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The final days of the Winter Meetings is highlighted by the annual Rule 5 draft. The Twins lost hard-throwing relievers Nick Burdi and Luke Bard, but when their pick came up, they selected a pitcher with a similar profile to the two players they’d lost. The Twins selected right-hander Tyler Kinley from the Miami Marlins. At Twins Fest, Kinley talked to a few assembled media about being selected and what he hopes he can be as a member of the Twins, if he’s able to make the team and stick with them through the season.Why would the Twins have interest in Kinley, who will turn 27 at the end of this month? He split 2017 between High-A Jupiter and AA Jacksonville. He dominated the Florida State League, but he posted a 5.19 ERA in the Southern League. However, he has a couple of pitches that do make him intriguing, do make him worthy of a strong look during spring training. Here is the Scouting Report on Kinley that you can find in the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook: Scouting Report: Kinley is a big lad. He stands 6-4 and a little over 200 pounds. His potential is to be a power arm out of the bullpen. He has a fastball that sits between 96 and 98 mph. He’s got a slider that can be a dominant pitch. It sits in the upper-80s and hits 90. Both pitches can miss bats. Control has been a struggle for him throughout his career, but he has been able to stay healthy for the most part. That’s right. He can throw gas, and that slider has the ability to miss bats when he’s sharp. Kinley describes his pitch mix as “a hard fastball, typically 95 and above. A hard slider typically in the low 90s, high 80s. A good changeup.” Kinley got the news that he had been selected by the Twins while in his hotel room in the Dominican Republic where he was dominating the Winter League. “I was in the hotel room in the Dominican Republic and my agent had the Rule 5 playing live. He’s the one that kept me informed because we had heard some positive feedback from teams, but you know how drafts are, you never know until it happens. And then Minnesota happened, and Thad called me and some other guys called me, and it was awesome.” At the time of the Rule 5 draft, he hadn’t allowed a run in his first 18 innings. He ended his time in the Winter League having given up just one run in 19 innings. He struck out 32 batters, but he also did walk 11 hitters. In the Marlins organization, Kinley has been a teammate in recent years of former Twins minor league pitchers Matthew Tomshaw and Chris Mazza. Upon being drafted, he heard from both of those players. Kinley noted, “They both called me right after and told me that I was in good hands and what a good spot I would be in here in Minnesota.” Right-hander Chris Mazza, who recently received his first invitation to big league spring training for the Marlins, had a lot of good things to say about Kinley. “This is definitely a guy that Twins fans should get excited about. Other than being a good pitcher and baseball player he’s an even better person. He definitely a guy that you want to be friends with and get to know. He’s a great teammate and great guy to have in your clubhouse. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know and become friends with Tyler or “TK” as most of his teammates call him, for over three years now. I can’t say enough about the guy. He’s truly a great person and an awesome friend and wish nothing but the best for him as he starts this new journey in his career with the Twins.” Another connection is former Twins minor league starter David Hurlbut who he played with in the Dominican Winter League this year. Hurlbut recently signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers after pitching in the Twins organization from 2011 through 2017. Kinley noted, “I’d also played with David Hurlbut down in winter ball, and he only had the highest things to say about the Twins.” Of Kinley, Hurlbut said, “He's a guy I can't speak highly enough about. Just from the time I was with him in the Dominican, I could already tell he was one of the more driven guys that I've come across. He was super easy to get along with, and throughout winter ball was focused on honing his craft. I think that him being picked up in the Rule 5 draft speaks enough for his talent and I'm just glad that he is going to be able to get a shot at the big league level this spring. Obviously fans and coaches need to see he can compete, but i have no doubt he will do just that. Definitely someone fans can get excited about.” The Twins have added three veterans to the bullpen so far this offseason. Fernando Rodney will begin the season as the team’s closer. Addison Reed and Zack Duke will set him up, along with the likes of Trevor Hildenberger, Taylor Rogers, and Ryan Pressly. Kinley will compete with the likes of Alan Busenitz, Tyler Duffey, JT Chargois, John Curtiss and others for one or two spots in the bullpen. It certainly will not be an easy task, particularly since the Twins should be very competitive in the AL Central and in a potential Wild Card race in 2018. So what are Tyler Kinley’s goals now as spring training fast approaches? “I’d say I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself because it’s the same game. So my goal is to go in there and build relationships with the guys in the clubhouse, and try to fit in with them and be part of their unity. On the field, I’m going to put my best foot forward always and let the rest take care of itself.” Click here to view the article

While the Twins game on Wednesday night was postponed, things were quite busy in the minor league system with seven games. The Red Wings needed a couple of extra innings. The Miracle played a doubleheader, and one of them went an extra inning. Tyler Watson and Zack Littell each made a start. And there was a surprise starter in the GCL on Wednesday, making a rehab appearance.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Wednesday. Let’s start with the transactions of the day: RHP Chris Heston was removed from the Red Wings disabled list. He had made one appearance in the GCL this week.RHP Michael Kohn has been moved from the GCL to Ft. Myers as he tries to return from shoulder surgery.With the Twins postponement on Wednesday, the Twins will play twice on Thursday. The team announced that RHP Aaron Slegers will be the team's 26th man and start the night game. In his last 10 starts, he is 9-0 with a 2.10 ERA. (Glen Perkins was activated and Dietrich Enns placed on the DL.)We have also learned that Kohl Stewart will be promoted to Rochester to start on Friday. Yohan Pino was promoted to Rochester on Thursday.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 4, Columbus 3 (11 innings) Box Score They had to play a couple of extra innings, but the Red Wings were able to pick up another win on Wednesday night. David Hurlbut started and gave up one run on seven hits over 6.1 innings. He struck out four with no walks. Luke Bard came on and got out of the seventh. The eighth inning was not a good inning for inherited runners. Bard started the inning and gave up a double. He got a ground out for the first out. Mason Melotakis came on to face Tyler Naquin who doubled in a run. Jake Reed came on and got a strikeout before giving up an RBI single. Reed ended up going two innings and struck out two. Alex Wimmers got the final five outs, four of them on strikeouts. Niko Goodrum led the offense. He went 3-5 with his 24th double. Mitch Garver got things going in the first inning with an RBI single. Daniel Palka had RBI singles in the third and eighth innings. In the 11th inning, Mitch Garver hit his 29th double. It was followed shortly by an RBI single from Kennys Vargas which proved to be the game-winner. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Tennessee 3 Box Score The Lookouts put together a lot of hits. They scored six runs and even left nine others on base. Jonathan Rodriguez led the way with another big game. The first baseman went 2-4 with a walk, his 27th double and his 17th home run. Andy Wilkins was 3-5 with his 14th double. Ryan Walker was 2-4 with his 13th double. LaMonte Wade went 2-4 with a walk. Max Murphy was 1-1 but he walked three times in the game as well. Zack Littell improved to 3-0 since joining the Twins and Lookouts. In this game, he gave up just one run on five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out four. Ryan Eades gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. Nick Anderson got two outs right away to drop his Lookouts ERA to 0.98. Gabriel Moya came on for the ninth and recorded his 20th save of the season. He gave up a hit and struck out two, dropping his season ERA to 0.88. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 5, Lakeland 4 Box Score In the first of two, the Miracle came out and scored three in the first inning, followed by single runs the next two innings, and then they held on. Brent Rooker went 2-2 with a walk and his fourth double. Chris Paul was 2-3 with his 17th double. Brandon Lopez was 1-2 with a walk and his sixth double. Tanner English walked twice and stole his 26th bag. Zander Wiel went 1-2 with a sacrifice fly. Playing left field, he also threw out a runner at the plate. Anthony McIver started. The southpaw went the first three innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out three. Michael Kohn, in his first Miracle appearance, gave up a hit but struck out three in his inning. Tom Hackimer struck one out in his inning. Michael Theofanopoulos gave up two runs on two hits but held on for the save. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 3, Lakeland 2 (8 innings) Box Score Randy LeBlanc started the second game for the Miracle. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out seven. Williams Ramirez walked two, but struck out three, over his inning of work. Alex Muren gave up a run in the seventh to send it to an extra inning, but he also got the win by pitching a scoreless eighth inning. In the bottom of the 8th, Sean Miller led off with a triple (his second of the year). After intentional walks to Mitchell Kranson and Brent Rooker, Zander Wiel walked it off with a single. Miller went 2-3 with a walk and added his 16th double to the triple. Jaylin Davis was 2-3 with his eighth double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 7 Box Score Tyler Watson made his third start since joining the Kernels. It wasn’t great, but it was his best so far. The left-hander gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks. He struck out three. Max Cordy pitched the seventh inning and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks. Eddie del Rosario, back from Ft. Myers, worked a perfect inning in relief. After throwing 83.1 innings last year with the Kernels, Del Rosario has thrown 121.1 innings between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. Trey Cabbage led the offense by going 2-4. Jordan Gore added his second triple. Caleb Hamilton hit his 14th double. Royce Lewis went 0-4. There are were two really good Royce Lewis interviews posted on Wednesday. First, Lewis joined the MLB Pipeline podcast with Tim McMaster, Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis. He also joined Todd Brommelkamp on KGYM in Cedar Rapids for an extended interview. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton Box Score The Elizabethton Twins had the second of their three days off during their short season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Rays 2, GCL Twins 4 Box Score To the surprise of most, Tyler Jay made his return to the mound in a rehab start for the GCL Twins. It was his first appearance since May 30th. It went well. The lefty struck out two in a perfect inning. Pedro Garcia came on and gave up one run on two hits over the next five innings. He walked one and struck out five. Jordan Balazovic then gave up one run on two hits over the next 2.2 innings. He walked two and struck out two and walked two. Derek Molina came in for the final out, a strikeout, to record his third save. Benjamin Rodriguez led the offense. He went 3-4 with his 10th double and two RBI. Roni Tapia’s sixth double also drove in a run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Zack Littell, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (11:05 CST) - RHP Drew Rucinski (since Aaron Slegers is starting for the Twins) Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:00 CST) - Dereck Rodriguez (in place of Kohl Stewart) Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (6:30 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) - RHP Patrick McGuff Elizabethton @ Bristol (4:30 CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 CST) - RHP Austin Bizzle Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday’s games. Click here to view the article

Clark Beeker was back on the mound. Was he able to extend his impressive scoreless inning’s streak? LaMonte Wade and Nick Gordon returned to the Lookouts lineup. The Miracle played two, and Brent Rooker played a big part in one game, and there was a walkoff in the other.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Friday, starting with some business, followed by the transactions. Off the field, there may have been some big news. The Twins have asked the city of Elizabethton to make needed improvements to Joe O’Brien Field. The Player Development contract between the Twins and Elizabethton runs out at the end of the season, and there is a real chance the Twins could go elsewhere. Even with the ballpark changes, it’s possible the Twins could go elsewhere, but this certainly helps. LaMonte Wade was activated from the disabled list. Travis Harrison was placed on the disabled list.Brian Olson ended his rehab stint in the GCL and returned to the Miracle.Cedar Rapids placed Travis Blankenhorn on the 7-day disabled list with a lower back strain.Austin Bizzle was also activated from the GCL’s DL.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Norfolk 7 Box Score Looking at the final score, you might be surprised that this game was tied 0-0 through six innings. Lefty David Hurlbut was fantastic. He did give up a run in the seventh to put the Red Wings down 1-0. Hurlbut began the eighth inning, but he gave up two singles before getting a strikeout for the first out of the inning. Jake Reed came on to try to keep it a one-run game, but that’s not quite what happened. Reed gave up a single, but Daniel Palka came up throwing and got the runner out at the plate for the inning’s second out. Uplifting, but then Reed gave up a walk to load the bases, and they were cleared by a double by Mike Yastrzemski. Yaz’s grandson scored when Paul Janish singled him in. Then the inning mercifully came to an end, but the damage was done. Luke Bard got the ninth inning, and he was charged with two runs on two hits in the inning. He struck out two. Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Red Wings had just two hits. In the ninth, Zack Granite scored on Daniel Palka’s ninth double. Palka later scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Hague. But it wasn’t enough, and the Red Wings fell. Mitch Garver hit his 26th double and Kennys Vargas went 2-4. Hurlbut’s final line? He gave up two runs on 10 hits. He struck out eight and didn’t walk a single batter. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 2 Box Score Zack Littell made his third start for the Lookouts since coming over from the Yankees organization. He improved to 2-0 thanks to six quality innings. He gave up just one run on five hits. He walked three and struck out three. At 86 pitches, he was removed. Yohan Pino made his first appearance since a long DL stint. He gave up a solo homer in the seventh inning. Ryan Eades pitched two very efficient innings to close out the win. Nick Gordon returned to the lineup after sitting out two games. He went 2-5 with an RBI. LaMonte Wade returned after being out since July 31st. He went 1-3 with two walks and was hit by a pitch. Jonathan Rodriguez walked twice and drove in two runs. Andy Wilkins provided some insurance late with two RBI. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 6, Dunedin 4 Box Score It’s always good to score early… and then hang on. The Miracle got their double- header started with a big, five-run first inning and held on. With two on, Zander Wiel hit a grounder. Because the ball was misplayed, two runs scored. Next, with two runners on, Brent Rooker hit his fifth Miracle home run, a three-run shot, to give the Miracle a 5-0 lead. That gives Rooker 12 homers since signing with the Twins. Randy LeBlanc started and went 4.2 innings. He gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks. He struck out three. Anthony McIver worked the final 2.1 innings. He gave up four hits, but no runs and struck out one. Brian Olson came off of the DL. He had a broken foot. He’s been rehabbing in the GCL, but this was his first Miracle game. He went 1-3. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 1, Dunedin 0 Box Score Tanner English came to the plate with a runner on third base and less than two outs. His sacrifice fly scored Jaylin Davis. Not exactly exciting normally, but when it’s tied 0-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning of the second game of a doubleheader, it’s a walk-off. The Miracle were able to sweep two games from the Dunedin Blue Jays. As you would expect from a 1-0 game, there wasn’t a lot of excitement, at least until the seventh inning. But first, we should point out that Sean Poppen started and he was fantastic. He threw six shutout innings and gave up just one hit. He walked one and struck out five. Andrew Vasquez came in for the seventh inning. He gave up hits to the first two batters. He then tried a pickoff play and threw the ball away, allowing runners to be at second and third with nobody out. However, he turned it on at the point. He got a ground out to third base, with the runners holding. Then he got a big strikeout for the second out. Another ground ball to third, and the inning was over. That set up the bottom of the seventh. Davis, who had notched his seventh double earlier in the game, started the inning with a single. One out later, he advanced to third on a single by Nelson Molina. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, English stepped to the plate and stepped up with the game-winning sacrifice fly. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 0 Box Score Clark Beeker was on the mound again for the Kernels, and that’s been must-watch pitching his last several outings. It was again on Friday night. The right-hander threw seven more shutout innings.He gave up three hits and walked three without a strikeout. His consecutive scoreless innings streak now sits at 32.2 innings. He has now given up zero runs in four straight starts. On July 23rd, he threw six scoreless innings. He threw a complete game shutout on July 29th. On August 4th, he went 8.2 innings. And now seven more shutout innings. He is now 11-3 with a Midwest League leading 2.03 ERA. For his part, Beeker says he doesn’t think about the streak, though he clearly doesn’t want to give up runs. He told Twins Daily on Friday night, “I don't think about the streak too much, but it's just so happens the streak is runs allowed and not something like hits or walks. But I definitely do bear down and focus more pitch by pitch once those guys get into scoring position. The defense made some great plays behind me tonight that definitely helped us pick up the win. ” His catcher was instrumental in the Kernels win as well. Ben Rortvedt gave the Kernels a 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the bottom of the second inning. It was his fourth homer of the year. In the fourth inning, he added an RBI single. But Rortvedt’s value obviously is felt by his pitching staff as well. According to Beeker, “Ben does a phenomenal job behind the plate. It really is impressive to watch him work and how much he values the defensive side of the game. Obviously his home run and single were huge to get some momentum going early, and he's definitely swung the bat better these last few months. His dedication to being on the same page with the pitchers and taking control of the game at his age and in his first full season is impressive and has been fun to watch, whether I'm a spectator that day or pitching.” The third Kernels run scored on a Lewin Diaz single. Diaz went 2-3 in the game. Christian Cavaness went 1-3 with two walks. Caleb Hamilton was 1-3 with two walks. Beeker’s bullpen helped finish the shutout. Ryan Mason threw a scoreless eighth inning (despite two walks). Colton Davis recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth frame. He gave up one hit and struck one out. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Greeneville 3 Box Score While the E-Twins lost on the field, it appears that they had some positive news off of it that we mentioned up above. The Twins in Elizabethton is such a great tradition, it would be unfortunate if they were unable to maintain the affiliation. On the field, the offense was able to get some chances, but they were unable to cash in often enough. Their lone run in the game came on a solo home run off the bat of Kolton Kendrick who also walked in the game. Andy Cosgrove went 2-4 with a double. Jose Miranda was also 2-4. TJ Dixon added his third double. Bailey Ober made the start for the Twins. He gave up three runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batter in 5.2 innings of work. He struck out five. Rickey Ramirez came on and threw 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out one. Jared Finkel struck out one in his inning. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The Twins got an early lead, gave it up, and then won in dramatic fashion on a walk off. Austin Bizzle started for the Twins. He gave up two runs on three hits in four innings. He struck out six without a walk. Carlos Suniaga went the next 4.2 innings. He gave up one run on three hits. He walked three and struck out eight. David Gerics came on and got the final out. Ben Rodriguez led the Twins offense. He went 2-4 with his ninth double. In the bottom of the ninth, Taylor Grzelakowski led off with a single. Dane Hutcheon replaced him on the bases. Victor Tademo sacrificed him over to second. Emmanuel Morel had a pinch hit single to advance Hutcheon to third base. Then Humberto Maldonado singled in Hutcheon to win the game. It gave Gerics his first professional win. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Clark Beeker, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ben Rortvedt, Cedar Rapids Kernels FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Norfolk @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Birmingham (6:30 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (vs Michael Kopech) Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games. Click here to view the article

Injuries can be devastating to the careers of players. Some of the best players in baseball history have seen their careers cut short because of surgeries and the injuries that caused them to go under the knife. It seems rare for players to be able to avoid the injury bug for their entire career. However, it can be a momentous occasion when a player is finally able to return to the game they love. Glen Perkins hadn't pitched in a baseball game in almost 13 months. On Saturday, he was able to step back on the mound in a rookie league game and feel like he was getting closer to his goal. He still might be a way off from regaining his All-Star form but it was a step in the right direction. Read on to see how he fared in his return to the mound...RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Toledo 3 Box Score David Hurlbut twirled a gem and the bullpen was able to barely hold off the charging Mud Hens for the victory. Hurlbut tossed seven innings and allowed one run on six hits. He struck out four and didn't surrender a walk. He's won five of his last six decisions and he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs since the middle of June. Alex Wimmers and John Curtiss each allowed a run in relief but they kept the Red Wings on top. Matt Hague didn't need much help to create the team's first run. A one-out double put him in scoring position. He moved to third on a wild pitch and a Kennys Vargas ground out brought him in. Niko Goodrum led off the fifth with his 20th double before advancing to third on a fielding error by the right fielder. Leonardo Reginatto wasted little time bringing him in with a run-scoring single to put Rochester up 2-0. After Toledo scored in the top of the seventh, Rochester answered back. Goodrum notched his second double of the game with two outs. Reginatto, JR Murphy and Edgar Corcino strung together three straight singles to push across a pair of runs. Rochester needed all the breathing room they could get and it paid off to put the team at 15 games over .500 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Mobile 0 Box Score Fernando Romero was provided early run support in this one and Lookouts bullpen held on to the victory. Romero pitched five shutout frames and struck out six while walking three. He lowered his season ERA to 2.68 but he hasn't pitched more than five innings since the end of June. Randy LeBlanc tossed two scoreless frames including three strikeouts. Raul Fernandez finished off the final two frames to complete the shutout. He struck out two and walked one. With one out in the first, LaMonte Wade was hit by a pitch. Jonathan Rodriguez, Andy Wilkins and Max Murphy all followed with singles before TJ White was hit by a pitch to score the third run of the inning. Rodriguez created a run in the third. He walked, stole second and advanced to third on a fly out. White doubled to score Rodriguez. One batter later, White scored on a Perez single. Rodriguez had another big hit in the sixth, a two-run homer, that capped a big night at the plate. With the victory, the Lookouts move to 64-34 on the season. They lead the Southern League North division by six games in the second half but they already have won the first half title. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Tampa 3 Box Score Fort Myers fell one big hit short of a big comeback. The Miracle left the bases loaded in the ninth but fell a run short. David Fischer took his seventh loss as he allowed one run over two innings. He struck out four and walked four. Keaton Steele allowed only one hit over three innings to go along with a strikeout. Williams Ramirez put together two shutout innings with three strikeouts. Alex Muren gave up the two biggest runs in his two innings of work. Miracle catcher Brian Navarreto and manager Doug Mientkiewicz were both ejected in the seventh inning after Navarreto was called out on a check swing. Mitchell Kranson collected three hits and an RBI. Jermaine Palacios had the team's only extra-base hit, a double, as part of a multi-hit night. Kevin Garcia reached base three times and came around to score a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Lansing 4 Box Score The Kernels used an all-out offensive assault to catapult the club to their 52nd victory. Ben Rortvedt launched a three-run home run and Trey Cabbage added a home run of his own. Travis Blankenhorn, Lewin Diaz and Christian Cavaness all finished with multi-hit nights. Cabbage reached base four times in five plate appearances and scored two runs. Diaz drove in three runs and scored twice. Every batter in the Kernels' line-up had a hit with the exception of Joe Cronin but he walked twice. Griffen Jax was able to coast to his second victory. He pitched into the seventh inning for the third time in his last four appearances. Overall, he allowed two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Logan Lombana ran into a little trouble as he allowed two runs on three hits in an inning of relief. Patrick McGuff finished off the final four outs without allowing a hit and striking out three. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Bluefield 4 Box Score For the fourth time in his last five starts, Edwar Colina pitched at least five innings. However, five errors meant he saw four runs cross the plate and he only allowed two earned runs. He struck out five and walked two. Jared Finkel didn't allow a run over the final 3.2 frames. Only two men reached base and he struck out two. Jose Miranda and Shane Carrier each went 2-for-4 at the dish. Robert Molina had the team's lone extra-base hit, a double. Akil Baddoo reached base twice and scored the team's only run. Overall, the team went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Red Sox 0 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score Royce Lewis was part of two big scoring innings and Glen Perkins made his return trip to the mound after missing 13 months. Perkins started the game and was asked to get three outs. He struck out the first two batters he faced and fielded a come-backer that ended his clean 1-2-3 inning. It had to be a relief for the former All-Star to get back into game action. There is still a chance he could impact the 2017 Twins but that remains to be seen. Lewis and Ricky De La Torre singled to start the first before an Alex Robles ground out brought Lewis in from third. Benjamin Rodriguez cracked his fifth double of the season to plate another run. A Brian Olson ground out and a Victor Tademo single capped a four-run frame. With one out in the second, Lewis singled and came around to score on a Robles single. Rehabbing outfielder Daniel Palka singled to score De La Torre and the Twins were up 6-0. Brusdar Graterol pitched five shutout innings after Perkins left the game. He scattered three hits and tallied five strikeouts to improve to 2-0 on the season. Jose Bermudez closed out the final frame with a perfect inning including a strikeout. GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score For all the offense in the day's first game, the second game didn't go so hot for the GCL Twins. The club only mustered three hits and went 0-for-11 with runnerss in scoring position. Alex Robles finished 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Kerby Camacho didn't record an at-bat as he was walked three times. Ricky De La Torre reached base twice. Taylor Clemensia struggled as he walked two batters, had a balk, allowed a steal, and didn't record an out. Carlos Suniaga took over and pitched 4.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and four walks. Zach Featherstone and Vadim Balan finished the final two frames with each allowing two free passes. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Hurlbut, Rochester Red Wings (7 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB) Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Toledo (12:35 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (10-4, 3.50 ERA_ Chattanooga @ Mobile (5:05 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (8-1, 3.56 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Tampa (3:05 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson (4-5, 4.30 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Lansing (2:05 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi (3-0, 1.37 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Bluefield (5:00 CST) - RHP Huascar Ynoa (0-1, 3.68 ERA) GCL Twins - Scheduled Off-Day Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins and all but two of the affiliates were off on Monday, but there was still some news. Left-handed reliever Cameron Booser was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a drug of abuse. He was currently in extended spring training, so his suspension will begin when the short season leagues start. Jake Reed was promoted from Chattanooga to Rochester. Matt Tracy was sent the opposite way to make room. The Twins also announced that both Hector Santiago and Phil Hughes will begin rehab assignments on Wednesday. Santiago will start, Hughes will relieve. Let’s check the only two affiliates in action on Monday.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Buffalo 0 Box Score The offense exploded early and the pitching staff threw a shutout as the Red Wings improved to 33-33 Zack Granite continues his dominance of AAA pitching as he went 3-5 with a double and an RBI. He is now batting .349 on the season. Matt Hague and John Ryan Murphy also contributed three-hit games. Hague doubled once and drove in a run. Murphy drove in two runs and doubled twice. Four other Red Wings, Mitch Garver, J.B. Shuck, ByungHo Park and Tommy Field, had two-hit games. All but Shuck doubled. All told, there were seven doubles and 17 total hits. David Hurlbut twirled seven shutout innings, striking out seven and walking two. He allowed four hits. Mason Melotakis and Kam Mickolio each worked hitless frames, each striking out one. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Jupiter 4 (10 innings) Box Score Tanner English provided half of the team’s six hits with two doubles and a single. He also swiped his fifth base of the season. English scored and drove in a run. Sean Miller, Brian Navarreto and Max Murphy accounted for the other three hits (singles). Murphy stole two bases and drove in a run. Brady Anderson gave up three run in five innings on eight hits and two walks. He struck out three and gave up two home runs. Jonny Drozd pitched two scoreless innings and Michael Theofanopoulos struck out three in two innings. Williams Ramirez took the loss, giving up the winning run while recording only one out in the 10th inning. Fort Myers drops to 32-34. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Hurlbut, Rochester Hitter of the Day – John Ryan Murphy, Rochester TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Buffalo (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (5-4, 4.06 ERA) Fort Myers vs Jupiter (5:30 CST) - RHP Anthony McIver (1-2, 2-53 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

While the Twins were in the midst of the longest game in Target Field history, the Twins minor leagues were in the middle of a busy day. Only two teams have games on Memorial Day so Sunday became a critical day as multiple affiliates float around the .500 mark. What teams could shine? What players would struggle? Who would help their team to win? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Indianapolis 2 Box Score Only three Red Wings batters were able to collect hits as the team was held to four total hits. Niko Goodrum had the team's lone extra-base hit as he came around to score on a Tommy Field single. Field led the team with a 2-for-3 effort. Leonardo Reginatto went 1-for-3. David Hurlbut started and made it through five frames. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with a strikeout and a walk. It was his third loss of the season and he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of those decisions. Alan Busenitz and Alex Wimmers kept the game close for Rochester. Busenitz pitched two scoreless innings by allowing only a pair of singles. The final two innings from Wimmers were perfect and he struck out one. The loss drops the team to one game under .500. Rochester has gone 4-6 over the last ten games as the club sits 9.5 games out of first place in the International League North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Montgomery 2 Box Score Chattanooa powered past Montgomery with a pair of four-run innings. In the bottom of the second inning Travis Harrison and Dan Gamache led off the inning with doubles. With two outs in the frame, Dan Rohlfing walked before a trio of singles. Ryan Walker, Nick Gordon and Levi Michael joined the hit parade and pushed the lead to 4-0. In the bottom of the third, TJ White walked with two outs. Kevin Garcia and Dan Rohlfing singled to score another run. Walker came up with the biggest hit of the inning, a three-run home run. When the dust cleared, the Lookouts held an 8-0 lead. Felix Jorge improved to 5-1 on the season. Over seven shutout innings, he limited the Biscuits to five hits while striking out one and walking one. Raul Fernandez allowed two earned runs on three hits over the final two frames. He struck out one and didn't have a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Charlotte 6 Box Score Fort Myers jumped out to an early first inning lead. Bradley Strong reached base on a throwing error and than stole second. Chris Paul cracked a ground-rule double which would score Strong. The Miracle offense went cold from there as the team was shut out the rest of the way. They finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Paul reached base three times in the game while Max Murphy and Strong both collected doubles. David Fischer took the loss for the Miracle even though he limited the Stone Crabs to two runs on four hits. He pitched five innings while striking out four and walking two. Williams Ramirez had a rough inning as he walked three batters and allowed a pair of runs. Sam Clay and Alex Muren both allowed a run in their inning of work with each pitcher collecting a strikeout. With the loss, the Miracle fall one game below .500. They currently sit 4.5 games out of first place in the Florida State League South Division. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Kane County 2 (10 Innings) Box Score Cedar Rapids seemed to be off to a good start. Lewin Diaz singled in front of a Jaylin Davis double to get an early 1-0 lead. Kane County quickly countered to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame. Cedar Rapids was quiet until the fifth inning when Caleb Hamilton led off the inning with a single. Aaron Whitefield drove him in with a double to tie the game. The Kernels finally found a way to get back on the board in extra innings. Travis Blankenhorn was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a balk. Kane County's manager didn't like the call and he was ejected from the game. With two outs, the Cougars walked the bases loaded. Aaron Whitefield was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Ariel Montesino singled to drive in two more. Domenick Carlini kept the game close for the Kernels. He allowed two earned runs on four hits. He struck out two and walked one. Colton Davis and Alex Robinson combined for three shutout innings. Tom Hackimer picked up his third win after two shutout innings allowing one base runner and he struck out three. He has not been tagged for an earned run in his last 21.0 IP. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Chattanooga Lookouts (7 IP, 0 ER, 5 H) Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Indianapolis (12:35 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler (4-1, 4.50 ERA Chattanooga - Scheduled Off Day Fort Myers - Scheduled Off Day Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (1:00 CST)- RHP Clark Beeker (5-2, 2.61 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Ft. Myers Miracle played a morning game on Wednesday. All four Twins affiliates played, but the Miracle game was the only one that didn’t go to extra innings. Kevin Chapman arrived in Rochester. The move also meant that Raul Fernandez was sent down to Chattanooga. Those moves happened before the Twins claimed Adam Wilk and sent Drew Rucinski down to Rochester.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Wednesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 2 (11) Box Score David Hurlbut continued the terrific start to his season. The left-hander went six innings and gave up just one run on seven hits. He walked one and struck out three to drop his season ERA to 1.59 on the season. Trevor Hildenberger struck out one in a perfect seventh inning. Nik Turley then threw two shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. Alex Wimmers pitched a scoreless tenth inning. However, he went back out for the 11th inning and gave up a game-winning, walkoff homer. Despite extra innings, the Red Wings managed just six hits. Their lone run came off rehabbing Aaron Nola when Ben Paulsen drove in a run with a single. Daniel Palka went 2-3 with a walk and his fourth double. Tommy Field added a double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Montgomery 4 (12 innings) Box Score The Lookouts also needed extra innings to decide their Wednesday game. And unfortunately, they too came up short. Randy LeBlanc made the start. He gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out two. Raul Fernandez, just sent down from Rochester, threw 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out two. Mason Melotakis finally gave up a run. The left-hander came into the game with 12.1 scoreless innings. He surpassed 13 innings before giving up a run on a wild pitch, which tied the game at three in the 11th. Todd Van Steensel came in for the 12th frame. He recorded two outs, but he gave up a run on two hits to take the loss. LaMonte Wade went 3-6. Nick Gordon went 2-6 with his seventh double. Engelb Vielma went 2-5 with two RBI. Levi Michael went 2-4 with a walk and his third double. Jon Rodriguez went 2-5 with a walk. LaMonte Wade’s season has been very interesting. In his first ten games, he hit .103/.229/.103 (.332). In his next 20 games, he hit .421/.557/.667 (1.224). And that was before the 3-6 on Wednesday. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Palm Beach 5 Box Score The Miracle played a morning education game with lots of kids at the stadium. Keaton Steele was on the mound to start for Ft. Myers. He gave up two runs in the first inning and three more in the second despite leaving with two outs. In 1.2 innings, he gave up five runs on eight hits. Jonny Drozd came on and provided 3.1 shutout innings. He gave up just two hits and struck out one. Williams Ramirez walked two and gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Sam Clay and Nick Anderson each pitched a scoreless inning. That puts Anderson at 13.1 scoreless innings to start the season. Sam Clay has a streak of 17.2 scoreless innings. Sean Miller provided much of the Miracle offense. He went 3-4 with his seventh double. Zander Wiel went 1-3 with a walk and his 12th double. Max Murphy went 1-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Dayton 5 (10 innings) Box Score Apparently the theme of the night is extra innings, and the Kernels needed to go one extra frame before settling their game. Tyler Wells made the start. The right-hander gave up three runs on four hits (including two homers) in five innings. He walked two and struck out six. Hector Lujan gave up four hits over two scoreless innings. Alex Robinson struck out two in his scoreless inning. Colton Davis came in for the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. However, he gave up a two-run homer which sent the game to extra innings. Lewin Diaz went 3-5 with his 13th double. Ariel Montesino was 2-3 with his fourth double and two sacrifice flies. He also stole his first base. Shane Carrier went 3-4 and was hit by a pitch. He also singled in the game-winning run in the top of the tenth. Colton Davis went back out for the bottom of the tenth inning. He got the first two outs and left with the tying run on third base. Tom Hackimer came on and struck out the one batter he faced to end the game and record his third save. Lewin Diaz hit .224/.264/.358 (.622) in his first 18 games with the Kernels this year. In his past 13 games (including Wednesday night), he has hit .346/.370/.635 (1.005). TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Shane Carrier, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:05 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:35 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells Cedar Rapids @ Bowling Green (2:05 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins were working in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday night. Chattanooga had a morning start while Rochester began in the early afternoon. Ft. Myers had a game to forget, and the Kernels stayed over .500 with an all-around strong game. The pitching wasn’t as good in the system as it was a day earlier, but there was one very strong start, and another starter gave up his first earned run of the season and gave a quality start. Ehire Adrianza is looking to earn a big league roster spot with his strong rehab performance.And… so much more. It was a full day of baseball in the Minnesota Twins minor league system. So, grab a cup of coffee, or a big glass of water and enjoy… RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Gwinnett 3 Box Score Lefty David Hurlbut came into his third start having given up zero earned runs through 11 innings pitched. In the first inning, an unearned run was charged to him due to a passed ball. However, his streak of unearned runs came to an end when he gave up two runs in the third inning. Nevertheless, he put together a quality start on Wednesday afternoon. He gave up those three runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk in 6.1 innings. He struck out three. His season ERA, now through 17.1 innings, is at 1.04. Drew Rucinski got the final two outs of the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth frame as well. Alex Wimmers struck out one in a perfect ninth. Ehire Adrianza had two hits for the second straight game. He is now 4-9 in his two-game rehab stint. John Ryan Murphy added his second and third doubles in four at-bats. Tommy Field hit his fourth double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 8 Box Score It just wasn’t Felix Jorge’s day on Wednesday afternoon. The talented right-hander gave up six runs on ten hits and a walk in his five innings. He struck out four. Ryan Eades came on and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks… in two innings. He struck out… two. Mason Melotakis pitched another scoreless inning in relief ,and Nick Burdi struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning. Both keep their ERAs of 0.00 intact. Melotakis has thrown 8.2 innings, and Burdi has tossed 7.1 innings so far. Travis Harrison led the offense. He went 2-2 with two walks in the game. Down 4-1 in the fourth, Jonathan Rodriguez hit a two-run homer to cut the deficit to 4-3. However, this was the Jason Vosler story. The Cubs’ 16th round pick in 2014 out of Northeastern came into the game hitting .180 with one home runs. He went 3-5 and hit three, two-run homers. The first gave the Smokies a 4-1 lead in the third. In his next at bat, he hit a two-run homer to give the Smokies another three-run lead after Rodriguez’s homer. Then in the seventh inning, he hit his third of the game to give the final 8-4 margin. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Bradenton 16 Box Score This is a game to forget. Doug Mientkiewicz, his coaching staff, and the players would all like to just completely forget about their game on Wednesday night. Sure, the box score will be there, but the goal will be to try to forget it ever happened, though they’ll want to learn from it still. Cody Stashak started and gave up seven runs (five earned) on five hits and a walk. He struck out four. Mike Theofanopoulos came on and recorded just two outs. He was charged with six runs on five hits and a walk. Brady Anderson came on and gave up three runs on six hits, but he was able to get the game to the ninth inning. Jonny Drozd came on and pitched a scoreless ninth. The Miracle, who have been scoring a lot of runs of late, were held to just four hits and two runs in the game. Zander Wiel had an RBI double in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Burlington 1 Box Score The Kernels used a five-run second inning to grab an early lead and got a strong pitching performance to improve to 11-9. In that second inning, Shane Carrier drove in the first run with an RBI double. Then the red-hot Jermaine Palacios came up with the bases loaded and cleared them with a triple. The next batter, Mitchell Kranson, bounced a single to the outfield to score Palacios. Lewin Diaz led the way with a 3-4 game. He added his seventh double. Kranson went 2-4. Travis Blankenhorn went 1-2 and walked twice in the game. Tyler Wells pitched well on improved to 2-0 on the season. The right-hander gave up one run on five hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out seven, dropping his season ERA to 1.88. Max Cordy and Colton Davis worked the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, without giving up a run. Palacios tripled for the third straight game, and it was his fifth triple of this young season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Wells, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Travis Harrison, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester (10:05 a.m. CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga @ Jackson - (6:05 CST) - RH Paul Clemens Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (5:35 CST) - RHP David Fischer Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:30 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday night’s games. Click here to view the article

There are so many minor league stories to follow in 2017. Yesterday we talked about what could be a very intriguing starting staff in Chattanooga throughout the season. Today’s article is more about the business of baseball. A player can become a minor league free agent after he has played six full seasons of minor league ball, unless added to the 40-man roster. So it is fair to say that this is a big year for a handful of Twins minor leaguers.There are five Twins minor league players who were drafted by the Twins in 2011 who have yet to reach the big leagues. Could they be called up sometime during the 2017 season? Could they be added to the 40-man roster following the season, before the World Series is complete and become free agents? 2010 draft pick Niko Goodrum spent the first half of the 2016 season on the disabled list. Following the season he could have become a minor league free agent, but instead, he quickly re-signed with the Twins. Fellow 2010 draft pick Alex Wimmers could have become a free agent after the Twins took him off of their 40-man roster following the season. Instead, he quickly returned to the Twins on a minor league contract. Both are playing well in spring training. So while it would be great for these five players to have big seasons in 2017 and force the Twins hand, doors could open up for them after the season via free agency, or they could choose to stay in the Twins organization. LEVI MICHAEL The Twins had the 30th overall pick in the 2011 draft. The Twins selected North Carolina shortstop Levi Michael. In his three years with the Tar Heels, he spent a season at each of three infield positions. Many scouting sources had Michael ranked higher than 30th, and the Twins needed middle infielders in the system. The pick made sense. Unfortunately, he missed the rest of that season with injury, and he has fought a variety of injuries throughout his career. He has spent parts of the last three seasons at AA. In 2016, he played in 95 games and hit just .215/.293/.291 (.584) and lost playing time as the season went on. He recently turned 26, and it would be nice to see him get some AAA time in 2017. TRAVIS HARRISON The Twins took Harrison with the 50th overall pick in 2011 out of high school in California. He quickly moved up one level each year until 2016 when he returned for a second season in AA Chattanooga. In 120 games, he hit .230 but had a .338 on-base percentage and a .339 slugging percentage. He had 22 doubles, seven homers and stole 15 bases. He has been in the outfield the last three seasons, though he has moved from left to right and back and forth a couple of times. No one questions Harrison’s work ethic, and anyone who has watched him knows that he has tremendous power potential and strength. He will still be just 24 years old through the 2017 season. DERECK RODRIGUEZ Dereck Rodriguez, as you know, is the son of recently-named Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez. The Twins drafted him in the sixth round in 2011 out of high school in Florida. They drafted him as a potential five-tool outfielder, but when he was unable to hit in the rookie leagues for three seasons, the decision was pretty easy to give him the option of pitching. He’s progressed slowly up the ladder as a pitcher. In 2015, he was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. He began 2016 really struggling in Cedar Rapids, but in the middle of June, he started pitching much better. He earned a promotion to Ft. Myers where he pitched well too. He pitched very well this winter in Puerto Rico and helped the team win the Caribbean Series. He now is part of Team Puerto Rico in the WBC. He’ll continue to start as the season begins, but the 24-year-old could be a solid bullpen arm. JASON WHEELER Wheeler is the one player on this list who has been on the Twins 40-man roster. Two years ago, he was added to the roster and went to spring training with the big club. He really struggled in 2015 and by season’s end, he was removed from the 40-man roster. After that point, he went on to lead the Chattanooga Lookouts to the 2015 Southern League championship (he was named MVP, won a game and recorded a four-inning save). 2016 was a very good year for Wheeler. He began in Chattanooga again, but he moved up to Rochester quickly. And, he put up terrific numbers, good enough to be named the starting pitcher for the International League team in the AAA All-Star game. The left-hander doesn’t throw real hard, but he is generally around the plate and uses his defense. The 26-year-old was the Twins eighth-round pick in 2011 out of Loyola Marymount. DAVID HURLBUT The Twins liked Hurlbut enough to draft him twice. He was the team’s 35th-round pick in 2009 out of junior college. Two years later, the Twins took him in the 28th round out of Cal State-Fullerton. He missed some time at the start of 2016 with a shoulder issue, but he pitched well once he got on the mound. He went 7-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 23 starts in AA. He finished the season with five starts in Rochester. The 27-year-old is a soft-throwing left-hander, occasionally touching 90, but he has pinpoint control and a good changeup. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Obviously all five of these guys are “prospects’ as they have yet to play in the big leagues. The two 24-year-olds are the two that would fit into the “prospect” category meaning there is still a lot of potential with them. It’s a big year for each of them. Not only are they working for a big league opportunity with the Twins, but they will have another season to be monitored by scouts and coaching staffs from the other 29 organizations too. So what are your hopes or expectations for these five? Will any of them get to the big leagues in 2017? Could any be found on the 40-man roster after the 2017 season? Click here to view the article

In his career, Harmon Killebrew was an All-Star 11 times. Six times he finished in the Top 5 in American League MVP, and he was the MVP in 1969. He was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1984. As we’ve pointed out the last couple of days, Killebrew was an elite power hitter in Minnesota Twins and MLB history. As we’ve also pointed out, Killebrew might has been an even better person than baseball player. When he passed away in 2011, the Twins announced that they would announce a winner of the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service from each of the Twins four full-season affiliates. This week, we’ve been profiling all four of the 2016 Harmon Killebrew Award recipients this week. Today, we’ll write about the Twins Killebrew recipient of the Chattanooga Lookouts, lefty David Hurlbut. If you missed one earlier this week, check out the winners here: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Nelson Molina Ft. Myers Miracle: Trey Vavra Chattanooga Lookouts: David Hurlbut Rochester Red Wings: Previous Winners: 2015, 2014, 2013David Hurlbut has been in the Twins organization for a long time, since he signed in 2011 as the team’s 28th round pick in the 2011 draft out of Cal State-Fullerton. The team actually drafted him two years earlier out of junior college. Hurlbut has moved up the Twins ladder slowly, but consistently. He spent a year-and-a-half in the Midwest League and then again in the Florida State League. He pitched out of the bullpen and found much more success as a starter. In 2013, he posted a 2.82 ERA. In 2014, he posted a 2.20 ERA. In 2015 he went 11-7 with a 3.18 ERA, mostly in Chattanooga (though he made one start in Ft. Myers and one start in Rochester). Hurlbut returned to the Lookouts for the 2016 season. He went 7-7 with a 3.51 ERA. He moved up to Rochester for five late-season starts. Of his season, he said, “I feel that my season went well. I'm always working on perfecting my craft with the tools I have been given. I'm not satisfied by any means, but I take pride in knowing that I step on the pitcher's mound ready to work every day. I have already started working towards next season, and plan to come into spring training ready to go!” But Hurlbut was also valuable throughout the season in the community of Chattanooga. He was excited to learn he had been named the Lookouts recipient of the Killebrew Award. Hurlbut said, ““The award is important to me, but not as important the actual community service. It feels good to be recognized.” He stayed busy on the days he didn’t pitch. He frequently was involved in team events around the Chattanooga area. “We were able to go children's hospitals and special-needs schools to go spend time with kids. We did our best to put a smile on their faces, and gave out souvenirs to as many kids as we could. The Lookouts did a good job supporting the volunteers with whatever we needed to make sure we could try and make their day a little bit better.” According to Dan Kopf, the Lookouts Public & Media Relations Manager, the Lookouts did many activities around the community throughout the season. “This year the Lookouts did a variety of events in the community including hospital visits, trips to schools and a visit to a camp for children and adults with disabilities. David participated in several of our trips including our visit to the Erlanger's Children Hospital and the trip to Camp Signal.” It was at Camp Signal where Hurlbut made a strong a strong impression on many, including Kopf. “Along with Looie the Lookouts’ mascot and fellow Lookouts players Jake Reed and Ryan Walker, David helped make the Camp Signal appearance one of the best we've had. During that time, David met one of the campers named Ben who loved playing the guitar. Afterwards, the players visited Ben who played some songs on his guitar. Ben sounded great, but the guitar was missing a string. After we left, David went to purchase a brand new guitar for Ben and the camp.” Hurlbut spent some time in Venezuela last winter. He made four starts and went 2-0 with a 0.43 ERA (1 earned run in 21 innings). This winter, he is staying home to focus on getting into shape for next season. He will continue to drive toward his goal of pitching in the big leagues. He also will continue to be a leader in the communities in which he lives and works. “I will continue to volunteer as often as I can, as many of my teammates will do as well. We, as an organization and team, have the ability to go out into the communities we play in and give back. I think it is important to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to help people in any way we can.” Click here to view the article

Minor League seasons are coming to an end quickly. Next Thursday marks the final regular season games for the two Twins short season teams. The full season seasons come to an end on Labor Day, though the final Miracle game is on the Sunday before Labor Day. Playoff spots are still up for grabs for the Twins affiliates. Also over the next week, we’ll start hearing about September call-ups, but we’ll also hear more about which players will represent the Twins in the Arizona Fall League.On that note, the Red Wings played plenty of bonus baseball. The Lookouts had a big offensive night. The Miracle and the Kernels each got great pitching performances. One of the top 2016 draft choices had his best game as a pro. It was a full day, six games in the Twins farm system. Read on for the entire minor league report. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Norfolk 3 (13 innings) Box Score There was bonus baseball down in Norfolk on Wednesday. Byron Buxton’s eighth home run gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Unfortunately, that was it for the Rochester run-scoring. Kennys Vargas walked twice. Wilfredo Tovar and Adam Brett Walker each had a single and a walk. David Hurlbut continues to impress in his AAA starts. On this night he gave up two runs (1 earned) on eight hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out four and dropped his ERA to 2.70. Neil Ramirez threw a scoreless eighth inning. Alan Busenitz gave up two hits and walked two over two scoreless innings. Edward Mujica gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. Jake Reed got the 13th inning. He gave up a run on two hits and a hit batter to take the loss with one out in the bottom of the inning. Norfolk’s left fielder, LJ Hoes, worked a scoreless top of the 13th inning and recorded the win in the game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart improved to 8-6 with the Lookouts with another quality start. A look into the numbers and you have to wonder how. Stewart went six innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked five and struck out just two. His ERA with Chattanooga is now just 3.14. Brandon Peterson struck out two over two scoreless innings. Luke Bard worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Stuart Turner led the strong Lookouts offensive attack. He went 4-5 with his 22nd double, his sixth home run and two RBI. Zack Granite went 3-5. He stole two bases and now has 50 on the season. Edgar Corcino went 2-5. He had a bases-clearing triple in the team’s five-run seventh inning. Levi Michael went 2-4 with his second homer of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Palm Beach 0 Box Score Mad Money Miles Nordgren recently returned to the Miracle, and on Wednesday he put together his best start yet and recorded his first Florida State League win. Nordgren gave up just one hit over six shutout innings. He walked one and struck out two. Cam Booser got two outs in the seventh inning, but he walked three to load the bases. Nick Anderson got the final out of the seventh and worked two more scoreless innings to record his seventh save of the season. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. The Miracle had just four hits in the game. Their run scored when AJ Murray doubled home Daniel Kihle. It was Murray’s tenth Miracle double. Murray went 2-4 in the game. Alex Perez walked twice. Check out this defensive play by Center Fielder Tanner English. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 0 Box Score The Kernels got a terrific pitching performance, giving up just two hits in the shutout. 2016 draft pick Sean Poppen went the first four innings. He gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out five. Michael Cederoth came on and went the next three innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out five. He improved to 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA. Tom Hackimer hit a batter over two scoreless innings to pick up his fourth save with the Kernels. Rainis Silva went 2-3 with his second double and an RBI. Travis Blankenhorn hit his fourth double since joining the Kernels. Luis Arraez hit his 28th double of the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Burlington 8 Box Score The Twins fell behind early and weren’t able to put together enough offense for a comeback. Alex Schik started. He gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits (including two home runs) and four walks. He struck out five in his five innings. Alex Robinson came on and gave up two runs on one hit, three walks and two hit batters in 1.1 innings. All four outs came via strikeout. Quin Grogan gave up just a walk over 2.2 scoreless innings finish things out. He struck out three. Ben Rortvedt had his best game in an Elizabethton uniform. He went 3-3 with a walk. Shane Carrier went 2-4 with his 14th double and second triple. Amaurys Minier and Caleb Hamilton each hit their seventh double. Ariel Montesino added his fourth double. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Orioles 14 Box Score Minnesota-Duluth’s Bo Hellquist was back on the mound on Wednesday. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks and a hit batter in five innings. He struck out six. Safe to say that this wasn’t the best performance for right-hander Daniel Martinez. He gave up eight runs on seven hits and a walk. He recorded just one out. Onas Farfan hit a batter but got the final two outs of the inning. Mat Jones came on and gave up four runs on two hits and two walks. He got just two outs, both came on strikeouts. Matz Schutte walked one and got four outs. Jorge Munoz went 2-2 with two doubles his 11th and 12th of the season. Lean Marrero went 2-3. They combined for four of the team’s five hits on the day. For the Orioles, Brian Duensing threw one inning in his rehab outing. He gave up one hit, no runs and walked one. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Miles Nordgren, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Stuart Turner, Chattanooga Lookouts THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Norfolk (11:05 am CST) - RHP Omar Bencomo Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells Burlington @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - RHP Jose Martinez GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

I apologized for the lateness of Saturday’s minor league report. Summers tend to be a bit busy for everyone, and the minor league games just keep getting played. So today’s report might just be a little shorter than normal, but it is very important for me that the players that perform get recognized. Continue on to read the highlights of Saturday’s minor league games. As a quick aside, I took my daughter to the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks game last night at Newman Outdoor Field. It’s such a great venue for minor league baseball. Last night, they faced Mark Hamburger and the St. Paul Saints. The Saints, as you know, have several former Twins and Twins minor league prospects. Their manager is former Twins pitcher George Tsamis. Tony Thomas had the night off, but he’s putting up great numbers for the Saints. Tanner Vavra played shortstop, batted second and had two hits and a walk. Nate Hanson played third base and batted third. Chad Christensen batted eighth and DHd. Mark Hamburger threw another complete game and improved to 9-0 on the season. They Saints bullpen also includes left-handers Caleb Thielbar and Mike Strong. Their Friday night starting pitcher was 36-year-old Dan Johnson, a long-time big league and minor league first baseman who is attempting to become a knuckleball-throwing pitcher. There is a lot of great minor league baseball around the Midwest. Several other former Twins minor leaguers are playing well in the American Association. Rene Leveret is playing for Lincoln and picked up his 1,000th career minor league hit last week. Eden Prairie’s Blake Schmit plays for Sioux Falls and he was leading the league in hitting. Check out some American Association ball games if you have a chance. Next weekend, the Saints are at home at CHS Field in St. Paul taking on the FM Redhawks.OK, after that brief former Twins minor league report, let’s get into what happened in the Twins farm system on Saturday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score Logan Darnell was on the mound for the Red Wings. The left-hander was charged with two unearned runs on three hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out three. DJ Baxendale faced one batter and walked him. Buddy Boshers came on and got the next three batters out, two of them on strikeouts. Darin Mastroianni went 2-4. Jorge Polanco went 1-3 and was hit by a pitch. He also drove in the lone Red Wings run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Tennessee 0 Box Score There was some strong pitching in Tennessee on Saturday night. Lefty David Hurlbut certainly did his part to give his team a chance to win. He went eight shutout innings. He gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out four. He improved to 7-4 with a 3.28 ERA. However, the Lookouts bats were pretty quiet too. Ryan Walker was 2-4. Leonardo Reginnato hit his 12th double. However, in the top of the 9th, Travis Harrison recorded his second hit of the night, and it was a big one. His sixth home run of the year gave the Lookouts a 1-0 lead. With the lead, Trevor Hildenberger came in for the ninth frame. He gave up a hit and issued a walk, but he did not give up a run. He now has 13 saves with the Lookouts (16 on the season) and a 0.89 ERA. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Dunedin 4 Box Score Sam Clay made his first Miracle start. The left-hander gave up two runs on nine hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out two. Nick Anderson struck out two over two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. Yorman Landa threw the final two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk, but he finished out the Miracle win. Eight Miracle players had one hit in the game. Fortunately, half of their hits left the ballpark. TJ White hit his seventh double. AJ Murray hit his second homer. Trey Vavra hit his eighth homer. Daniel Kihle hit his first Florida State League homer. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 7 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez put together one of his best starts of the season. He had a quality start. He gave up two runs on five hits over six innings. He walked three and struck out seven. Max Cordy came in for his first Kernels appearance. According to Jeff Johnson (The Gazette in Cedar Rapids), Cordy was hitting 95 mph on the radar gun. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks over two innings. He struck out two. Cam Booser worked the ninth inning. He gave up two runs on one hit. He walked three and struck out one. Jaylin Davis added his first triple. Casey Scoggins was 2-5. Christian Cavaness went 2-4 with his first steal. Brian Olson was also 2-4. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Greeneville 3 Box Score The E-Twins got solid pitching and a big blast early in the game and held on for the win. Travis Blankenhorn had just one hit in the game, but it was a big one. In the third inning, he hit his fifth home run of the season, a three-run homer. Brandon Lopez went 2-3 with a walk. Lewin Diaz added his fifth double. Alex Schik made the start this time around. He gave up just one run on two hits over the first five innings. He struck out three without issuing a walk. Ryan Mason came on and gave up one run on four hits over 2.2 innings. He struck out two. Colton Davis picked up his third save. He gave up a run, but he got the final four outs, each of them on a strikeout. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score Huascar Ynoa put together easily his best start of the short-season. He threw five shutout innings. He gave up two hits, didn’t walk any, and struck out eight. Matz Schutte got the next five outs without any issues. Onas Farfan gave up a run over the next 1.1 innings. He struck out two. Garrett Kelly gave up one run on two hits in his inning. Zach Strecker gave up six hits but somehow just one run over the next 2.2 innings. He struck out two. Clark Beeker got the final out on a strikeout. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – David Hurlbut, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Travis Harrison, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (12:05 CST) - LHP Andrew Albers Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:15 CST) - LHP Tyler Jay Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (3:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (2:00 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Greeneville @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

Bullpens can be fickle creatures. These pitchers can't really have a set routine because each player doesn't know when he will be used in a game. It takes a special type of player to be ready at the tip of a hat to jump into the middle of a game that could have playoff implications for a club. Minor league players aren't playing for big money. They are playing for the team, they are playing for themselves, and they are playing to move up the ladder. The dream is to make it to the big leagues but that won't come true for all of the players mentioned below. One team's bullpen was vital for a Friday night victory. Who was able to shine under the Friday night lights? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Toledo 2 Box Score The Red Wings couldn't get anything going on the offensive side of the ball against Mud Hens pitcher Daniel Norris. Only four Rochester players had hits and three of the team's six hits were off the bat of Eddie Rosario. Jorge Polanco and John Ryan Murphy managed both hit doubles and they stood as the team's only extra-base knocks. Logan Schafer and Adam Brett Walker both struck out three times. Jose Berrios did his best to keep the game close. The first run scored against Berrios came after a two-out error by shortstop Wilfredo Tovar. Toledo used a pinch hitter in the sixth, Tyler Bortnick, who hit his first home run of the season to put the team up 2-0. Berrios ended up pitching six innings and allowed one earned run on two hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. Dan Runzler, David Martinez, and Ryan O'Rourke put up zeros the rest of the way but it still wasn't enough to spur a Rochester comeback. The loss drops Rochester to 40-28 on the season as they sit a game and a half up in the International League North. Over their last 10 games, the club is 7-3 and this was their first loss since last Friday. The Red Wings continue their three-game series with Toledo tomorrow night. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Montgomery 5 Box Score Even though the Lookouts were out-hit in this game, the club used some clutch hitting (4-for-8 with RISP) to come out on top. Daniel Palka helped lead the charge for the Lookouts with a 2-for-3 night along with scoring a pair of runs. Zach Granite continues to be a threat on the bases as he stole his 30th base and scored twice. Mitch Garver drove in four runs and went 2-for-3 with his 12th double. David Hurlbut started for the Lookouts and put together a solid effort. He scattered seven hits over six innings with three strikeouts and no walks. Mike Strong allowed two runs in his inning of work. Luke Westphal struggled with control as he walked three and allowed a run while only collecting one out. Omar Bencomo allowed a pair of runs to score in the bottom of the ninth but he still was able to strike out the side to preserve the victory. With the win, the Lookouts have won nine of their last 12 games and are currently two games over .500. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 1 (14 Innings) Box Score This game would stretch long into the night as both bullpens continued to put zeros on the board. Cedar Rapids finally broke through in the 14th frame. Brad Hartong started the two-out rally by being hit by a pitch. Luis Arraez followed with a double and an errant throw allowed Hartong to come all away around to score the winning run. Eduardo Del Rosario hadn't made it out of the fifth inning in either of his starts in Cedar Rapids before this night. After tossing six innings and only allowing one earned run, he lowered his season ERA from 8.64 to 5.65. He gave up three hits (one home run) while striking out five and walking two. The bullpen deserves a lot of the credit for this victory as they didn't allow a run in seven innings of work. Michael Cederoth didn't allow a hit and all five of the outs he collected were by strikeout but he walked three. William Ramirez struck out three over 2.1 innings. Michael Theofanopoulos improved to 3-0 after he pitched three innings and struck out four. Anthony McIver earned his second save with a perfect final frame. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Cedar Rapids Bullpen Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Mitch Garver, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Toledo (6:05 CST)- LHP Logan Darnell (7-5, 3.25 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 CST)- TBD Cedar Rapids@ Quad Cities (6:00 CST)- RHP Dereck Rodriguez (1-8, 7.33 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article