strong start coming up just short of seven full innings. He left the game with a one run lead, and despite being outhit 11 to 5, the Red Wings had the upper hand in the only category that matters. Rochester would get the scoring started in the top of the 2nd inning. Wynston Sawyer would double in Chris Carter, and he'd then come around to score on an errant pickoff throw. The only damage done against Enns would be in the form of a Billy McKinney solo shot in the 4th. From there, the two teams would remain quiet on the scoreboad until the 8th inning. With Alan Busenitz on the mound, Scranton would push across the tying run on a Brandon Drury single. Willians Astudillo made sure that the Red Wings would answer however, as he blasted a two run shot in the top half of the 9th inning. Trevor May was given the 9th inning and locked down his second save of the year for Rochester. One run would come across, though it was of the unearned variety. May would allows two hits and a walk through his one inning of work. A rehabbing Joe Mauer played all nine innings in the field tonight, going 0-4 with a strikeout at the dish. He's tentatively expected to rejoin the Twins on Friday. With the win, the Red Wings were able to able to put an end to the 10 game losing streak they were on. They'll head to Buffalo for a four game set beginning tomorrow night. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 14, Montgomery 4 Box Score With Lewis Thorpe on the mound, and giving the Lookouts six very strong innings tonight, Chattanooga did something the parent club could not. Throughout the lineup, this team hit and put runs up in bunches over the course of the game. Thorpe's nine strikeouts and only one walk helped to punctuate a start that was only blemished by some slight trouble in the 7th. Right away in the first, Chattanooga jumped out to a lead. First Edgar Corcino drove in Sean Miller, and then Andy Wilkins would ground a single to right driving in Chris Paul. Taking an inning off, more runs were added in the top of the third inning. Paul would drive in Miller on a single of his own, and then Wilkins would notch his first homer of the season on a three run blast. Up 6-0 already in the 4th inning, Brent Rooker would get in on the action. A liner would drive in a run, and Paul would continue his nice night at the dish. Tallying his 17th double on the season, Paul would drive in both Rooker and Corcino, putting the good guys up 9-0. Wilkins would then rip his second homer of the night (and season) to center, and Jimmy Kerrigan would go back-to-back grabbing his first longball in his first Double-A game. By the 8th, Birmingham had scratched away a bit, and pushed four runs of their own across. Adding a bid of insurance, Corcino would score Ryan Walker on a ground out, and Paul would drive in Miller on a sac fly. Up 14-4 by the 9th, Ryan Eades would come on to grab the final three outs. It was a great way for the Lookouts to start their final series of the first half. They'll match up with the Barons again tomorrow evening. With just four games left in the 1st half, Chattanooga will be looking to pile on wins and overtake Jackson (1.0 GB) in the Southern League's North Division. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 7, Fort Myers 6 Box Score The recently reinstated Griffin Jax was on the bump for the Miracle in this one, and he turned in a very nice outing. Going six innings, he allowed just three runs (two earned), on six hits. Jax tallied five strikeouts and walked just two. Leaving the game before the Miracle scoring started, he found himself at the mercy of his offense. As noted, the Miracle got off to a slow start in the run column for this one. They found themselves down 3-0 through six innings and needed to get something going. From there though, runs would come in three straight frames. Joe Cronin got the party going with a two run homer (his 5th of the year) in the 7th. Caleb Hamilton would then join in with a two run homer of his own, and his first of the season. After seven innings, the Miracle had erased the three run deficit, and found themselves clinging to a one run lead. In the 8th, Ryan Mason found himself in trouble, and Palm Beach would push across four runs of their own. Fort Myers was tasked with answering in the 9th, and nearly did enough to grab the W. Travis Blankenhorn drove in Brandon Lopez on a sacrifice fly, and a Jaylin Davis brought in Luis Arraez cutting the lead to one. Unfortunately that's where the rally would end, and they'd come up one run short. Fort Myers outhit Palm Beach 12 to 11, but they combined to go 3-13 with runners in scoring position, as well as leaving eight runners on base. The Miracle will look to take the series and end the first half with a win tomorrow. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 6, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Brusdar Graterol was on the bump for this one, and was looking to follow up his great performance from his last time out. While it wasn’t a blow up, the Kernels hurler surrendered three earned runs on five hits across four innings pitched. Despite coming out of the game with Cedar Rapids trailing just by two, the bats couldn’t turn hits into runs on the day. Right away in the first inning, the Kernels jumped out on top. Royce Lewis ripped his 14th double of the year, and Jose Miranda drove him in on an RBI single. That lead would hold until Graterol allowed a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning. The Cougars would then add another in the 4th, and Cedar Rapids found themselves trailing 3-1 in the top half of the 5th. With the bases loaded, Andrew Bechtold would draw a walk and an RBI to bring Cedar Rapids back within one. Despite outhitting Kane County by a tally of 12 to 9, the two runs were all Toby Gardenhire’s squad could push across on the day. The Cougars would answer with a run of their own in the 5th, as well as two more in the 6th. That 6-2 total would hold through the last three innings, and push the two teams to a series split with a rubber match still to come. Miranda had a fine day at the plate going 3-4 with the RBI and a double of his own. Both Bechtold and Jean Carlos Arias would also record multi hit games, picking up two each. Seven of the Kernels nine hitters would tally a base hit, and all but one were able to reach base on the day. Jovani Moran did a great job in relief working three innings of no-hit, no-run ball. He struck out six and walked just two. The two clubs will meet tomorrow night to decide the series. Cedar Rapids will then head home for a three game set with Peoria to put a bow on the first half of the season. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Andy Wilkins 3-4, 2 R, 6 RBI, 2 HR(1,2) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 1-5, R, 2B 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-4, K 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-5, R, RBI 9. Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, BB, K 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 0-5, K 14. LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 0-4 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-3, RBI THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (6:05PM CST) – LHP Adalberto Mejia (1-2, 3.86 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05PM CST) – TBD Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (1-4, 4.14 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30PM CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (2-1, 6.21 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Half of the Minnesota Twins affiliates are in action this morning, with the Cedar Rapids Kernels playing a second straight doubleheader. On top of the big league action, and the final day of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, it's a busy day across the organization. Check back throughout the day as the action unfolds throughout the systemTRANSACTIONS AND NEWS Rochester Red Wings Add RHP Zack Littell Release INF Jermaine Curtis Fort Myers Miracle Taylor Grzelakowski was named to the Florida State League All Star Game today. Cedar Rapids Kernels Activated C David Banuelos off DL Activated RHP Brusdar Graterol off DL Placed C Ben Rodriguez on DL Brusdar Graterol, Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, and Jared Finkel were named to the Midwest League All Star Game RED WINGS REPORT Indianapolis 7, Rochester 2 Box Score In just a three game set with Indianapolis, the Red Wings were looking to take tonight's game in order to knot up the series. Giving up seven runs on 12 hits and mustering just four of their own, the effort fell short. Aaron Slegers was on the bump, and he was staked to a 1-0 lead after Rochester's first at-bat. Jake Cave was able to drive a ball deep enough, allowing Zack Granite to score from third. The sac fly was Cave's 25th RBI on the year. After allowing the Indians to draw even, Chris Carter put the home team back on top with his 4th HR of the season. Leading 2-1 through the 5th inning, that's where things went downhill for Rochester. Slegers would be removed from the game shortly after allowing a third run to score on a solo shot. In the 6th, another would follow, and runs were posted in both the 8th and 9th innings as well. A final of 7-2 dropped Rochester in a 2-0 series hole, with an ability to get one back during tomorrow's day game. Cameron Rupp made his Twins organization debut in this one. He batted seventh and went 0-2 with two strikeouts and two walks. He has a July 15th opt out that can be exercised should he not be placed on the big league roster by that point. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mobile 15, Chattanooga 4 Box Score Coming off an 11-6 loss yesterday, the Lookouts were trying to exact some revenge against Mobile today. Despite getting out to a 1-0 lead early in the first inning, it wouldn’t hold up and the BayBears piled on. After a LaMonte Wade walk to start off the home half of the first, Brent Rooker drove in the game’s first run on his 13th double. Starter Anthony Marzi was given a lead, but the third inning would spell danger for the Chattanooga hurler. Mobile answered the Lookouts run with eight of their own, and the deficit only grew from there. Not rolling over, the Chattanooga offense responded with two runs in the bottom half of the third inning. A Zander Wiel single drove in LaMonte Wade and put Brent Rooker at third base. Edgar Corcino then scored Rooker on a sac fly during the very next at-bat. Rooker, the lone Lookout hitter to have a strong day at the dish, hit his eighth home run of the season in the fifth inning. Unfortunately for Chattanooga, that tally was their last of the game. With Mobile scoring four in the fifth, three in the sixth, and two more in the ninth, the final rested at 17-4. Both Alex Perez and Tanner English worked as position players on in relief to round out the eighth and ninth innings in this one. Having taken the middle three games of the series, Mobile will win the five game set. Chattanooga can look to salvage an extra game as they square off one last time tomorrow evening. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 9, Fort Myers 5 (10 innings) Box Score This game saw 14 runners cross the plate, and there was a total of 22 hits recorded. Unfortunately for the Miracle, the majority in both categories were recorded by Palm Beach. Having dropped the first two in the series, an offensive outburst was the result this club was looking for. Early on, things were going well for Fort Myers. Putting up a crooked number in the second inning, Luis Arraez doubled and Mitchell Kranson singled to score three runners. The lead wouldn't hold up however, as all three were given back in the top half of the 4th. Palm Beach then took their first lead in the 5th, to the tune of a 4-3 tally. A Shane Carrier single for the Miracle knotted things up in the bottom half, and the roller coaster affair would continue. Fort Myers then jumped back out on top in the bottom of the sixth, this time with Arraez delivering again, on a sac fly. As had been the case throughout the entirety of the game, the lead would be short lived. A Palm Beach home run off of Ryan Mason would send the Miracle to bat in the seventh tied at five. Neither team could push anything across in the 8th or 9th, and this one would head to extras. The final blow on the evening came against Miracle All-Star Andrew Vasquez. With the bases loaded, Palm Beach's Dylan Carlson lifted a grand slam to right field. Down 9-5, Fort Myers wasn't able to pull even again and they fell to 0-3 in the series. Looking to salvage a game, they'll have one last opportunity tomorrow night. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1: Beloit 4, Cedar Rapids 3 (8 innings) Box Score Brusdar Graterol returned from the disabled list (hand contusion) to start this one for Cedar Rapids. He was on cruise control most of the game, and allowing just two runs over six strong innings, his final line was another good one. Beloit got the scoring started in the top half of the fifth inning, tallying one against Graterol. Andrew Bechtold scored on a David Banuelos single in the bottom half, to knot the game up. Unfortunately the lead was short lived with the Snappers striking again in the top of the 6th. Down to their last raps in the bottom of the seventh inning, Bechtold led off with his second double of the game. After two quick outs, Jordan Gore found himself at the dish with the game on the line. The Kernels were down to their final strike when Gore ground a single through the infield to right, scoring Bechtold and forcing extras. In the extra frame, Calvin Faucher came on for Toby Gardenhire, and was tasked with holding the automatic runner at second. After a Beloit sac bunt, the runner came in to score on a wild pitch. The Snappers added an insurance tally before their half of the inning was over, and Cedar Rapids faced a 4-2 deficit. Royce Lewis was tabbed the automatic runner for the Kernels in the bottom of the 8th, and he scored on a Robby Rinn two-out single. Needing to push one more across, the rally fell short as Jacob Pearson was caught stealing with Bechtold at the plate. A split of their second straight doubleheader would again be the goal in game two. Game 2: Beloit 3, Cedar Rapids 0 (7 innings) Box Score Tanner Kiest was making his second start in the Twins organization, and this one would be of the abbreviated sort. Despite allowing just two runs in the first frame, he needed 36 pitches to get through the inning. With the new organizational rule limiting minor leaguers at 35 pitches, he was then removed from the game. Randy Dobnak came on in relief, and he gave the Kernels everything they could ask for. Throwing six innings of one-run baseball, the three-run deficit was a score that allowed the offense opportunity to rally. The bats went cold after the seven-hit performance in the first game, and two base knocks were all the squad could muster. Having played four games in two days, the Kernels (and Snappers) will welcome a one game affair to close out the series tomorrow night. With the Kernels trailing three games to one in this set, they'll look to draw closer to even as the end the three day homestand. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Brent Rooker 2-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR(8), 2 BB Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Brusdar Graterol 7.0 IP 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, R 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 1-4 5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – (2 Games) 1-5, 2 BB, K 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 2-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR(8), 2 BB 9. Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – 7.0 IP 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – (2 Games) 1-5, 2 BB, 3 K 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 0-5, 2 K 14. LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 2-4, 2B 16. Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-4, BB, K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (11:35AM CST) – LHP Dietrich Enns (4-5, 4.81 ERA) Mobile @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – TBD Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Griffin Jax (0-0, 5.79 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (1-1, 7.86 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Today was filled with early action on the farm for the Minnesota Twins affiliates. Each of the four minor league teams played afternoon matinee games, and there was plenty of action. With Omar Bencomo replacing Aaron Slegers at Triple-A, and Jose Miranda putting on a show for the Kernels, highlights were long and across the board.TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins- Add RHP Aaron Slegers from Triple A Rochester Rochester Red Wings- Add RHP Omar Bencomo from Double A Chattanooga RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Durham 2 Box Score For the Red Wings, Aaron Slegers was initially slated to start today’s matinee. With the Minnesota Twins having exhausted their bullpen in an extra-innings affair last night, he was needed to provide length in relief. In his place, Omar Bencomo came up from Double A Chattanooga. Bencomo last pitched for Rochester back in 2016. After spending 2017 in the Marlins organization, today represented his 2018 debut with the Twins Triple A affiliate. Suggesting that the outing went well would be an understatement. He shoved for 6 innings allowing just one hit and striking out four while walking none. By the time Rochester’s starter left, they were in command of the game. Facing former Minnesota prospect Chih-Wei Hu, Kennys Vargas homered in the top of the second inning. It was his seventh of the year and second in as many days. The Red Wings would then pile on against Hu in the fourth. Jake Cave drove in Nick Gordon (who picked up his first Triple A triple) on a single, while Chris Carter cleared the bases with a two-run shot. Nick Buss then tripled in Wynston Sawyer to put the away club up 5-0. Alan Busenitz came in to work two scoreless innings, which has become the expectation when he’s on the bump for Rochester. The reliever now owns a 0.54 ERA and a 24/5 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings at Triple-A in 2018. Working the ninth inning, John Curtiss would get himself into a bit of a jam after allowing a walk and hit to give Durham runners on second and third with two outs. A throwing error by Nick Gordon on what would have been the final out allowed both Bulls runners to score. Curtiss would pick up his teammate and record the final out on the next batter however. Tomorrow night, Rochester goes for the three game series sweep. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Birmingham 7, Chattanooga 1 Box Score Kohl Stewart took the mound today for the Lookouts and was attempting to right the ship. After posting strong starts in five of his first six outings, he’d given up six runs in twoed of his last three. Unfortunately for both Stewart and the Lookouts, this one follow the latter pattern. From the second through fourth innings, the Barons hopped all over the Chattanooga starter. Yielding seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and three walks, Kohl was able to fan just four. Headed into the top of the fifth inning against top 100 prospect Dane Dunning, Chattanooga was staring at a seven run deficit. Recently activated LaMonte Wade helped to push across the lone Lookouts run of the day. On an RBI single in the top of the sixth inning, Ryan Walker came around to score. With just five hits to their credit across the nine frames, Chattanooga wouldn’t be able to do enough to force a comeback. Sam Clay and Paco Rodriguez worked two innings each in relief of Stewart. Both held the Barons scoreless and they struck out three and two batters respectively. With the series knotted at one game apiece, Chattanooga will look to take back the advantage tomorrow evening. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Clearwater 3 Box Score Hometown kid Brady Anderson was on the bump for the Miracle again today, and while he’s had an up and down season for the Miracle, this outing was good enough to keep them in it. Working 5 1/3 innings, Anderson scattered seven hits, allowed three runs, while both walking and striking out four batters. For his efforts, Anderson recorded his first win of 2018. Given a lead in the second inning, a Travis Blankenhorn double pushed across Jaylin Davis for the game’s first run. A wild pitch from Anderson in the third would knot the game at one, but that would be the last time Clearwater would draw even. Jimmy Kerrigan launched his sixth home run of the season in the top half of the sixth inning, and Taylor Grzelakowski doubled to drive in both Davis and Blankenhorn. Although a 4-3 lead may have held up, insurance was added in the ninth. Mark Contreras singled in Blankenhorn and Kerrigan then drove him in with a sharp single of his own. 6-3 into the final half inning was enough to grab the victory. Both Davis and Blankenhorn fueled the offense today for the Miracle, tallying three hits apiece. Blankenhorn busted out of a three game hitless streak in a nice way, while Davis continues to trend towards the .300 mark on the year. Wrapping up the three-game set with Clearwater tomorrow night, the Miracle find themselves positioned for a sweep. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 15, Wisconsin 4 Box Score Early and often was the mantra today for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. With Blayne Enlow on the bump, the home team knew a little run support should get them the victory. Luckily for manager Toby Gardenhire, the run support came in bunches and was highlighted by a massive finish. The Kernels jumped out to a quick lead with Royce Lewis driving in Akil Baddoo on an RBI single; he would then come around to score on a Jose Miranda double. In the second inning, already one time through the order, Lewis doubled in Baddoo and score on an Alex Kirilloff two-bagger. It was in the third inning that Enlow finally ran into some trouble. Giving back the lead, Cedar Rapids found themselves tied at four heading to the bottom half of the third frame. Ben Rortvedt quickly gave the home team some separation with an RBI double in the bottom half however. In the fourth, Miranda then tacked on another run, pushing the lead to 6-4, on his second RBI double of the game. Up by two runs heading into their final hacks, the Kernels decided to turn on the afterburners. In the bottom of the eighth, Miranda started things off with a grand slam, his fourth home run of the year. From there, Jacob Pearson launched his first career homer, and Robby Rinn followed with his first in the Twins organization. Not ready to be done, Jordan Gore doubled in Ben Rortvedt, and Akil Baddoo’s third long ball of the season put a stamp on things. When the dust settled, Cedar Rapids was able to head to the ninth holding a 15-4 lead. Jose Martinez came on for the final frame, and the 11 run lead would stay intact. The Kernels have now hung 21 runs on Wisconsin in the past two games to cement a series victory. They can go for the three game sweep tomorrow night. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Omar Bencomo, 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Jose Miranda 3-5, R, 6 RBI, 2 2B, GS HR(4) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B 2. Fernando Romero (Minnesota) – 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 1-4, R, 3B, 2 K 5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, R, RBI, BB, 2B, 2 K 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-4, 2 K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 1-3, 4 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, HR(3), 2 K 14. LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 1-4, RBI, K 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 16. Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) – 3-4, R, RBI, 2 2B, BB, K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (6:05PM CST) – LHP Dietrich Enns (3-5, 5.11 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05PM CST) – TBD Fort Myers @ Clearwater (6:00PM CST) – RHP Clark Beeker (1-3, 2.93 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Click here to view the article

With the big club being weathered out for the evening, all of the action was down on the farm. Minnesota's affiliates split wins and losses, but it was again at Triple-A that the Rochester Red Wings needed some extra inning heroics to cap off the evening.TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins OF Ryan LaMarre optioned to Rochester Rochester Red Wings OF James Ramsey to Elizabethton Chattanooga Lookouts LHP Tyler Jay to DL with a left groin strain Chattanooga Lookouts LHP Anthony McIver activated from DL Fort Myers Miracle RHP Brady Anderson promoted to Rochester Cedar Rapids Kernels RHP Ryan Mason promoted to Fort Myers RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Gwinnett 4 (11 innings) Box Score On back-to-back nights, the Rochester Red Wings and Gwinnett Braves played in to extras. Following a 14-inning affair on Thursday, the two clubs needed 11 innings to settle the score on Friday. Thankfully for Rochester, the result was a similar one. With Brock Stassi starting as the runner on second base, Nick Buss singled to start off the top of the 11th. A Bobby Wilson double play could've spelled disaster, but Stassi scooted home to put Rochester up 5-4. After a Gregorio Petit single, and then steal of second and free pass to third on a wild pitch, Taylor Featherston was able to provide more damage. Zack Granite was intentionally walked to get to the Red Wings second basemen, and he delivered a single to drive in Petit. A Kennys Vargas groundout would later end the inning, but Rochester headed to the bottom half leading 6-4. Working his second inning of relief and looking to make up for the blown save in the 10th, Mason Melotakis went to work. Former Twins utility man Danny Santana struck out to start the inning, and despite a Ronald Acuna single leading to a first and third situation, Melotakis got the ground ball double play to end it. Rochester was scheduled to start Adalberto Mejia for this game, but went with a bullpen approach, leading with D.J. Baxendale. It would seem to suggest that Mejia was on tap to start for the Minnesota Twins had their game not being postponed for the evening. Jermaine Curtis led the way with three hits on offense, and the group consisting of Featherston, Vargas, Stassi and Petit each picked up two of their own. The Red Wings got their second win of the season, and will be looking for more of the same while hoping to give their relief corps some rest tomorrow night. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Pensacola 2 Box Score Getting on the board early, the Lookouts were able to jump out to a 3-1 lead and hold on late for the victory. Randy LeBlanc earned the win with five solid innings on the bump, ceding just one run on three hits. Ryan Eades earned a three inning hold, and Williams Ramirez picked up the save in relief. The save was Williams' first of 2018, fifth of his career, and the first since being used briefly as a closer for Cedar Rapids in 2016. On offense, the damage was done at the top. Nick Gordon, Zander Wiel and Chris Paul each had a two-hit night for the Lookouts. Gordon scooted to his second triple of the season, and added his fourth RBI. Wiel picked up his second RBI of the year, and Ryan Walker was responsible for the third. Brent Rooker returned to the Chattanooga lineup tonight as the DH and went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Seven of the nine Lookout hitters tallied a base hit and the club went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Inching closer to .500, Chattanooga will aim for their fourth win tomorrow evening. MIRACLE MATTERS Tampa 4, Fort Myers 0 Box Score Hits were at a premium for the Miracle on Friday night as Tarpon pitchers allowed just four to the Fort Myers lineup. Mitchell Kranson tallied the lone extra-base hit for the Miracle, his third double of the season. Charlie Barnes got the start and went 4.1 innings allowing just one run on four base hits. He also walked two while striking out five. Asked to follow up Barnes' effort, Hector Lujan was in the strike zone a ton, getting strikes on 30 of his 40 pitches thrown. Unfortunately the results yielded three more runs on seven hits, although he did strike out three. Andrew Vasquez was the final reliever out of the Miracle pen on the evening, and he turned in two scoreless innings while notching a strikeout. Opportunities were simply hard to come by as Fort Myers only went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, and only three runners were left on base all evening. They'll look to even the series tomorrow evening at Hammond Stadium. Phil Hughes will be making his second rehab start in that contest. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 2, Cedar Rapids 0 Box Score Bound to happen eventually, tonight was the night that Toby Gardenhire's squad took their first loss of the season. Despite giving up just two runs, the Kernels could muster only two hits and that wouldn't be enough to get the job done. Top prospect Royce Lewis tallied one of the two, with left-fielder Shane Carrier notching the other. The Kernels left only one runner on base all evening as they mustered just one walk while striking out 12 times. On the mound, Bryan Sammons twirled 5.1 innings of good baseball. He allowed just four hits while giving up an earned run and posting the same number of strikeouts and walks with three. Jovani Moran and Derek Molina came on in relief, both pitching well and keeping Cedar Rapids in the ballgame. Molina was hit with an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning to tally the final score. The Kernels will look to exact revenge on Saturday evening from Perfect Game Field. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Taylor Featherston, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3 #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 2-5, R, RBI, 3B (2) #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 3 K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-3, R #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 1-3 #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, 2 K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett (5:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:05 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe Tampa @ Ft. Myers (5:00 CST) - RHP Phil Hughes Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina Click here to view the article

Alex Kirilloff busted out in a big way Wednesday evening, slugging his first two home runs for Cedar Rapids to lead a huge offensive output for the Kernels. Also tonight, Zack Littell tallied 10 strikeouts and Anthony Marzi hurled 6.1 shutout innings. Check out what else happened around the minors.RED WINGS REPORT Syracuse 7, Rochester 1 Box Score Dietrich Enns got his first action of the season for the Red Wings, and was unfortunately chased after just 3.2 IP. Leaving with a three run deficit, it was up to Rochester to mount a comeback, and the bats simply didn’t cooperate. Recently acquired Jake Cave clobbered his first homer as a member of the Twins organization, but that would be the only Red Wings tally of the night. In relief, D.J. Baxendale gave up an unearned run over 2.1 innings, Mason Melotakis surrendered a pair of runs over two frames but also struck out four batters and Jake Reed pitched a scoreless ninth inning. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Pensacola 6, Chattanooga 5 Box Score There was a little bit of everything tonight from the Lookouts. Starter Zack Littell racked up an impressive 10 strikeouts over just four innings pitched, but he also ave up three runs on seven hits and a walk. Both Todd Van Steensel (one earned run over 2.0 innings) and Zack Jones (two earned runs over 2.0 innings) allowed runs in relief, but the Lookouts pitching staff combined for 16 strikeouts on the night. The dormant offense awoke as the game wore on. A four-run rally in the ninth inning came up just one run short. Both Zander Wiel and Nick Gordon picked up multi-hit games on the night, and T.J. White launched his first homer of the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Florida 0 Box Score Anthony Marzi got the nod for the Miracle tonight, and we has brilliant while getting plenty of support. Throwing 6.1 IP of efficient baseball, he scattered four hits while striking out five and walking none. Marzi threw 49 of his 74 pitches for strikes (66.2 percent). Logan Lombana threw the final 2.2 frames to complete the shutout. Jimmy Kerrigan notched his second homer of the season, and also added a double in a two-hit, four-RBI effort on the evening. Mitchell Kranson (3 for 4) and Alex Perez (2 for 4) also recorded multi-hit efforts fort the Miracle tonight. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Peoria 9 Box Score Seven out of the nine batters in the Kernels lineup picked up a base hit tonight, and five of them tallied multi-hit games. Alex Kirilloff was no doubt the star of the game as he launched a pair of long balls en route to a six RBI night, but he wasn't the only bat to bust loose. Ben Rodriguez was 3-or-5 and hit his first Midwest League home run. David Banuelos also hit his first homer for the Kernels and had a single. Jordan Gore had a pair of hits and a walk and Ben Rortvedt was 2-for-5. Despite getting a short start from Randy Dobnak (3.2 innings), Calvin Faucher and Ryan Mason came on to shut down the Peoria lineup. Faucher pitched 2.1 shutout innings with four strikeouts and Ryan Mason earned his second save of the year after allowing one run over the final three innings. The Kernels have now improved to 5-0 on the 2018 season. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Anthony Marzi, Fort Myers Miracle (6.1 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 5 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Alex Kirilloff, Cedar Rapid Kernels (3-4 2 R 6 RBI 2 HR) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here's a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 2. Nick Gordon 2-for-5, RBI 5. Alex Kirilloff 3-for-5, 2 R, 6 RBI, 2 HR 7. Brent Rooker 0-for-4, 3 K 10. Akil Baddoo 0-for-3, 2 R, BB 11. Zack Littell 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K 14. LaMonte Wade 0-3, BB 16. Ben Rortvedt 2-for-5, 2B, R 17. Travis Blankenhorn 1-for-4, RBI THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Red Wings @ Gwinnett (6:05pm CST) – RHP Myles Jaye (0-0 0.00 ERA) Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:35pm CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (1-0 0.00 ERA) Miracle vs Florida (6:00pm CST) – Tyler Wells (0-0 2.25 ERA) Kernels @ Peoria (6:30pm CST) – Nick Brown (0-0 0.00 ERA) Click here to view the article

Following Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, the Minnesota Twins designated right-handed pitcher Tim Melville for assignment. That opened up a spot on the 40-man roster, and it sure sounds like right-handed reliever John Curtiss will be getting the call, as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger first reported which was shortly followed by a report from Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Twins have yet to confirm the move, though Curtiss is expected to join the team in Chicago on Wednesday. Curtiss has been absolutely brilliant in the Twins system this season. First, he tossed 25 innings for Double-A Chattanooga with a 0.72 ERA (two earned runs) with 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a WHIP of 0.96. He followed that up with a mid-June promotion to Triple-A Rochester, where it was more of the same with a 1.85 ERA, 12.2 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.86. For the rest of this story, please click through to Zone Coverage here.

When the Minnesota Twins signed Max Kepler to a $800,000 bonus, the organization knew they had a project on their hands. The raw German-born player would have a longer development timeline than most transforming from the toolsy teenager to a polished prospect. Unlike his compatriots in the Western Hemisphere, Kepler lacked the reps and the game awareness that comes from playing against the pool of competition on this side of the globe as a youth. That shortcoming would be on display in his introduction to professional baseball. If you watched Max Kepler this year or happened to have glanced at his stats in Double-A, however, you would have no idea that he came from a baseball-deficient part of the world. Does he have a chance to see playing time in Minnesota this season?Offensively, this season has been different for Kepler. He has gotten more athletic, more aggressive with his swing and Chattanooga’s hitting coach, former Twin Chad Allen, says that is no accident. “We made him do that,” Allen said referring to Kepler’s remodeled swing with a newly incorporated leg kick. There was an emphasis placed on getting him to drive the ball to the pull side without selling out, increasing his power but without sacrificing his contact abilities. Kepler’s swing has come leaps and bounds since his days honing his craft in Berlin. At 16 years old, his mechanics were a crude iteration of what a baseball swing should be. His body lurched out over his front foot to get to the ball. The Twins worked hard to get him to stay back and wait for the ball to come to him. That resulted in a swing like the one he displayed while with the 2013 Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League, as seen below. Kepler would use the toe-tap method while keeping his weight back. The current version is one with an aggressive lower-half that is seeking to drive ball rather than just meet it. If you watch the progression, Kepler develops from a toolsy hack into an athletic and collected power hitter over the course of five years. http://i.imgur.com/DTGsXWG.gif http://i.imgur.com/5isgBaW.gif http://i.imgur.com/oM6PqBY.gif “The first day we worked together this year, we kinda jumped him a bit and got on him pretty hard,” Allen admitted. “He had to realize that his potential. He’s got a high ceiling. We just made him aggressive. Not necessarily a pull hitter but more aggressive to the pull side and just understanding that he’s got to go up with the mentality that ‘I’m a pretty good hitter and I’m going to think that and when I go to the plate, I’m thinking I’m going to drive the ball every time.’” Within the front office, the Twins’ staff was more or less anticipating this delayed learning curve. Mike Radcliff, the organization’s Vice President of Player Personnel, said that this offensive outburst is just the culmination of his development. He noted that international players like Kepler who do not come from Latin American countries like the Dominican or Venezuela that have leagues for players in that country prior to being brought into the United States system -- guys from Australia or Europe -- are often far behind in the game’s development curve. This season, he believes, was Kepler finally catching up to the rest. “His [development] was limited out of Germany,” said Radcliff. “Played a lot more soccer games than he did baseball games before he was signed. It takes patience and we have a lot of that in our organization, thankfully.” Even when their prized European prospect failed to produce an OPS over 740 in all but one of his first five professional seasons, the Twins evaluators never lost hope. “We all assumed, figured, projected he would hit eventually,” Radcliff continued. “This is the year it is showing up on the box score for sure.” His box score numbers in Double-A have been ridiculous so far this year. Among those hitters who have compiled 400 or more plate appearances at that level, Kepler has the highest OPS (.994) by a large margin. His .569 slugging percentage tops Double-A with teammate Adam Brett Walker coming in a close but not that close second (.506). But while Walker has struck out in an eye-popping 176 of his plate appearance, Kepler managed to strike out in just 57 trips to the plate. “For him to produce, something had to click. He’s doing something different and better,” Radcliff believes. “He’s more in tune to the game. He has more focus, he has more concentration, he knows how to react. Most of it is mental. He’s been physically impressive for a long time.” Allen agreed that he has seen a maturing kid with not only an increased level of confidence but an expanding aptitude for the game. The mental aspect of his game is now catching up with his physical side. “You see him doing stuff at the plate now -- and it’s not all the time -- but for instance every once in a while he’ll hit a lefty down the left field line with two strikes,” Allen explained. “That’s something you can’t necessarily teach to a lot of kids but he has the mental capacity to understand that even though I’m being aggressive to the pull side if you can still go the other way and flick a ball down the line, left-on-left, that showing you that the kid has some mental awareness of what is going on with the game and how the guy is pitching to him.” That is another area of his game that has developed rapidly: Kepler has vastly improved against left-handed pitching. Just two seasons ago, he posted a .117 average off of lefties. He managed just seven hits in 60 at-bats and just one for extra bases. A switch flipped for him, perhaps because of confidence or because of the mechanical changes but this season he has compiled a .364 average versus left-handed pitching, or 28 hits in 77 at-bats. The approach that Allen was describing has paid dividends. Kepler’s progress this season goes beyond the numbers as well. Earlier in August, Kepler was ejected from a game after an umpire failed to acknowledge that he was hit on the arm in an at-bat, instead calling it a foul ball. Kepler showed the mark the ball caused to the umpire and was promptly excused for the rest of the day. To Allen, this is a significant milestone. He and the Lookouts coaching staff view that as a sign of confidence. “In reality, Max has been a very laid back guy. A really, really laid back guy,” Allen said. “What really makes us as a staff smile is that he is now showing emotion. And to us, that is one of the biggest things that made us perk our ears up and go ‘oh wow, now we really got something’. He wants to do better, he wants to succeed. I’m not saying you have to show emotion all the time but when he gets pissed off, when he gets mad at a call that to us is saying that son of a buck is competing. When you have a guy that is competing every single day and gets pissed off when he doesn’t have a call go his way or doesn’t get a hit, that’s a big leap for us.” With major league rosters expanding in September, there is an outside chance that Kepler is added as a left-handed bat with outfield and first base capabilities. “I think hitting-wise, he’s there,” Allen assessed regarding Kepler’s current ability to handle major league pitching. “I think the biggest thing that Max is gonna have to learn like everybody learns when they get to the big leagues is that they gotta mentally stay strong when you go up there because the biggest thing that a young player is gonna have to deal with is learning to deal with failure in the big leagues. And if you can't deal with failure in the big leagues, you probably not going to be there very long.” Radcliff is more conservative when it comes to Kepler’s timeline. Despite the outstanding stat line, he believes there are elements of his game that need some refinement. “He’s not ready to be an average major league player tomorrow. He’s along that path. He’s doing good things, he’s produced. He’s hitting .340 but he still doesn’t take at-bats and swing at strikes and handle breaking balls like he is going to have to do to be an average hitter in the major leagues,” said Radcliff. “So there’s way more things that the eyeball picks up along with all the numbers that he is producing that is part of the evaluation process and part of the process for him to make that next to the 25-man roster.” Radcliff noted that he did not want to sound disparaging when he offered up the things Kepler still needed to work on. After all every minor league prospect has things they need to work on before they stick in the major leagues for good. He mentioned Byron Buxton, a mega-prospect, who still needs to improve at the plate. But from his evaluation stance, after years of simply catching up to the rest of the field, Kepler has positioned himself on the fast track headed for Minnesota. “You watched him back in the GCL and Cedar Rapids, he didn’t know what he was doing,” said Radcliff. “He had a great body and a great swing and he had tools. He had no idea. Now, well now, he is starting to understand what he is doing everyday, and every swing and every at bat.” Click here to view the article

Once a month we check in on our adopted prospect, JT Chargois, bring him soup, pat him on the back, whisper sweet nothings about his rapidly improving performances to Terry Ryan in the hopes that he becomes a pitcher ready to make meaningful contributions to the Twins in the near future. As today's the draft, and since we first found a fondness for "Spike" Chargois during the 2012 draft, it seems appropriate to update this now. When last we checked in on JT Chargois he was starting the long road back to pitching domination. That road got a little shorter in the interim. Chargois was promoted to Chattanooga on May 26th. To be sure the literal road from Chattanooga to the Twin Cities is shorter than the one from Fort Myers (about 700 miles shorter), but it's also metaphorically shorter (what with the higher level of competition and all), and even setting that aside a promotion this quickly into the season, a promotion back up to the level that many of his peers are already at, speaks to just how close Chargois is to getting his game back where he wants it to be (he's now half-a-year younger than his competitors rather than nearly a full year older). He ran off a month worth of outings without allowing an earned run. He boosted his strike out records (due, we have no doubt, to particularly spiky curve ball). And he doubled his save tally as he became more and more comfortable with high leverage and late innings. So is it fair to say that interest in JT "Spike" Chargois is..."spiking"? http://www.ericinparkcity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/100228-graph.jpg Yes...but a better question is: what will Chargois do now that interest has? After all, anyone can get an interest spike. (Hell, random lurkers make my page look popular on utterly random days.) But the better consideration is what I should do with those new eyeballs. How I can keep their attention and remain memorable. Spikes are great on lots of things: punk-rock-jewelry, stegosaurii, Curveballs of Doom, but on interest graphs...they're aberrations, nothing more, nothing less. So, what next for Chargois? Well...he started off in Chattanooga with a rocky outing, loading the bases on three singles, and though he didn't cede a run, it was more base runners than he'd allowed since the ugliness of April 13th (the last time he gave up an earned run). And like that unfortunate outing, he's been better but not amazing in his two outings since. He'll have a hard time cracking through the supremely talented relief corps in Chattanooga, but other pitchers will see interest spike, other outings will show his gifts. We call Chargois "spike" for his talent, his pitch and (ideally) his demeanor, not for mere flashes of greatness. We trust there will be a long and positive Chattanooga season ahead of him, even though the fun of Ft. Meyers is firmly in his rearview mirror.