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Every team makes mistakes, but organizations find long-term success by avoiding poor first-round draft picks. As the Metrodome era ended, Minnesota made some draft mistakes. Drafting baseball players isn’t an exact science as teams employ different strategies. Minnesota missed out on baseball’s best player, and they passed on two players that eventually wore a Twins uniform. 2005 Draft Twins Selection: Matt Garza (25th pick) Left on the Board: Colby Rasmus (28th pick) Seven players from the 2005 Draft have accumulated more than 30 WAR, including four players north of 40 WAR. Garza played in 152 big-league games and helped the Rays to a World Series run. He ended up in Tampa as part of the deal involving Delmon Young. The Cardinals took Rasmus three picks after Garza, and he played in over 1000 big-league games. Other players the Twins passed on include Jed Lowrie and Clay Buchholz, who Boston took in the supplemental first round. Garza wasn’t a terrible pick, but his best playing days came outside the Twins organization. 2006 Draft Twins Selection: Chris Parmelee (20th pick) Left on the Board: Ian Kennedy (21st pick) Parmelee played in over 300 big-league games, ranking in the top-10 out of players in the 2006 first round. During his Twins tenure, Parmelee didn’t provide a lot of value as a corner outfielder with limited defensive skills. Players of his ilk need to mash the ball, and that didn’t happen as he posted a .717 OPS for his career. The Yankees selected Ian Kennedy one pick after Parmelee, and he has the fifth-highest WAR total among 2006 first-round picks. Adam Ottavino and Andrew Miller were still available, so Minnesota had plenty of pitching options with the 20th overall pick. 2007 Draft Twins Selection: Ben Revere (28th pick) Left on the Board: Josh Donaldson (44th pick) It’s certainly intriguing to think the Twins had a chance to add Donaldson at the beginning of his professional career. The Cubs drafted him as a catcher from Auburn, and he has posted the highest WAR total among players in the 2007 first round. That ranks him ahead of players like David Price, Jason Heyward, and Madison Bumgarner. If Minnesota went in a different direction, Todd Frazier was also available with the 28th pick. Revere accumulated nearly 8.0 WAR in over 850 big-league games, but his skill set was limited, and some of the other available players had a higher ceiling. 2008 Draft Twins Selection: Aaron Hicks (14th pick) Left on the Board: Lance Lynn (39th pick) Hicks fit Minnesota’s mold of taking toolsy high school outfielders, and he’s gone on to have a respectable big-league career. Unfortunately, his best seasons have come in a Yankees uniform where his OPS is over 100 points higher than with the Twins. Out of players left on the board, only three players have accumulated more WAR than Hicks, including Lance Lynn, Wade Miley, and Jake Odorizzi. Lynn’s WAR total ranks second to Buster Posey among first-round picks that signed from the 2008 draft. Twins fans likely have a bad taste in their mouth after Lynn was terrible in 20 games for Minnesota. He has finished in the top-6 for the AL Cy Young in the last three seasons, and now he is torturing Twins fans by pitching well for the White Sox. 2009 Draft Twins Selection: Kyle Gibson (22nd pick) Left on the Board: Mike Trout (25h pick) The Twins weren’t the only team to pass over the best player of the current generation, but it doesn’t make it sting any less. Gibson was a solid, safe pick based on his college experience and potential as a starting pitcher. Besides Trout, Minnesota made the correct pick as no other available players have accumulated more WAR. Gibson earned his first All-Star nod last season, and he has pitched over 1300 big-league innings. On some bad Twins teams, he was the lone bright spot in the rotation. Books will be written about Trout’s greatness, and many teams likely wish they had a chance to reevaluate the high school outfielder from New Jersey. Which of these players was the best pick for the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES — 2010-2015 Drafts MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

The Cedar Rapids Kernels announced this morning that #1 overall pick Royce Lewis will join the team on Saturday.The Twins promoting Lewis to the Midwest League is something that hasn't been done in dozens of years, at least. The last #1 overall pick, Joe Mauer, spent the 2001 season (his draft year) with Elizabethton before spending the entire 2002 season in the Midwest League. Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios started their pro careers (2012) in the GCL, as Lewis has, before being promoted to Elizabethton. Back in 2006, Chris Parmelee (first round) and Joe Benson (second round) began their pro careers in the GCL. When that season ended, they were promoted to the Kernels to play in their playoff series. The Kernels will be in the 2017 playoffs thanks to their strong first half. Lewis has been slumping of late, but few question his immense athleticism, talent and baseball acumen. In 36 games in the GCL, 18-year-old Royce Lewis has hit .271/.390/.414 (.803) with six doubles, two triples and three home runs. He also has 15 stolen bases. A month ago, GCL Twins manager Ramon Borrega told Pioneer Press's Mike Berardinothat he thought Lewis should be promoted directly to the Kernels. The timing, however, is interesting. In July, Lewis hit .321/.412/.464 (.877). However, in 33 at-bats so far in August, Lewis has just four hits. He's hit .121/.341/.182 (.523). As you can see, despite the lack of hits, he's still taking walks (9) and getting on base, and once he does that, he has the ability to steal a lot of bases. This is definitely an aggressive move for the Twins, but Lewis seems to have the makeup. It will be fun to watch. This continues an aggressive trend. Supplemental first-round pick Brent Rooker was promoted from Elizabethton to Ft. Myers a few weeks ago. Lewis becomes the fourth member of the 2017 Twins draft to join the Kernels. Fourth-round pick Charlie Barnes and eight-round pick Bryan Sammons, both left-handed pitchers, joined the Kernels in recent weeks. They are both in the Cedar Rapids rotation. Days after, infielder Jordan Gore was also called up to the Kernels. By the way, have we mentioned that Cedar Rapids is just a 4 to 4 1/2 hour drive from the Twin Cities? Also, here is a first look of Kernels infielder Royce Lewis in his #30 uniform... Click here to view the article

Yesterday, we began a series looking back and ranking the Minnesota Twins first-round picks all the way back to the first MLB draft in 1965. In Part 1 (31 through 53), there were a lot of interesting names, but very few who spent much time in the big leagues. Most from that list never made it to the big leagues. Today in Part 2 (21-30), we start to see some guys who may never have become stars, but did have roles on big league teams for a decent amount of time. You will recognize many of the names. A couple of these guys have a chance to continue to work their way up this list. If you want to look at the criteria was for being ranked or some of the background on this series, please click here to review.With that, here are my choices for 21-30: #30 – 1975 – Rick Sofield – SS A couple of weeks ago, we saw Rick Sofield coaching third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1975, he was the 13th overall pick in the draft out of high school in New Jersey. He played in 207 games for the Twins between 1979 and 1981. 130 of those games were in 1980. He played all three outfield positions. Combined, he hit .243/.293/.342 (.634) with 25 doubles and nine home runs. MLB WAR: -0.7. #29 – 2004 – Kyle Waldrop – RHP The Twins third first-round pick in 2004, a lanky right-hander from high school in Knoxville, Tennessee. Waldrop gradually worked his way up to Double-A before he needed shoulder surgery and missed the entire 2008 season. He returned as a bullpen arm and was successful. By the end of 2011, he earned a call up to the Twins. In 2012, he made the opening day roster and posted a 2.53 ERA. However, he fought more injuries including an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery. MLB WAR: 0.5 #28 – 2008 – Aaron Hicks – OF With the 14th pick in the 2008 draft, the Twins took Aaron Hicks out of high school in California. A great athlete, he was one of the Twins top prospects for several years. After struggling at some of the lower levels, Hicks put things together in 2012 in Double-A New Britain. He filled out the stat sheet, hitting .286/.384/.460 (.844) with 21 doubles, 11 triples, 13 homers and 32 stolen bases. That offseason, the Twins traded Denard Span and Ben Revere and Hicks won the centerfield job with a strong spring training in 2013. Unfortunately, he has yet to experience big league success. In parts of the past three seasons, he has hit .209/.293/.311 (.604) with 21 doubles and ten home runs. He is currently on the disabled list as Byron Buxton takes over in center field. MLB WAR: 0.9. #27 – 2006 – Chris Parmelee – OF/1B Parmelee was the 20th overall pick in the June, 2006 draft out of high school in California. The stocky hitter showed good power in the lower levels. He repeated in the Midwest League. He also repeated in New Britain. He posted an .801 OPS with the Rock Cats in 2011 and earned a September call up. He played in 21 games for the Twins and hit .355/.443/.592 (1.035 with six doubles and four home runs. Over the next three seasons with the Twins, he was unable to duplicate – or come anywhere near – those numbers. In 252 games, he hit .238/.304/.371 (.675). Parmelee became a free agent following the 2014 season and signed with the Orioles. Through 61 games with Norfolk (Triple-A), he was hitting .312/.381/.444 (.826) with 13 doubles and six homers. He was promoted to the Orioles on Tuesday and in his first game, he went 4-6 with two home runs. He was MLB WAR: 0.3 (could still increase) #26 – 1991 – Scott Stahoviak – 1B/3B Gary Gaetti left the Twins via free agency following the 1990 season. The Twins got a supplemental draft choice in 1991 and with the 27th overall pick, the Twins selected 1B/3B Scott Stahoviak out of Creighton University. The Twins had drafted him three years earlier out of high school in Illinois. He put up terrific minor league numbers before being called up to the Twins for 20 games in 1993. He played in 94 games for the Twins in 1995. His best year came in 1996 when he hit .284/.376/.469 (.845) in 130 games. He had 30 doubles and 13 home runs. The next year, he hit just .229/.301/.400 (.701) with 17 doubles and 10 homers in 91 games. He played in just nine games for the Twins in 1998 and that was it. MLB WAR: 1.0. #25 – 1965 – Eddie Leon – SS Eddie Leon was the ninth overall pick of the Twins in the first MLB draft in 1965. Unfortunately, he didn’t sign, choosing to stay at the University of Arizona. The next year, he was the third overall pick, by the Cubs, and again chose not to sign. In 1967, Cleveland made him their third round pick. He signed and debuted with the team in 1968. He went on to play in parts of eight seasons in the big leagues. In 1970, he played in 152 games. For his career, he hit .236/.296/.313 (.609) with 51 doubles, ten triples and 24 home runs. MLB WAR: (-1.1) #24 – 1987 – Willie Banks – RHP Banks was a highly-touted prep pitcher from New Jersey when the Twins made him the third overall pick of the 1987 draft. He dominated the lower levels of the minor leagues and was to Double-A by the time he was 20. He debuted with the Twins in 1991 with five games. He made 12 starts for the team in 1992. He went 11-12 with a 4.04 ERA in 30 starts in 1993. However, the Twins traded him to the Cubs following that season for Matt Walbeck and Dave Stevens. He spent time starting with the Dodgers and the Marlins, but after not playing in 1996, he returned as a bullpen arm. He spent over a year with the Yankees as well as time with the Diamondbacks. He resurfaced in the big leagues in 2001 and 2002 with the Red Sox. Overall, he went 33-39 with a 4.75 ERA over 610.1 big league innings. He spent a few seasons with Newark in the independent Atlantic League. MLB WAR: 1.1. #23 – 1991 – David McCarty – OF/1B McCarty was the Twins third overall pick in 1991 out of Stanford. He was thought to be an advanced bat who could move up quickly and take over for Kent Hrbek as the Twins first baseman for a long time. He made his Twins debut in 1993. In 98 games that year, he hit .214/.257/.286 with 15 doubles and two home runs. He played in just 69 more games for the Twins before being traded to Cincinnati in June of 1995 in exchange for lefty John Courtright who never posted an ERA below six in Double-A. McCarty stayed in the big leagues until 2005, a part-time player for the Giants, Mariners, Royals, Rays, A’s and Red Sox. He toyed with becoming a pitcher and got into just two games. He struck out four batters in 3.2 innings. MLB WAR: (-2.0) #22 – 1990 – Midre Cummings – OF The Twins got a supplemental first-round pick in 1990, 29th overall, for having lost Jeff Reardon to free agency. The Twins selected Miami prep outfielder Midre Cummings. He signed and hit .316 for the GCL Twins. In 1991, he hit .322 in the Midwest League. Following that season, the Twins traded him, along with Denny Neagle, to Pittsburgh in exchange for a season of John Smiley. Cummings debuted with the Pirates as a 21-year-old in 1993. He spent time in the big leagues, with five teams between then and 2001. He was primarily used as a pinch hitter and fourth outfielder through much of his career. After being released by the Red Sox late in spring training of 1999, the Twins signed him in mid-May. He played in 93 games for the Twins before they dealt him to Boston on August 31, 2000 for a minor leaguer. In 2001, he was on the Diamondbacks post-season roster and played in two games and scored two runs on the World Series championship team. He toiled in the minor leagues in 2002 and 2003, but he resurfaced with the Rays in 2004 and with the Orioles in 2005 before calling it a career. MLB WAR: 1.0. #21 – 2000 – Aaron Heilman – RHP The 2000 draft’s first round was not kind to the Twins. Adam Johnson was their first pick (at #2), and with the 31st pick, received as compensation for losing Mike Trombly to free agency, the Twins selected Heilman out of Notre Dame. He chose not to sign and was the 18th overall pick, by the Mets, in the 2001 draft. He debuted with the Mets in 2003 with 13 starts. He made just five starts for them in 2004. He made seven starts in 2005 before they shifted him to the bullpen where he worked in 46 games. He pitched in at least 70 games out of the bullpen for the next five years. He found a little bit of success which got him a nice free agent contract. He played for the Cubs and the Diamondbacks as well. MLB WAR: 1.8. So there you have it, Part 2 of my series on Twins first-round picks, ranking #21-30. We're starting to see some guys that maybe didn't (or haven't yet) distinguished themselves, but have spent a decent amount of time in the big leagues. Tomorrow, we'll continue the list with Part 3, which will be 11-20. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John meet at Stella’s and discuss: 1:00 – Free agents and MLB payrolls 7:00 – Phil Hughes Extension 21:00 – Tim Stauffer signing 36:00 – Ballpark effects 39:00 – Aaron’s Birthday 44:00 – Twins Daily Meltdown 46:00 – Farewell Chris Parmelee 52:00 – Twins catchers 55:00 – Going to Korea 59:00 – National Perception of the Twins 61:00 – Top 30 Tweeters 64:00 – Spring Training 68:15 – Aaron’s worst analogy ever 72:00 – Super Bowl WeekendYou can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

After what seems like such a long delay, the World Series begins with Game 1 tonight. When the Series is complete, players that are eligible will become free agents and the offseason will begin. I thought it would be good to take a look at the Twins by position to find their areas of organizational strength or weakness. Today, we start with the first basemen.Major Leagues Joe Mauer is signed through the 2018 season. The six-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glove winner and former MVP had a disappointing season in his initial year at first base. His defense improved through the season. It was his offense that was down. The career .319/.401/.459 (.860) hitter hit just .277/.361/.371 (.732) with 27 doubles and four home runs. Regardless of anyone’s thoughts, he will be the team’s first baseman for most games over the next four seasons Kennys Vargas came up straight from AA after the July trade deadline and was impressive. In 97 games in New Britain, he hit .281/.360/.472 (.832) with 17 doubles and 17 home runs. In two months with the Twins, he hit .274/.316/.456 (.772) with 10 doubles and nine homers. He really is a DH, but he can play some first base to spell Mauer. Chris Parmelee played some in the outfield and quite a bit at first base in 2014. After 32 games in Rochester, he was added back to the Twins 40-man roster and called up. In 87 games with the Twins, he hit .256/.307/.384 (.691) with 11 doubles and seven homers. He could stay on the 40-man roster this offseason and compete for a utility job next spring. Minor Leagues Chris Colabello was the co-Player of the Month in the American League in April, but things went south from there and he spent time in AAA. He remains on the team’s 40-man roster because he is a big, powerful man. If he stays on the 40-man roster, he could be an option for a bench role or he could head back to Rochester where he was the International League’s MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2013. Max Kepler is also on the 40-man roster and currently playing in the Florida State League. He got most of his playing time in 2014 in the three outfield positions, but also played a dozen games at first base. His youth and versatility, along with immense power potential, will likely keep him on the 40-man roster to start 2015. Mike Gonzales split his 2014 season between Ft. Myers and New Britain. Combined, he hit .271/.348/.439 (.787) with 29 doubles and 12 home runs. Like Vargas, Gonzales is a big man. He is listed at 6-6 and 265 pounds. The Twins ninth round pick in 2008 out of junior college, he can become a free agent following the World Series. Dalton Hicks was the Twins 17th round pick in 2012 out of Central Florida. At 6-5 and 250 pounds, he fits the mold with several other first basemen in the system. He spent his age-24 season in Ft. Myers where he hit .262/.344/.407 (.751) with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 76 RBI. Chad Christensen was the primary first baseman in his home town of Cedar Rapids in 2014. After four years at the University of Nebraska, Christensen was the Twins 25th round pick in 2013. Christensen does not fit the mold of hulking first basemen you’ve seen above. He is 6-3, 210 pounds and a tremendous athlete who can play all over the field, including centerfield if necessary. He hit .272/.339/.404 (.744) with 24 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, and 73 RBI. He also was 30 for 35 on stolen base attempts. Bryan Haar split the season between Cedar Rapids and FT. Myers. He was the 34th round pick in 2012 out of the University of San Diego. In 108 games with the Kernels, he hit .267/.319/.446 (.765) with 20 doubles, five triples and 14 homers. He moved up to the Miracle and played in just 10 games. He played the majority of his games at third base but also got into 19 games at first base. At Elizabethton this summer, Tyler Kuresa played 39 games at first base. The Twins actually drafted him out of his high school in the 11th round of the 2010 draft, but he went to college. He was drafted in the 14th round by the Braves in 2013 but again went back to college. Following his senior season, he was selected by the Twins in the 16th round in 2014. He debuted by hitting .298/.381/.478 (.859) with 14 doubles and five home runs in 46 games for the E-Twins. Trey Vavra, the Twins 33rd round pick in 2014 out of Florida Southern, played 27 of his 50 games in Elizabethton at first base. Overall, he hit .319/.392/.454 (.846) with 20 doubles, a triple and a home run. Although he is a catcher, Joel Polanco played a majority of his games at first base. As a 21-year-old in 2014, he hit .248/.296/.350 (.646) with six doubles and two homers in the GCL. Jack Barrie is an 18-year old from Australia who made his debut in the organization in 2014. He hit .205/.284/.233 (.517) in the GCL with two doubles. Like others above, he is a big lad. He is listed at 6-4 and 250 pounds already. He will require patience, but his power potential is exciting. Lewin Diaz was a million-dollar signing in 2013 from the Dominican Republic. The 17-year-old is another big guy with power potential. There was talk that he might be able to play some outfield, but in his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League, he played just first base. In 43 games, he hit .257/.385/.451 (.836) with 13 doubles and five home runs. He should debut in the States in 2015, likely in the GCL. SUMMARY Joe Mauer will be the primary first baseman, most likely, over the next four years. Kennys Vargas will have to fight a sophomore slump, but he certainly has all the power from both sides of the plate that you would want, especially since he will primarily be a DH. After that, Lewin Diaz is probably the player with the most upside in the organization. That said, players like Miguel Sano and Travis Harrison could also be looked at as guys who could move to first base if, or when, needed. Click here to view the article

This will close out my postseason reviews of position players. Parmelee and Nuñez spent a majority of the season with the Twins. Even absent significant injuries, they didn't start many games. Schafer was claimed from the Braves and played regularly. All three players had their moments, but most likely won't seriously compete for a starting spot in 2015. There is a significant possibility that one or more of these players will be cut loose in the offseason.Parmelee: Chris Parmelee had chances to claim a regular position with the Twins in 2012 and 2013. In 2012 Parmelee started at first base to start the season after a very successful September audition. Justin Morneau was coming off a severe concussion and was slated to be the DH. Parmelee was given first base. He played acceptable defense, but failed to hit. Parmelee was sent to Rochester where he crushed AAA pitching, but failed to sustain his swing when recalled by the Twins. In 2013, Parm got the starting nod as the right fielder. He surprised many by being an acceptable right fielder, although he lacked speed. Again, his bat failed him and he was eventually sent to Rochester. In 2014, Parmelee competed again for a roster spot and lost out. Out of options, he was outrighted to Rochester when no one claimed him. In 32 games, Parmelee hit well, coming up with a .920 OPS and maintaining a batting average over .300. When the Twins suffered a rash of injuries, Chris was recalled and did not return to the minors. Parmelee split his playing time three ways, starting 14 games in left, 28 in right, 16 at first, and one in center field. Parmelee was inconsistent at the plate, at some points hitting in the middle of the order and other times slumping dramatically. His final numbers were so-so--a .691 OPS (94 OPS+). Probably the most striking stat was Parmelee's platoon split. Despite batting left-handed, his OPS vs. left handed pitching was .859, with a .325 batting average. Chris was also the Twins top pinch hitter. He was 5-13 with 7 RBI. Parmelee didn't get much of an audition late in the season, indicating that the coaching staff pretty much knew what they had. It appears Parmelee's chances of competing for a starting spot are over with the Twins. I think that if other roster moves work out that Parmelee could be a pretty good bench player. As a hitter, he has shown he can hit against lefties and has been pretty effective as a pinch hitter. He's shown he is an acceptable corner OF, as well as a good defensive first baseman. Nuñez: Eduardo Nuñez was once regarded as the probable successor to Derek Jeter. Bad defense and unspectacular offense lowered the expectation to that of competing for a utility spot on the Yankees. In spring training, he lost out for that job and was designated for assignment. The Twins claimed Eduardo and early in May, he was recalled. Nuñez was primarily a backup, and he got at-bats at several positions. He started 17 games at short, 12 at third, and 11 in the outfield (10 in left, one in right). Metrics indicate that Nuñez was pretty good in the outfield, decent at short, but subpar at third. He seemed uncomfortable in the outfield, surprisingly good at short and third. With the bat, Nuñez had some moments, but overall was not a great hitter. He showed very good speed on the bases and a bit of pop. Like Parmelee, Nunez also had "reverse" platoon splits. The right-handed hitter put up solid numbers against right-handers (716 OPS), but struggled against lefties (586 OPS). The future for Nuñez is fairly cloudy, partly because he is eligible for arbitration. With no more additions, he has a good chance of claiming a utility spot on the 2015 Twins. As noted, he offers good speed, some versatility and some pop for a utility player. His defense isn't outstanding and he is 27, so it is unlikely he will get substantially better either at the plate or in the field. In short stints, he has provided a shot in the arm for the Twins. Schafer: Jordan Schafer was once a top prospect for the Braves. However. poor performance, off-field problems and injuries combined to short circuit his trials with the Braves and the Astros. Schafer was designated for assignment at the trade deadline and the Twins claimed him and immediately used him regularly, mostly as the left fielder. More regular play netted improved performance. Schafer eclipsed almost all of his Brave stats in a month, reaching base at a good clip, stealing bases and playing good defense in both left and center. Schafer hit .333 with an OPS of .831 in August. He tailed off in September, compounded by a non-throwing shoulder injury. He finished his two-month trial with the Twins with a .285 average, .707 OPS (100 OPS+) and 15 stolen bases in 147 plate appearances (roughly a quarter of the season). The left-handed hitting Schafer posted severe platoon splits for both the Braves and the Twins in 2014. He had an OPS of .822 (.326 BA) against right handed pitchers, but had a near-helpless .388 OPS (.171 BA) against same-handed hurlers. Schafer displayed one outstanding skill -- he is an very good base stealer. He swiped 15 bases in his limited time with the Twins. His defense rated as good, especially in left field which is a new position for him. Going forward, the Twins must decide what to do with the arb-eligible Schafer. Given his good performance late in 2014 and the lack of great internal options, I expect the Twins will find a way to retain him. Schafer will likely compete for a starting spot, but his probable landing spot is fourth or platoon OF. Having the skill of an accomplished base thief gives him a leg up to be a helpful bench player. His poor performance against southpaws would limit him to being a platoon player at best. At 28 years of age, the most the Twins can hope for from Schafer would be to see what they saw in August and September. Schafer could be a helpful player for an improving Twins team. I think all three players profiled here are big-leaguers, but none of them will ever be more than part-time players. None of them are really young (Parm 26, Nuñez 27, and Schafer 28), but all seem to have skills that could help them be helpful bench guys. Nuñez plays both infield and outfield, Parmelee plays first and the outfield corners and Schafer looks like a three-position outfielder. Nuñez and Schafer have good speed and Schafer appears to be an elite base stealer. Parmelee had a good season (SSS) pinch-hitting and facing LH pitching. Ideally, bench players would provide high-quality defense, but that's not the case here. Acquisitions and DFAs will probably determine whether all three guys remain with the Twins. Click here to view the article

The July trade deadline has passed and the only player transaction on the day was Rochester’s Drew Butera was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, I think we can expect there will be a trickle-down effect of that move as Rochester will need another catcher (Josmil Pinto maybe?), and then New Britain will need another catcher (Kyle Knudson’s return, or Matt Koch maybe?). Then Ft. Myers will need a new catcher, so could Jairo Rodriguez’s affiliate tour take him back to the Miracle? Meanwhile, the Andrew Albers Show continued with the Rochester Red Wings. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Wednesday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 2 Box Score His offense didn’t help him much, but Andrew Albers continued to pitch very well for the Red Wings. Albers went all eight innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. He is now 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA on the season. There wasn’t much offense. Chris Parmelee went 3-4 with his second double. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with his 11th double. Eduardo Escobar hit his sixth double in his short time with the Red Wings. New Britain 5, Akron 2 Box Score Pat Dean had a very nice night on the mound and the offense came up with some big hits. The left-handed starter went the first 7.2 innings and gave up two runs. He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out two for his sixth win of the year. Cole Johnson came on and got the final four outs, two on strikeouts, for his third Rock Cats save. Danny Ortiz had just one hit, but he drove in four runs. Three of them came on his tenth home run of the season. Danny Santana went 2-3 with a walk, and Josmil Pinto went 2-4. Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 2 Box Score It was a well-pitched game, but the Miracle fell on an unearned run in the ninth inning-- a passed ball by catcher Kyle Knudsen. Lefty Jason Wheeler started and gave up one run on seven hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out three. Steven Gruver came on and threw two scoreless innings despite allowing three hits and a walk. Zach Jones gave up the unearned run on two hits and the error in the top of the ninth. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-4 with his 10th double. Jhon Goncalves was 2-3 with his 11th stolen base. Kennys Vargas hit his 30th double. Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 3 Box Score The Kernels got the pitching; unfortunately the offense and the defense didn’t pull their weights on this night. Cedar Rapids managed just four hits in the game while committing four errors. Josue Montanez went the first five innings and gave up three unearned runs. He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three. Tim Shibuya came on and threw three scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out two. Three of the four Kernels hits were doubles. Adam Walker hit his 25th. Niko Goodrum hit his 19th, and Joel Licon added his eighth double. Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 9 Box Score One (really) bad inning just before the rains came really hurt the E-Twins. Yorman Landa started and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out four. Andre Martinez came on to start the fifth inning and was unable to record an out. He gave up six runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks. Andrew Ferreira came on and struck out the next two batters before the rains came and caused a delay. When they returned to action, Aaron Slegers was on the mound. He went the next 3.1 innings without allowing a run. He gave up four hits and a walk and struck out three. Brandon Peterson struck out one in a scoreless inning. Bryan Haar was 3-5 with his eighth double and two RBI. Kelvin Ortiz was 2-3 with a walk and drove in two with his fourth double; he also stole his ninth base. Tanner Vavra went 2-4. Zach Granite had a single and a walk and scored two runs. GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 0 Box Score Last July 2nd, the Twins signed a left-handed pitcher from Australia named Lewis Thorpe. On this day, Thorpe made the start and went five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out four. Sam Gibbons came on and walked one in two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Miguel Gonzalez and Derrick Penilla each gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Jason Kanzler went 2-4 with a walk and his second triple. Wilkin Ramirez hit the first home run on his rehab stint. Will Hurt walked three times. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article