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Dan Rohlfing was the Twins 14th round draft pick in 2007 out of high school in St. Louis. He played a lot of third base in high school, but the Twins had him mostly playing catcher. Because he is such a good athlete, he played some in the outfield as well. After three years of rookie-league ball, Rohlfing skipped the Midwest League and jumped right to Ft. Myers in 2010. He split the 2011 and 2012 seasons between Ft. Myers and New Britain and finished the 2012 season with some time in the Arizona Fall League. His 2013 was split between New Britain and Rochester, and he spent the 2014 season with the Red Wings. Though he could have left earlier as a minor league free agent, he signed with the Mets before the 2015 season and spent the summer in Las Vegas (AAA). In 2016, he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and spent most of the season in AAA Reno.Given the opportunity, Dan Rohlfing decided to return to the Minnesota Twins organization on a minor league contract. Recently, he took time to answer several questions for Twins Daily readers about a variety of prospects. Let’s get started. Seth Stohs (SS): Earlier this month, you announced on Twitter that you are returning to the Twins. Tell us what went into your decision to sign with the Twins. What were some of the factors that led to that choice? Dan Rohlfing (DR):Opportunity is the number one factor I look at. I just want a chance to play and prove myself. This year, with the teams I was talking to, the Twins were the best fit. Bonus points for it being a familiar place! SS: You’ve been a free agent the last couple of years and signed with two different organizations. Have you enjoyed the free agency process at all, or is is more stressful? DR: Free agency starts as exciting. Then can turn stressful pretty quickly if it doesn't go your way. Wondering who will call or the thought of a fresh start somewhere is always exciting. The first couple years went smooth, and I signed back with the Twins pretty quickly. But, then there are years like last year where the catchers market was saturated and the phone wasn't ringing. I didn't sign with the Dbacks until Feb 8th. So to say I was stressed may be an understatement. SS: After all those years in the Twins organization, you’ve had a year in the Mets and Diamondbacks systems. Without getting into anymore detail than you’re comfortable, were there (significant) differences between the organizations from your perspective? DR: There wasn't anything too crazy that I can remember. Baseball-wise, it's all the same game. The main difference I noticed is just how teams place emphasis in different areas. SS: What did it mean to you to put on the red, white and blue chest protector and represent Team USA in the WSBC Premier 12 tournament a year ago in Japan? What was that experience like for you? DR: Playing for Team USA was always a dream of mine and that was the most fun I've ever had playing ball. That uniform had a special feel to it the second I put it on, different than any other uniform I've ever worn. We had such an awesome group of guys that all came together and truly played for the name on the front. Even though Park and Team Korea took the gold, we walked away with silver, and I wouldn't trade that experience of playing for Team USA for anything. SS: I have to ask… How was your Wally Backman experience? (Secondly, did you work with Frank Viola as well in 2015 in Las Vegas?) DR: Ha ha! What a staff! That was fun. I loved playing for Wally and working with Frank! Wally is a guy you wanted to play hard for. He still remembers how tough it is to play this game, and because of that the way he interacts with his players is special and he was the type of guy you wanted to win for. You knew he always had your back and clearly has no problem tearing into an umpire for you. If you need a refresher just check out his YouTube videos. Ha ha!. SS: You spent eight years moving gradually up the Twins system. You had a lot of teammates in those years, and there were several that you played with a lot. For instance, you played with James Beresford about five of those years. Were you excited to see him get his month in the big leagues in 2016? DR: So many great guys! I think Jimmy and I may actually be legal brothers now. Between time at the field and living together in about 7 different apartments and houses we definitely got close. That was the happiest I've been for someone to get 'the call'. The only one that would top it was if I received that call myself. SS: Having seen that, and with the time you’ve spent in AAA over the years, does it change your opinion at all on what it would mean to you to get an opportunity in the big leagues, even if just for a week? DR: I'll take one day at this point. Ha ha! Baseball has been my life and my dream since I can remember. To be able to say "I made it" would make every single sacrifice I've made worth it. SS: You’ve spent some time in the Dominican Winter League. What do you get out of the Winter League experience? DR: Each year I've had a little different motive. The first year was for the experience and getting more reps in against quality competition to make myself better. The other year I was a free agent so it helped get more exposure. Also the money is nice so that's always a plus of going down. SS: What is it that you most enjoy about catching? DR: I love the action. It's a crazy position where you impact the game on so many different levels. My favorite part has to be working with pitchers and game-calling. It gets you involved in every pitch, and it becomes a game within a game. Using my knowledge of what the pitcher has against each different hitter is a true chess match. SS: As more catcher statistics such as pitch framing have become more prevalent, what are your thoughts on them? In your experience, are they used by coaches at various levels in any way? DR: I love them. I'm not exactly sure how I measure up on them, but I'd be willing to bet I could guess pretty close to where I am. Being a catcher first/hitter second type of guy I love seeing guys finally getting credit and getting paid their worth for what they do behind the dish SS: Are you looking forward to getting back to Ft. Myers and spring training in that Twins uniform again? DR: I am. Fort Myers has become kind of a second home to me and a town I really enjoy. Leaving the Twins was a sad day for me, so to get another opportunity with them is something I hope to take advantage of. I'm excited to see what this year has in store. Thank you to Dan Rohlfing for taking time to thoughtfully respond to these questions. Please feel free to discuss and ask questions in the comments down below. 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At what point does TwinsDaily get renamed TreyDaily? Back-to-back Hitter of the Day. Picture all over the place. Maybe after a good game tomorrow? We'll see. The Twins made a transaction today, trading C Dan Rohlfing to the Mets for cash considerations. Dan was the last member of the 2007 draft class and an all around good guy. Rohlfing told TwinsDaily, "I think it's a really good opportunity and I plan on taking advantage of it." Rohlfing also posted on his Facebook page, "Thanks to the Minnestoa Twins for everything they have done for me over the years.. I will definitely miss everyone involved with the organization! Excited to start a new journey after being traded to the New York Mets today!" Rohlfing will report to Triple-A Las Vegas and had been on the disabled list with Rochester, suffering from a "sprained ankle". Best of luck to Dan! Let's take a look at today's action.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 11, Syracuse 7 Box Score Jason Wheeler had the worst AAA start of his four-game AAA career. He recorded only 13 outs and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits. He allowed home runs in each of the first three innings. He struck out three. Stephen Pryor picked up the win, striking out three in his 1 ⅔ innings pitched. Pryor was the first of the four-headed bullpen monster - which also included Logan Darnell, A.J. Achter and Ryan Pressly - that pitched 4 ⅔ innings of no-hit ball. Despite the rough outing from Wheeler, the hitters had a pretty stellar game coming back from five down to win convincingly. Aaron Hicks and Doug Bernier each contributed three hits in this 16-hit attack. Hicks had two doubles while driving in two. Bernier batted three runs in. Eddie Rosario homered and doubled, bringing his OPS up to .729, the highest it’s been since the third game of the season. The Red Wings improved to 7-6. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Mississippi 4 Box Score We didn’t get to see The Machine today, that’s for sure. But don’t overreact to the less than expected numbers. Jose Berrios only lasted five innings (83 pitches, 58 strikes), but he wasn’t aided by defensive errors from the team’s top two prospects: Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Berrios cruised through four innings, navigating trouble by getting a pick-off and nine groundball outs (as opposed to only one in the air). He did only strike out three batters, but got 13 swinging strikes (by my count). Three of the four runs Berrios allowed were earned. Adrian Salcedo pitched the last three innings, allowing only two hits while striking out three. Salcedo has been very effective against both left- and right-handed hitters so far in this young season, impressively allowing an OBA of .176 vs lefties. The offense spotted Berrios a 3-0 lead, but didn’t do much as a whole. Buxton went 0-4 and Sano went 0-3 dropping their season averages to .180 and .175, respectively. Levi Michael hit a two-run home run, his first, batting in the nine-hole. Travis Harrison had a double among two hits to raise his average to .310. Max Kepler got his first professional sniff of AA, giving Adam Brett Walker a day off in left field, and doubled. It should be mentioned that Walker failed to catch a routine fly ball in last night’s game. Could that have led to a day off? It’s probably not the sole reason, but it should be a lesson to all outfielders that if you want to play every day, you can’t “ozzie” fly balls. This is the Lookouts third straight loss and drops them to 6-6. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Palm Beach 7 Box Score Well, the Palm Beach Cardinals completed the three-game sweep and the Miracle drop to 5-9. Niko Goodrum was 2-5 with a double. He scored both runs. Mitch Garver also had a multi-hit game and drove in a run. Defensively, Marcus Knecht, Goodrum, Tanner Vavra and Alex Muren all committed errors. Aaron Slegers got roughed up, giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits in only three innings. He struck out one. After Muren gave up two more runs in two innings, Brandon Peterson (three strikeouts) pitched two no-hit innings and J.T. Chargois struck out one in the final frame. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 4 Box Score The Kernels jumped out to an early lead and hung on tight to improve to 10-4. Zach Granite and Nick Gordon led off the game with singles. Zack Larson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. And Max Murphy “drove in” the first run of the game with a walk. Trey Vavra drove added another run with a run-scoring single. T.J. White drove in another run on a fielder’s choice. With Pat Kelly batting, the Kernels successfully pulled off a double-steal with Max Murphy scoring from third for the fourth run of the inning. The Kernels add their fifth, final and game-winning run on a White single in the sixth which followed a Vavra double. All told, Vavra went 4-4 and had over half of the team’s seven hits. He’s now batting .372. Zach Tillery started in place of John Curtiss and struck out six in 4 ⅔ innings. He gave up three runs. Randy LeBlanc (win) and Cameron Booser (save) split the last four innings. (LeBlanc also got the last out of the fifth.) LeBlanc struck out five and gave up one hit - a home run. Booser also struck out five and dropped his ERA to 1.13. He did have an error, as did Nick Gordon. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Red Wings bullpen Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Trey Vavra, Cedar Rapids THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (12:05 CST) – RHP Mark Hamburger Chattanooga @ Mississippi (7:00 CST) – RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:05 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves Click here to view the article

It is a rarity when the Minnesota Twins get a win because of a home run. That was the case though for the hometown nine Thursday night. It was a rarity that occurred several times down through the Twins farm system as there were several big home runs. The Twins got four homers in their win over the Brewers. The Red Wings hit four home runs in their game. The Miracle got three home runs, including a huge, late-inning one. The Kernels had a significant home run in each game of their double header. Of course, you’re going to have to keep reading to find out the specifics. Check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 13, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 10 Box Score In his most recent starts, Kyle Gibson had done something that he had not done to that point. He put together two straight good starts. Could he make it a third? Well, he did extend his scoreless innings streak to 20 but after that, the wheels fell off. He gave up three runs in the third inning, and by the time his afternoon was over, he had given up six earned runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six. Aaron Thompson got three outs. Anthony Slama’s 2013 struggles continued. He recorded just one out in the eighth inning and was charged with four runs (3 earned) on three hits and a hit batter. His season ERA is now 17.28. Michael Tonkin came on to make his AAA debut. He threw two pitches and gave up a two-run single before being replaced by Tyler Robertson who got the final two outs of the inning. Shairon Martis came on and gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. Fortunately, the Red Wing bats showed up on this day. Oswaldo Arcia ended an 0-14 stretch since his return to Rochester. He went 4-5 with his third double and fourth home run. Dan Rohlfing went 3-4 (and is now hitting .800 in his two AAA games!). Eric Fryer went 2-3 with two walks. Like the Twins, the Red Wings hit four home runs in this game. Along with Arcia, Clete Thomas (9th), Jeff Clement (7th) and Deibinson Romero (1st) each homered. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Richmond Squirrels 1 Box Score This game took less time than a Cedar Rapids rain delay tonight. The pitchers' duel was completed in two hours and 21 minutes. Pat Dean started and gave up one run on five hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out three. Blake Martin struck out two in the 8th inning. AJ Achter came on for the 9th frame. He gave up two hits but no runs to record his second save. There was very little offense in this one. The Rock Cats had six hits. However, Danny Ortiz went 2-3 and drove in both runs. Ft. Myers Miracle 7, Bradenton Marauders 4 Box Score The Miracle continue finding ways to win. This was yet another come-from-behind win. Jason Wheeler got the start. The lefty gave up four runs (2 earned) on six hits. In seven innings, he walked two and struck out four. Ryan O’Rourke is back from the DL and continues to play the role of Vulture. He came into the game with the team down a run. Immediately the Miracle came back. He threw two scoreless innings and improved his record to 5-0. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 with his 12th double. Angel Morales hit his fifth homer. Levi Michael hit his second homer. Down 4-3 going into the bottom of the 8th inning, the Miracle scored four runs that inning. The big blow was a three-run blast by Kennys Vargas. Vargas was 2-4 in the game and the Miracle are now 38-14. Looking at the box score, Miguel Sano was removed from the game and replaced by Stephen Wickens. Announcer Brice Zimmerman suspects it was because after the ball got away from the catcher after his second strikeout, Sano did not run down the line. This is similar to the reason Eddie Rosario was benched about a week ago. Doug Mientkiewicz and the Twins are (and should be) sticklers for doing things right, whether you are a star or not. It will be interesting to see if Sano plays on Friday. Game 1 - Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Clinton LumberKings 3 Box Score This was a comeback game in a couple of ways. First, after four innings, this game had a significant rain delay. Nearly three hours later, the teams returned to the field. Tyler Duffey threw four shutout innings before the delay. He had given up five hits, walked none and struck out five. When the game resumed, Steve Gruver came on. He gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. He left the game with runners on and the team down 3-2. Alex Muren came on and threw one pitch. That was all he needed to get a ground ball double play. In the bottom of the 6th, Tyler Grimes launched a three-run homer to give the Kernels the lead. The timing made Muren a winner with that one pitch. David Hulbut relieved in the 7th to get the save. Byron Buxton went 2-3 with a walk and his 24th stolen base and was thrown out for the ninth time. Adam Walker added his fifth triple. Photo by Rinaldi Photos Game 2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels 3, Clinton LumberKings 2 Box Score Hein Robb had to wait through that extended first game to make his Midwest League debut. The southpaw from South Africa went the first three innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. He was replaced by Tyler Jones who gave up a hit and three walks in two scoreless innings. Josue Montanez worked the final two innings and recorded a strikeout to end the game. Dalton Hicks hit a double and twice drove in Byron Buxton. However, it was yet another big home run that was the difference-maker. This time, it was Travis Harrison. The third baseman hit a deep home run to center field in the fourth inning to give the Kernels the 3-2 lead that they were able to hold on to. It was Harrison’s ninth home run of the year. The Kernels are now 33-19 after the double-header sweep. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

Coming into Sunday, the final day of the first half of the Midwest League season, the Cedar Rapids Kernels had won just three of their last ten games. Meanwhile, the Beloit Snappers had won eight of ten. Both teams had clinched a playoff spot, but each was a possible winner of the division crown. For the Kernels, they had to win AND the Snappers needed to lose. So, what happened? Well, you’ll need to read below for the answer. Another question to ask: did Byron Buxton and/or anyone else play their last game for Cedar Rapids? With that, check out what happened in the Twins' minor league system on Sunday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 6, Gwinnett Braves 3 Box Score The bats showed up for the Red Wings on Sunday. Chris Colabello, Jeff Clement and Dan Rohlfing all homered in a four-run fifth inning to give Rochester all the runs they needed. Colabello was 2-4 with his 21st double and the homer was his 14th. Clement’s homer was his 10th. Rohlfing went 2-3 with a walk. The homer was his second of the weekend. He also stole his first AAA base. Chris Herrmann added his sixth home run. Deibinson Romero went 2-4 with his third double. Doug Bernier hit his eighth and ninth doubles. Cole De Vries got the win. He went 5.1 innings and gave up three runs. He allowed eight hits, walked none and struck out five. Blake Martin gave up two hits over 2.2 scoreless innings, striking out two. Michael Tonkin struck out two in a scoreless ninth. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Harrisburg Senators 5 Box Score The Rock Cats had plenty of hits but were unable score enough to win. DJ Baxendale started. He gave up four runs on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out one. Bobby Lanigan gave up one run on a walk and two hits in the 7th. Dakota Watts and Dan Turpen each worked a scoreless inning. Danny Ortiz led the way with a 3-5 day. Kyle Knudson was 2-3 with a walk. Jordan Parraz, Nate Hanson and Reynaldo Rodriguez were each 2-5. Miguel Sano was 0-3 to drop his batting average to .091 through his first five games with the Rock Cats. He is 1-11, but he has six walks and just three strikeouts. Ft. Myers Miracle All-Star break’s last day. The Miracle start their second half on Monday night, with Tyler Duffey on the mound. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Peoria Chiefs 10 Box Score Needing a win and a Snappers loss to win the first-half division title, the Kernels didn't have a good game, but they did have a chance at the end. The hitters showed up. The best news came in the form of the return of Niko Goodrum. The all-star shortstop has missed about two weeks after suffering a concussion; he went 3-4 with a walk and his 13th double. Dalton Hicks has been on fire. Sunday, he went 3-4 with his 21st double and his 12th home run (homering for the 3rd straight game). He also drove in six runs and ended the first half with 63 RBI. Jorge Polanco and JD Williams each went 2-4. Was it Byron Buxton’s final game with the Kernels? We’ll likely find out on Tuesday night or Wednesday, but if so, he ended his stay in the mid-west with two hits. The Kernels scored nine runs. Mason Melotakis got the nod on the mound. He gave up five runs on six hits and three walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out two. Tyler Jones came on and took it to the ninth. The Kernels held a 9-5 lead heading to the ninth. Beloit was down a run in the ninth inning of their game. Things were looking positive. Jones was able to get just one out in the ninth though and was charged with two runs. Josue Montanez came on and gave up two hits and hit a batter. He left and was replaced by Alex Muren who got the final two outs, but not before Peoria had scored five in the inning and taken a 10-9 lead .The Kernels were unable to score in the bottom of the 9th. The drama was for naught anyway, as Beloit had won in walk-off fashion to win the Western Division’s first-half title. The Midwest League All-Star game is Tuesday night. The second half will begin on Friday. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

A lot has been going on in the Twins farm system the last couple of days, and after missing a day for the first time this year, I'll be updating you on the last two days in game summaries and highlights. Not sure if people will believe this, but I went from 11:00 a.m. on Friday until 7:00 p.m. on Saturday without being on my computer. I believe that is my personal record. I watched a couple of games at the state baseball tournament (check out this Howard Sinker blog on it, please) and kept quite busy. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Friday - Rochester 12, Gwinnett 8 Saturday - Rochester 6, Gwinnett 5 The Red Wings bats came alive on Friday night. Dan Rohlfing led the way. He went 4-4 with his first AAA double and triple in the game. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk and his 13th home run. Antoan Richardson went 2-5 with his fourth triple. Eric Farris and Trevor Plouffe each went 2-5. Drew Butera drove his first home run of the season, a three-run blast. On Saturday, the Red Wings were down 5-1 going into the bottom of the 9th. Improbably, things happen from time to time. The Red Wings scored five runs in the half-inning and won on a two-run, walk-off single from Dan Rohlfing. Rohlfing was 2-4 with a walk and his second double. Antoan Richardson went 0-2 with three walks and his 11th stolen base. Kyle Gibson started and gave up four runs (3 earned) on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out four. Cody Eppley made his first appearance in the Twins organization and gave up a run on three hits and a walk in two innings. Luis Perdomo pitched a perfect inning. Friday - New Britain 1, Harrisburg 4 Saturday - New Britain 8, Harrisburg 1 On Friday night, lefty Logan Darnell provided the team with another quality start. He went seven innings and gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. BJ Hermsen gave up two hits but no runs in his inning. Matt Hauser gave up a solo homer in the 9th. Nate Hanson went 2-4 with his seventh double. Angel Morales homered for the first time with the Rock Cats. On Saturday, Tom Stuifbergen was back on the mound after a rough first outing for Rochester. The Dutch right-hander rebounded to give up one run on four hits in six innings; he walked none and struck out seven. Edgar Ibarra worked two perfect innings. AJ Achter gave up a hit but no runs in his inning. Nat Hanson again led the offense. He went 2-3 with his eighth double and third AAA homer. He drove in five runs. Miguel Sano went 0-1 with three walks. Josmil Pinto went 1-1 with two walks and a double. Eddie Rosario hit his first AA double. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his seventh home run. Friday - Off Day in the Florida State League. Saturday - Florida State League All Star Game. Taylor Rogers started for the south squad and pitched a perfect 1st inning. Corey Williams and Zack Jones each pitched a perfect inning in relief. Kennys Vargas batted fourth and played first base. He went 1-3. Matt Koch started behind the plate and batted eighth. He went 0-1. The South All-Stars went on to win 8-1. Friday - Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 6 (10 innings) Saturday - Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 8 Cedar Rapids has had a stronghold on the western division of the Midwest League much of the first half of the season. After losses the past two nights and a Beloit win on Saturday, the Snappers now lead the division by one game with on game to play. So, here's how tomorrow (Sunday) lays out: if Beloit wins, they are the division champs for the first half. If Cedar Rapids loses, Beloit wins the title. However, if the Kernels win and the Snappers lose, Cedar Rapids will still claim the division title because the will have played two fewer games and would have a higher winning percentage. On Friday night, the Kernels got a terrific start from Brett Lee. The lefty went seven innings and gave up just one run. He gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out five. Kaleb Merck gave up one run on three hits in two innings. The game went to extra innings and Steven Gruver was charged with four unearned runs on two hits to take the loss. Dalton Hicks went 2-5 with his 10th home run. Byron Buxton went 2-5 with his 28th stolen base. JD Williams and Adam Walker each had two hits. Saturday, it was Hudson Boyd on the mound; it didn't go well. The right-hander gave up six runs on seven hits and a walk in 3.2 innings. Caleb Brewer came on and gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the next 2.1 innings. Tim Atherton went the final three innings and gave up one run on two hits. Hicks hit his 11th homer in this game. Travis Harrison went 2-4 with his 11th home run. Byron Buxton went 1-3 with a walk. Please feel free to comment or ask questions. View full article