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As Labor Day approaches and fall soon sets in, it's hard to believe that the baseball season is already almost five months complete. Monday is September 1st, and in baseball, that means September call-ups. We have discussed several players who could be promoted. The Twins certainly have a number of options. However, there are a handful of guys not on the 40-man roster who should at least be discussed in the September promotion talks.The Twins will likely call up five to eight players when rosters expand and the Rochester season comes to an end, whether that's on Monday or after a playoff run. They will want to add at least one catcher, an infielder, an outfielder and several pitchers. There are a lot of players on the 40-man roster who could be called up, but here are five players you should know about and not be 100% surprised if they get a shot. Remember last year, we were all pretty surprised when Eric Fryer and Shairon Martis were added to the 40-man roster and called up for September. Doug Bernier - Bernier spent most of the 2nd half of 2013 with the Twins. He was designated for assignment following the season, but he came back and, at age 34, put together the best season of his career. He is hitting .284/.354/.406 (.760) while playing his usual good defense. He has played 62 games at shortstop and 41 games at third base, and has also spent time at second base, first base and both corner outfield positions. He has set career highs in games (118), plate appearances (444), at-bats (384), hits (109), doubles (25), home runs (6) and RBIs (53) with five more games to play. James Beresford - The 25 year-old signed with the Twins in 2005 and has gradually worked his way up the system. 2013 was his breakout season, and 2014 has also been a terrific year for him. He spent the full season as the Red Wings second baseman. He has hit .281/.329/.358 (.687) with a career-high 28 doubles and two home runs. He continues to flash terrific defense and knows how to play the game. Deibinson Romero - The 27 year-old from the Dominican stayed healthy this year and hit well. He had a strong showing in spring training, impressing the big league staff with his potent bat. He has hit .268/.367/.414 (.781) with 31 doubles and eight home runs. The third baseman has been a minor league free agent the last two year and chose to stay with the Twins. Eric Farris – The 28 year-old got time in the big leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers: one game in 2011 and 13 games in 2012. He has one big league hit, a single off Eunario del Rosario. He came to the Twins as a free agent infielder. Last year, he spent a little time in centerfield. This year, he has been the regular Rochester centerfielder all season. In 127 games, he has hit .276/.314/.343 (.657) with 23 doubles and two home runs, while playing very good defense. Reynaldo Rodriguez – The 28 year-old spent all of 2013 in New Britain playing first base. He returned to the Twins this year at a new position, as an outfielder. He has spent time at both corner outfield positions while still getting plenty of time at first base. He did receive a short promotion to AAA Rochester this year where he hit his first AAA home run. He was named an Eastern League Postseason All-Star. He hit .286/.345/.509 (.853) with 37 doubles, two triples and 21 total home runs. When I talked to New Britain hitting coach Chad Allen a month ago, he raved about Rodriguez, talking about his work ethic and his ability to be a good influence on the likes of Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario. There are five hitters who are not on the 40-man roster who are deserving of mention. Maybe, just maybe, one of them can get a September call-up to the Twins. Of course, there are challenges for each of them. For Beresford and Bernier, their “competition” for a September call-up could come from Pedro Florimon, who is on the 40-man roster. Aaron Hicks would appear to be a given for promotion in September, which makes it less likely that Eric Farris will get his shot. Deibinson Romero could get called up, but would he play? Trevor Plouffe is the regular third baseman with Eduardo Escobar and Eduardo Nunez capable of playing there. Reynaldo Rodriguez is a hitter and a first baseman/corner outfielder, kind of like Chris Colabello and Chris Parmelee and Chris Herrmann. I didn’t mention the pitchers who are not on the 40-man roster now who could be considered for big league call-ups in September. There are a few. Although he’s struggled in the 2nd half, AJ Achter has put up impressive numbers again in Rochester. Lester Oliveros had a hiccup last night, but he’s been tremendous for the last month or more in Rochester. Alex Meyer certainly is the name that everyone wants to see, although most rumors indicate that he will not be promoted. Some are against promotions of players who may not be part of a long-term plan, who may never be a big league starter. But there are good reasons to give guys like this an opportunity. The Twins have done a terrific job the last several seasons with minor league signings. Casey Fien, Yohan Pino, Jared Burton and Sam Deduno were all signed by the Twins as minor league free agents. Calling up some of these guys would indicate to other six-year minor league free agents that the Twins will reward quality play, even if players are not on the 40-man roster. In general, it’s also nice to know that an organization will reward good players and good teammates if management believes they can help the organization. Will any of these guys get called up for a September with the Twins? Most likely none of them will. Hopefully at least one of them will. In another frustrating season, having a couple of good stories is a good thing. Click here to view the article

After looking at the top starting pitchers in the Minnesota Twins system in July, today we turn our attention to the hitters (and tomorrow, we’ll discuss the top relievers for the month). Chris Colabello won this ‘award’ the last two months. He’s now with the Twins, so there is actually quite a bit of competition for this award for the first time in a couple months. A couple top prospects are near the top of the list. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] July is always an interesting month for these awards. Consider that the players at the upper levels participate in the All-Star game (or get their All-Star break). Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton both played in the Futures Game. The season is also now four months gone, and some players are really starting to feel the long season, particularly those who are on a full-season team for the first time. Here’s a look at the Top 5 hitters from July. --- Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – OF Jonathan Murphy – (29-94) .309/.393/.383 (.776) with four doubles, one home run and nine RBI. Murphy was the Twins’ 19th round pick just last year out of Jacksonville University where he teamed with Adam Walker for three years and Miracle pitcher Matt Tomshaw. He began this season by staying at Extended Spring Training, but when the Miracle had a short-term need in the outfield, Murphy went across the parking lot. He played so well right away that he stayed with the Miracle for 37 games. When he began to struggle, he went to Cedar Rapids in late June. The 23-year-old has now played 25 games with the Kernels. He is hitting .293/.375/.364 (.739) with four doubles and a home run. Murphy is a speed guy and a good outfielder. He is also 4-5 in stolen base attempts. For much more from and about Murphy, check out SD Buhr’s article from earlier this week. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – OF Mike Kvasnicka – (30-100) .300/.366/.490 (.856) with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs and 15 RBI. The Twins drafted Kvasnicka in the 31st round of the 2007 draft out of Lakeville (MN) high school, but he went on to play for the Minnesota Gophers. The Astros took him with the first supplemental pick of the first round of the 2010 draft. They moved him from third base and catcher and he struggled with the bat in Low A ball. Last year, he got hurt. This spring, the Twins were able to acquire him for Gonzalo Sanudo, who pitched for the Twins GCL team last year. Unfortunately, he broke his hamate bone before the season started and didn’t play until mid-June. However, since that time, Kvasnicka has hit like crazy while playing solely in the outfield. His father, Jay, was the Twins 8th round draft pick in 1988. Mike has power and is certainly worth the risk to acquire. Number 3 – Rochester – 3B Deibinson Romero – (27-84) .321/.426/.548 (.973) with seven doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI. Romero has been with the Twins organization for a long time, since signing with the team in July of 2004 out of the Dominican Republic. He was added to the 40 man roster following an injury-plaqued season at Beloit in 2008. After a promotion however, he really struggled with the Florida State League and came off the 40 man roster. He has been with the organization since, and continued to struggle until the 2012 season when he performed well in his second season at New Britain. He could have become a free agent the last two offseasons, but he has elected to stay with the Twins organization. He was invited to big league spring training again this spring, but visa issues caused hin to miss all spring training and his season began late. After eight games in New Britain, he made his AAA debut, and he has been pretty good ever since. He was terrific in July, showing both power and patience (14 walks). Number 2 – New Britain – 2B Eddie Rosario – (36-102) .353/.394/.549 (.944) with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs and 17 RBI. When the Twins drafted Rosario with their 4th round pick in 2010, he was considered the best hitter out of Puerto Rico that year. He has kept hitting since. He has been the Appalachian League MVP and last winter, he played so well in the Puerto Rican Winter League that he was named to their World Baseball Classic team. He began this season in Ft. Myers, but once the Miracle clinched the first half title, he was promoted to New Britain where he has continued to hit. Rosario has incredibly quick hands which allows him to see the pitches a little longer. He has plenty of extra base power, though he doesn’t necessarily like to walk. What makes him a possible 2014 call up that his defense has greatly improved at second base. He definitely is a top prospect. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – OF Adam Walker – (35-115) .304/.325/.652 (.977) with eight doubles, one triple, ten home runs and 31 RBI. The question I have probably been asked the most in the last month is, “Why is Adam Walker still in Cedar Rapids?” My answer remains the same. I really have no idea. He hasn’t been all that consistent, but in the first 100 games of his season, he has hit .282/.323/.543 (.866) with 25 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs and 91 RBI. He is also 8-8 in stolen base attempts and plays a solid right field. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, Walker has as much power potential as any player in the Twins farm system, with the possible (though I’m not sure) exception of Miguel Sano. He has struck out 93 times in 427 plate appearances which isn’t bad for a power hitter, but he has walked just 23 times. Despite playing three seasons at Jacksonville U, he is still just 21 years old. His future is bright. What do you think? No Byron Buxton. No Miguel Sano. That said, both of them had very solid months as well. It’s always good to recognize different players in the Twins farm system. Please feel free to discuss and ask questions. View full article

The Twins played a late game out in Seattle and did not get a very good start. The Twins minor league affiliates all got pretty good starts. Five of the six starters began the game with four scoreless frames. The Twins starters at the top three affiliates each went at least six scoreless innings. Liam Hendriks had a perfect game going through six while Trevor May had given up just one hit through the Rock Cats first six innings. Each gave up runs in the third. Matt Summers has been incredible in July, and he was at his best on Thursday. Check out his July numbers below, and then see how the rest of the minor league affiliates did: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score Liam Hendriks certainly had people talking for a while with his performance in this game. The Australian right-hander had a perfect game through six innings. However, in the 7th, he gave up three quick runs. In total, he went 7.2 innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out five. Aaron Thompson came in and got the final four outs to record his sixth Red Wings save. All four outs came on strikeouts. Deibinson Romero led the offense. He was 2-2 with two walks, his eighth double and his seventh home run. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4 with his tenth double. New Britain 1, Reading 3 Box Score Trevor May was terrific on this day. He gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out eight. However, through six innings, he had given up just one hit, one walk and no runs. Dan Turpen came in and worked a perfect inning. Danny Ortiz provided three of the team’s hits, including his 24th double. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 23rd double. Nate Hanson, taking over third base duties for the benched Miguel Sano, went 1-2 with two walks and his sixth home run. Ft. Myers 8, Clearwater 3 Box Score Matt Summers has been the story for the Miracle in the month of June. On this night, he was again terrific. He worked seven shutout inning and gave up just five hits and a walk. He struck out seven. After listening to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly and hearing his July numbers, I had to go look for myself. In four starts this month, he is 2-1 with a 0.28 ERA. In 31.2 innings, he has given up one earned run. He has allowed 17 hits, walked four and struck out 23. Summers was replaced by Manuel Soliman who gave up one hit in his innings. Corey Williams came on for a perfect ninth. Each had one strikeout. The offense was spread out among four players. Utilty man Andy Leer went 3-4 with his ninth double. Byron Buxton was 2-5 with his third home run with the Miracle. Mike Kvasnicka was 2-4 with his sixth double. And Aderlin Mejia’s improbable run at Ft. Myers continues. He went 2-4 with his tenth double and is now hitting .341! Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 8 Box Score Josue Montanez started and through four innings, he did not allow a run. However, he went seven innings and was charged with five runs on ten hits and a walk. Dallas Gallant came on and gave up two runs on two hits and three walks and recorded just two outs. Alex Muren came on and gave up an unearned run in 1.1 innings. Travis Harrison and Jorge Polanco each went 3-5 in the game. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3 and stole his 11th base. Joel Licon’s sixth double drove in two of the Kernels' runs. Elizabethton 1, Kingsport 3 Box Score Yorman Landa had another decent start, though his control eluded him at times, again. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits. He walked four and struck out five. Austin Malinowski came on and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked a batter. Andrew Ferreira gave up one run on one hit and one walk in one inning. He struck out… one! Zach Granite went 2-4, and Dereck Rodriguez hit his third home run of the season. GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 1 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu started and threw four shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out six. Jared Wilson came on and threw two scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out one. Reyson Zoquiel gave up an unearned run on two hits in his inning. Josh Guyer struck out two in a scoreless inning. Derrick Penilla struck out two in his perfect inning to record the save. Alex Swim went 2-3 with a walk as the GCL Twins managed just six hits in the game. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article