Search the Community

The tale of a man who was traded twice in ten days, but oh what a ten days it was. Subject: Jaime Garcia Why You Remember Him: The summer of 2017. The Twins were contending for an AL Central pennant, trailing division-leading Cleveland by a mere half-game. Shoring up their rotation for late-summer glory, the team moved prospect Huascar Ynoa (more on him later) to Atlanta for veteran starter Jaime Garcia (along with Anthony Recker and cash money). Garcia immediately stepped in and picked up a win in his first start, giving up three earned runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. And then he was gone. That half-game deficit was as of July 20. Ten days later, the Twins were seven games back of a surging Cleveland and in the rearview of a hot Kansas City squad. With the trade deadline looming, Minnesota reversed course and sent Garcia to the Yankees for Zach Littell and Dietrich Enns. The kicker, of course, is that the Twins still snagged the last wild card spot in a subpar American League and lost to Garcia’s Yankees. He did not pitch in New York’s 8-4 victory, marking one of the few Twins playoff defeats to the Bronx Bombers that could have been even more humiliating. What You Might Remember, Part 1: Littell left Minnesota in free agency in 2020 and became a crucial part of San Francisco’s 2021 NL West-winning bullpen. It is very, very fair to say the Twins could have used him in 2021. What You Might Remember, Part 2: Ynoa had an up-and-down year for Atlanta last season, posting a 4.05 ERA in 17 starts, hitting a grand slam, breaking his pitching hand by punching a bench, and being a late scratch for a critical NLCS start, eventually missing the rest of the postseason. The whole World Series thing probably makes up for that. It is very, very fair to say the Twins could have used him in 2021. What You Don’t Remember, Part 1: Dietrich Enns is currently pitching in Japan for the Saitama Seibu Lions. It is very, very fair to say the Twins might have used him in 2021. What You Don’t Remember, Part 2: Anthony Recker is now part of the Mets broadcast team. It is very, very fair to say that Bally Sports North might have used him in 2021. The 2017 Jaime Garcia Trade Winners, Ranked: Atlanta San Francisco, despite not being involved in either trade New York Minnesota What’s He Up To: Garcia decade-long career ended after a stint with the Cubs in 2018. He now works with Water Mission, a Christian organization that provides clean water to the developing world. Question for Commenters: What was your favorite Jaime Garcia Twins moment? View full article

Entering play on Monday, the Cedar Rapids Kernels will have a shot at clinching the second-half championship. The Kernels are 40-23 in the second half and sit 3.5 games up on the Peoria Chiefs. In the second half, the Kernels are the only team in the entire league to win at least 20 games at home and on the road. Needless to say, Monday’s game could be a very important one for the Kernels.ROSTER MOVES INF Victor Tademo promoted from GCL Twins to Cedar RapidsINF Andrew Bechtold placed on DL with Cedar RapidsRED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Syracuse 3 (10 Innings) Box Score Byron Buxton fell a home run short of the cycle but the bats and the bullpen faltered in extra-innings. With the Red Wings trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning, Buxton cracked a two-run triple to take the lead. Unfortunately, that’s where the scoring would stop. Kennys Vargas reached base three times in five trips to the plate. Rochester loaded the bases in the top of the tenth but failed to push across a run. In fact, the team was 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Syracuse was able to score the winning run off of Jake Reed in the bottom half of the frame. Lewis Thorpe started and pitched 5 2/3 innings. He allowed one run on five hits. He struck out six and walked two. Tyler Duffey was charged with a blown save after he allowed the game-tying run in the bottom of the eighth. Andrew Vasquez was pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and three walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jacksonville 1 Box Score Chattanooga was able to jump out to an early 2-0 lead and hold on for the one-run victory. Andy Wilkins put the team on top with a lead-off home run in the second inning. In the third inning, Tanner English tripled and was brought home on a Luke Raley sacrifice fly. Austin Adams was asked to serve in an “opener” role. He pitched two scoreless innings as he only allowed one hit. He whiffed three batters and walked one. Dietrich Enns finished off the final seven innings as he limited the Jumbo Shrimp to one run on three hits. He struck out eight and walked two. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie 5 Box Score Edwar Colina made his High-A debut on Sunday but the Miracle offense didn’t give him a ton of offensive support. Colina pitched into the fifth inning (4 2/3 innings), allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked three. Jovani Moran finished off the fifth and pitched the next two frames. He allowed two runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts. Hector Jujan pitched one shutout inning and struck out two. Fort Myers managed only three hits and two of those came off the bat of Aaron Whitefield. Alex Kirilloff went 1-for-4 and scored the team’s only run. Caleb Hamilton reached base on a walk. Overall, the club went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. After winning nine consecutive series, the Miracle have dropped three straight series. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Kane County 4 Box Score For the third straight games, the Kernels scored at least one run in the first inning. Gabriel Maciel doubled with one out and moved to second on a walk to Michael Helman. Ryan Jeffers drove in the first run on a single. Ben Rodriguez made the score 2-0 with a sacrifice fly. However, the biggest hit of the inning was a two-run bomb from Jacob Pearson. Michael Davis doubled to started off the second inning with his ninth double. Davis moved to third on an Ariel Montesino single and that’s when things got crazy. With Akil Badoo batting, Davis stole home and Montesino stole second on the same play. Cedar Rapids plated another three runs in the fourth inning. Montesino attempted a sacrifice bunt after two singles from David Banuelos and Michael Davis, but a throwing error allowed two runs to score, he moved to third on the error and then scored on a Gabriel Maciel sac fly. Tyler Watson retired 10 straight batters at one point and tied a season high with seven innings pitched. He struck out eight and walked three on the way to his fifth victory. Moises Gomez pitched the final two frames and allowed a two-run home run in the final inning. Cedar Rapids improved to a season-best 12 games over .500 overall at 72-60. The Kernels secured their fourth consecutive series win. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 9, Bristol 4 Box Score Elizabethton pounded out 19 hits and was able to cruise to a Sunday evening victory. Trevor Casanova lead the offensive charge by going 4-for-6 with two doubles. Albee Weiss matched Casanova with four hits. Yeltsin Encarnacion reached base four times and drove in two runs. Alex Robles, Chris Williams, and Yunior Severino all had multiple hits. Kody Funderburk pitched into the sixth inning (5 1/3 innings) and allowed four runs on eight hits. He struck out four and a walk. Pedro Garcia pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings to finish off the game. He struck out two and walked two. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Trevor Casanova, Elizabethton (4-for-6, 2 2B, R, RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Dietrich Enns, Chattanooga (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 K, 2 BB, 3 H) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. Please note that this Prospect Summary has been updated. 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 0-for-4 2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): 1-for-4, R, K 3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not play. 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-for-4, 2 K 5. Stephen Gonsalves (MIN): Did not play. 6. Trevor Larnach (CR): Did not play. 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 0-for-3, BB, K 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 0-for-5, K 9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season 10. Zack Littell (ROC): Did not play. 11. Blayne Enlow (CR): Did not play. 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 0-for-4, BB, 2 K 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 0-for-3 14. Lewis Thorpe (ROC): 5.2 IP, ER, 6 K, 2 BB, 5 H 15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): Did not play. 16. Yunior Severino (ET): 2-for-5, R, BB, 2 K 17. Lewin Diaz (FM): Did not play. 18. Ryan Jeffers (CR): 3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, K 19. Jacob Pearson (CR): 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, K 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 0-for-1 MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (5:35 CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (5-5, 3.40 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville (6:15 CST) – TBD Fort Myers vs. Bradenton (6:00 CST) – RHP Brusdar Graterol (4-2, 3.75 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Kane County (6:35 CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (9-5, 3.23 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Pulaski (6:00 CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Royce Lewis cracked two more doubles for the Kernels, giving him seven extra-base hits in his last six games. Dietrich Enns pitched well, but Rochester almost let one get away in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Red Wings picked up the only victory in the minor league system on Thursday evening.Transactions -Twins recalled Tyler Duffey and optioned Aaron Slegers to Rochester. -Sean Poppen promoted to Chattanooga from Fort Myers. -Cedar Rapids activated Tanner Kiest from the restricted list. -Jordan Balazovic assigned to Elizabethton from Cedar Rapids. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Durham 4 Box Score Rochester led 3-0 after four and a half innings, and had a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth and just held on for a 5-4 victory. The Red Wings were powered by three home runs, one each from Jake Cave (solo), Kennys Vargas (solo), and Taylor Featherston (two-run). Featherston had one of his best nights with the stick, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, a home run, three RBIs and a walk. Who is Taylor Featherston? He’s spent part of the last three seasons in the big leagues for the Angels, Phillies, and Rays respectively, getting traded from Los Angeles to Philladelphia, and then purchased from Philly by the Rays. After last season he was granted free agency and signed with the Twins. The Red Wings got a solid start out of Dietrich Enns, who went six full innings, giving up just a pair of runs as he walked two and struck out seven, scattering six hits. D.J. Baxendale pitched two innings, gave up just a single hit and struck out three. Luke Bard earned his first save of the year for Rochester with a sloppy, but ultimately effective ninth inning. He gave up two runs on a home run and walked a couple of dudes, but the Red Wings held on for the win so all is forgiven. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Birmingham 3, Chattanooga 0 Box Score Sean Poppen, just promoted from Fort Myers, ran into trouble in the first inning, giving up three runs thanks to a leadoff single followed by a walk and a three-run homer. Poppen settled down after that retiring the next three batters in order, and thanks to a couple of timely doubleplays, faced just 9 more batters over the next 3 innings. Poppen ran into some trouble in the bottom of the fifth and was lifted for Tyler Jay. Jay did his job retiring the first batter he faced to get out of the inning, and then gave the Lookouts two more innings. Overall he went 2 1/3 innings, gave up two hits, two walks, and struck out three. He was replaced by Williams Ramirez who gave up a couple of hits in the eighth, but struck out three to escape the inning without further damage. Despite giving up just those three first-inning runs, the Lookouts were stymied at the plate. The Lookouts could only muster two hits, one each from Brian Navarreto and Sean Miller, the eight and nine hitters in the Lookouts lineup. MIRACLE MATTERS Clearwater 5, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Fort Myers managed just one run on a Lewin Diaz single in the seventh inning. The Miracle had just four hits as a team, and no one had multiple hits. Jimmy Kerrigan, 1-for-4, had the only extra-base hit, a double. The pitchers didn’t fare much better as starter Clark Beeker gave up four runs over six innings. And Kevin Marnon let in another run over two innings, and it could have been a lot worse as Clearwater stranded 10 runners and was 3-13 with runners in scoring position. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 7, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids tied the game at two in the bottom of the third inning, but gave up five more runs the rest of the way to fall 7-2. Superstar Royce Lewis was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles to lead the team offensively, with Jose Miranda not far behind (2-for-4 with 2 RBI). Alex Kirilloff struggled at the plate going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Freshly activated Tanner Kiest went just three innings. He gave up four hits, two runs (one earned), walked three and struck out four. With the game tied, Carlos Suniaga gave up two runs on three hits over four innings. He struck out four and walked one. Jared Finkel finished off the final two innings, giving up three runs on three hits and he walked one and struck out a pair. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dietrich Enns, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis, Cedar Rapids Kernels TOP 20 PROSPECT PERFORMANCE 1. Royce Lewis, Cedar Rapids – 2-4, 2 2B 3. Nick Gordon, Rochester – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 K 5. Alex Kirilloff, Cedar Rapids – 0-4, 2 K 7. Brent Rooker, Chattanooga – 0-4, 2 K 10. Akil Baddoo, Cedar Rapids – 1-4, 1 R, 1 K 13. Lewin Diaz, Fort Myers – 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K 14. LaMonte Wade, Chattanooga – 0-3 17. Travis Blankenhorn, Fort Myers – 0-3, 1 BB 19. Tyler Jay, Chattanooga – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester (6:05pm) Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 5.19 ERA) Chattanooga (7:05pm) Anthony Marzi (0-2, 6.41 ERA) Fort Myers (4:00 pm) Continuation of suspended game. Fort Myers (5:30pm) TBD Cedar Rapids (6:30pm) Randy Dobnak (3-2, 5.26 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games. Click here to view the article

There was a flurry of roster activity Tuesday afternoon. The Twins announced that Miguel Sano would be placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive as of April 28. To take his spot on the roster, Gregorio Petit was promoted from Rochester, but to make room for him on the 40-man roster, Dietrich Enns was designated for assignment. Also, Tyler Kinley has been returned to the Marlins. Whew.Sano experienced tightness in his left hamstring during Friday's game and sat out the last three contests. Eduardo Escobar is expected to shift over to third base while Ehrie Adrianza takes over at shortstop. Sano's absence in the lineup has created a huge void. With Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco also inactive and Brian Dozier slumping, the Twins are severely lacking offensive punch against left-handers outside of the surging Escobar. The Blue Jays are scheduled to start right-handers the next two nights and they only feature one southpaw in their bullpen, so that flaw may not be exposed in the short term. Petit has hit .293/.323/.362 as the everyday shortstop for Rochester so far this season. He has 171 MLB games under his belt, previously playing for Oakland, Houston, the Yankees and Angels. He has a .643 OPS against major league pitching over his career. Enns, who was also in Rochester, has a 4.50 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 20 innings so far this season. That's come with a rather underwhelming 11 strikeouts and 11 walks. The soon to be 27-year-old was acquired from the Yankees last July. His left-handedness and ability to throw multiple innings could make him interesting for teams combing the waiver wire. Kinley gave up nine earned runs while recording 10 outs for the Twins. He was removed from the 25-man roster, giving the Miami Marlins the opportunity to bring him back, though it's a little surprising the Twins couldn't work out a trade to keep Kinley in the org. Click here to view the article

Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers had a day off to close out April. However, an unlikely hero surfaced in Chattanooga and helped the Lookouts to a walk-off win. Rochester, in search of some offense, was able to score five runs. Was it enough to win? And hey, we’ve got more transactions including the Twins announcement that top pitching prospect Fernando Romero will be promoted and start for the Twins on Wednesday.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. And as always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Following Sunday’s Twins loss, the team announced that RH RP Tyler Duffey was optioned to Rochester. On Monday morning, they announced that RH RP John Curtiss had been promoted.Then before the Twins Monday night game, the big news broke. Paul Molitor announced that Phil Hughes was being moved to the bullpen and Fernando Romero will come up to make his first MLB start on Wednesday. Romero is the Twins #2 Prospectand is ready for any role with the Twins.The Rochester Red Wings announced that RH RP Luke Bard had rejoined the team after his time with the Angels as a Rule 5 pick.Reports indicate that LHP Kevin Marnon has been promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 5, Pawtucket 1 Box Score The Red Wings have struggled to score runs all of April, so when they scored three runs in the first inning on Monday, there was reason for excitement. Combined with a strong pitching performance, the Red Wings ended April with 9-10 record. Dietrich Enns made the start. The left-hander gave up just one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out just one, but it was a needed quality start for the Red Wings. DJ Baxendale came on and threw two scoreless innings. Mason Melotakis got the ninth frame and got out of it without allowing a run. Willians Astudillo led the offense. He went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-for-5 with his sixth double. Brock Stassi went 2-for-5 as well. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 3 Box Score It’s been a tough start to the season for outfielder Tanner English. Coming into Monday afternoon’s game, the speedy centerfielder had just four hits in his first 51 at-bats (.078). In fact, after making out his first two at-bats in this game, he was on a stretch in which he was 0-for-23 and 1-for-40. In the 7th inning, English singled to center to break the hitless streak. Down 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, Brian Navarreto singled. Sean Miller sacrificed him to second. LaMonte Wade was walked which brought Tanner English to the plate. On a 1-2 pitch, English connected, hitting a line drive to left. Navarreto scored, and Wade came all the way around from first base with the game-winning run. Manager Tommy Watkins noted after the game, “It was great to see him come through for the team and also for himself. Hopefully this will be the start to him taking off. He has excellent tools, and we’re just trying to get him to believe in himself.” On the mound, starter Randy LeBlanc continued (and finished) his strong April with another good start. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits over the first 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Anthony McIver came on and got the final out of the sixth inning, worked a scoreless seventh frame, and he got the first two outs of the eighth inning. He gave up just one hit and struck out three. Williams Ramirez recorded the final out of the eighth frame. He was charged with an unearned run in the top of the ninth to put the Lookouts down 3-2. Brent Rooker got the team on the board in the third inning with a two-run double, his fifth of the year. Chris Paul and Brian Navarreto each went 2-4. LaMonte Wade went 1-3 with two walks. English went 2-4 with his second double and the game-tying and -winning RBI. English said following the game, “It definitely felt good. It felt good to end the series with that win. I’ve been struggling a bit, so I was just happy to have some good ABs, the hits were just an added bonus. We all look forward to taking that momentum into Mobile.” MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers Box Score No Game Scheduled. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score No Game Scheduled. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Willians Astudillo, Rochester Red Wings (3-5, 2B(3), 2 RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Dietrich Enns, Rochester Red Wings (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-3, BB, 2B(5), 2 RBI #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 1-3, 2 BB, K, R TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (1st AAA start of the year) Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Tampa (5:30 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi (1-0, 1.93 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (1-0, 1.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

As minor league camp starts today, the Minnesota Twins made their first cuts from big league spring training. Pitchers Zack Littell and Lewis Thorpe were optioned to AA Chattanooga. Pitchers Felix Jorge and Dietrich Enns were optioned to AAA Rochester. Catchers Brian Navarreto and Wynston Sawyer were reassigned to minor league camp.No real surprises among this first group of players sent across the parking lot to minor league camp. Zack Littell has had a very strong camp including a win and two saves among his outings. Felix Jorge pitched well at times as well. He debuted with the Twins last year. Dietrich Enns and Lewis Thorpe didn't pitch a lot. With minor league camp starting today, there is definitely a need for more catchers in that camp, so two non-roster guys (Navarreto and Sawyer) find themselves back over there. Both are likely to play in Chattanooga in 2018. The spring training roster is now at 53 players. 26 pitchers (3 non-roster)5 catchers (3 non-roster)13 infielders (5 non-roster)9 outfielders (4 non-roster) Click here to view the article

Addison Reed’s reported signing is putting the Twins in an interesting spot. Once Reed passes his physical, he is going to need a spot on the 40-man roster. This also holds true for any future free agents the club signs this off-season. If Yu Darvish ends up in Minnesota, he will need a 40-man spot as well. What players are floating at the back-end of Minnesota’s 40-man roster? Here are a few names that could be forced to pass through waivers in the coming weeks.Buddy Boshers, LHP Boshers has made 75 appearances over the last two seasons with the Twins. During that time he has a 4.56 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP and a 65 to 17 strikeout to walk ratio. Last season, the left-handed hurler held lefties to a .655 OPS while righties managed a .904 OPS. Boshers will be 30-years old this season and he has never posted an ERA under 4.00 in any of his three big league seasons. Dietrich Enns, LHP Enns joined the Twins organization last year along with Zack Littell as part of the Jaime Garcia trade. He only made two appearances and allowed three earned runs in four innings. However, he’s posted a 1.86 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP in 116.0 innings at Triple-A. Those numbers are hard to ignore. Enns will turn 27-years old in the middle of May. Minnesota’s new front office saw enough in him to include him in the trade so maybe that keeps him safe. Tyler Kinley, RHP The Twins just acquired Kinley from Miami during December’s Rule 5 Draft. Because of the rules associated with his acquisition, the club has to keep him on their 25-man roster for all of 2018 or offer him back to Miami. Between High-A and Double-A last season, Kinley had a 3.54 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP and a 72 to 22 strikeout to walk ratio (53.1 innings). It’s rare for Rule 5 players to be sent back to their clubs this quickly but the Twins might not have anticipated adding Fernando Rodney and Addison Reed. Gabriel Moya, LHP Originally signed by the Diamondbacks, Moya was dealt to Minnesota for John Ryan Murphy. He made seven big league appearances last year and allowed three runs in 6.1 innings. In the minors last season, he was almost untouchable. He compiled a 0.77 ERA while striking out 13.4 batters per nine innings. Moya was able to do this while being over two years younger than the competition in the Southern League. Kennys Vargas, DH Earlier in the off-season, reports had Vargas open to playing overseas. Vargas is out of options and would need to stick with the Twins next season. His lack of defensive flexibility makes it hard to pencil him into the team’s line-up on a regular basis. Players like Joe Mauer, Robbie Grossman and Mitch Garver might all need to see time at DH. At the big league level over the last four seasons, he has hit .252/.311/.437 including double digit home runs in each of the last two seasons. How would you rank the back end of the 40-man roster? Who will be the first to go? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

It was a night of debuts. Recently-acquired Dietrich Enns made his major league debut. And down in Rochester, Stephen Gonsalves made his first AAA start. Enns had a couple of highlights, like his first big league hit, despite a short start. Gonsalves was fantastic and looked very comfortable on the Red Wings mound, well, except when he got hit by a line drive at 109 mph. You’ll want to read more about that. Maybe it’s just me. The last time I wrote a Minor League Report, the Twins affiliates all lost. Yesterday, Jeremy got to write the report, and all of the teams won. Well, here I am writing the minor league report on Thursday, so you’ll have to see if these trends continued.Find out everything and more that happened in the Twins system on Thursday. Let’s start with the transaction of the day: Glen Perkins was assigned to Chattanooga as part of his rehab.Chris Paul began his rehab in the GCL. He’s been out since late May with a broken hamate.Tyler Wells was taken off of the Kernels disabled list and assigned to the GCL. My assumption is that they want him to make one more appearance in the GCL before moving back to the Kernels. Or, maybe there’s more going on with the Kernels roster. We shall see.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 4, Norfolk 6 (11) Box Score Stephen Gonsalves made his much-anticipated Red Wings (err… Plates) debut on Thursday night. The left-hander was pretty impressive in this outing. Through three innings, he faced the minimum nine batters. He gave up one run in the fourth inning on three hits. One line drive was painful… and will likely be more painful tomorrow. As Gonsalves told Twins Daily following his outing, likely with a grimace, “That’s going to hurt tomorrow. 109 (mph) to the oblique.” That was the measurement that the Trackman system provided. As impressive, the lefty calmly reached down to grab the ball and throw the batter out at first base. He took a handful of warmup pitches and stayed in the game. One pitch later, with runners on second and third, he got the inning’s final out. He looked comfortable the first three innings, and he looked very comfortable over his final three innings. The lone mistake was falling behind big-league veteran Chris Johnson 3-0. Johnson hit a rocket into the left-field bleachers, but that was about it. In seven innings, Gonsalves gave up two runs on four hits. He struck out seven batters without issuing a walk. Throwing strikes was the key for the left-hander. In his own words, “All went well. Located all my pitches tonight. Was able to throw slider and curve behind in the count and that never happens. But something clicked in my bullpen in Chattanooga, and I've felt great since. Was able to get first pitch strikes on 18 of 25 (batters) and as along as you can get ahead, that's the name of the game. The guy I got behind was the home run.” Gonsalves left the game with a 4-2 lead and some very good relievers coming in behind him. Michael Tonkin got the eighth inning. He gave up one run on three hits. John Curtiss got the ninth, trying to protect a now-one-run lead. Norfolk tied the game at four when the first three batters reached base. Somehow, Curtiss escaped the ninth inning with the game tied. He pitched a scoreless tenth inning. Drew Rucinski pitched a scoreless 11th inning, but he gave up two runs in the 12th inning to take the loss. The Red Wings had plenty of base runners and plenty of opportunities. However, they stranded 17 players on base. The eight and nine hitters each had two hits. So did the lineup’s first five batters. Zack Granite went 2-6 with a double. Mitch Garver was 2-6 with a walk and his 25th double. Daniel Palka went 2-6 with a walk. Matt Hague went 2-6 with his 24th double. Byungho Park went 2-5 with a walk. JB Shuck went 2-5 with a walk. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-5 with a walk. He had a two-strike, two-out single to give the Red Wings a 4-2 lead. The Rochester Plates promotion was successful. Over 13,000 fans in the stands for the game and the special jersey giveaway. It was so successful, they’re going to do it again… every home game in 2018! Jared Akins went 2-4 with three RBI. He knocked his first professional home run and fourth stolen base. Alex Robles went 2-4 with his sixth stolen base. Ricky De La Torre was 1-2 with two walks. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Rochester Red Wings. Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jimmy Kerrigan, Cedar Rapids Kernels FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Norfolk @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 CST) - RHP Zack Littell Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (DH @ 4:00 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc, RHP Sean Poppen Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker Greeneville @ Elizabethton (DH at 4:05 CST) - LHP Ryley Widell GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00 am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins beat the Brewers Thursday night to win their fifth-straight game, putting them right back in the thick of the playoff picture. Dietrich Enns didn’t last long in his debut, but the bullpen was outstanding and a couple of slumping hitters busted out.Win Expectancy (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: WinEx810.png Now that Jorge Polanco is out of his funk, the only slumping Twins hitters are Joe Mauer (.194 average over last four weeks) and Byron Buxton (.559 OPS since returning from the DL). Well, better make that were Joe Mauer and Byron Buxton. Joe and Buxton had three hits each, Miguel Sano had a pair of hits and, of course, Polanco collected two more base knocks. Jorge is now 14-for-28 so far this month. I haven’t had the chance to fire that through my Internet machine to analyze, but that seems pretty darn good. Enns walked in a run with one out in the third inning, and that was enough to get the hook despite the Twins holding a four-run lead. He gave up two runs (one unearned, but due to his own error) on five hits and a walk while throwing just 53 pitches. The average velo on his fastball was 89.6 mph and his go-to secondary offering was his curveball, which averaged 79.8 mph, according to Baseball Savant. Enns will still be searching for his first MLB strikeout his next time out, whenever that may be, but he did cross another big milestone off the list. He got his first hit. Like, first hit ever as a professional. Enns had zero plate appearances in the minors, which was evident as he struck out trying to bunt in his first plate appearance. Things went much better his second time up. Twins W-L Record Overall: 57-56 (.504) Last 10: 7-3 (.700) Last 20: 10-10 (.500) Last 40: 18-22 (.450) Last 80: 38-42 (.475) Defensive Lineups Here’s a look at the starting lineups from the past seven games: Download attachment: Lineups810.png Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen810.png Looking Ahead Friday: Twins (Kyle Gibson) at Detroit (Anibal Sanchez), 6:10 pm CT Saturday: Twins (Jose Berrios) at Detroit (Jordan Zimmermann), 5:10 pm CT Sunday: Twins (Ervin Santana) at Detroit (Matthew Boyd), 12:10 pm CT Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins won their fourth game in a row on Wednesday night when they traveled over to Milwaukee and shut out the Brewers 4-0. The Twins got seven shutout innings from Bartolo Colon followed by a clean eighth inning from Taylor Rogers. Matt Belisle struck out the side in the ninth to maintain the shutout. The win moved the Twins back to the .500 mark, at 56-56, with 50 games to go. It’s been a roller coaster for the Twins the last month. They surprised people and became buyers. Less than a week later, the team became sellers at the trade deadline. The win put the Twins back within 1.5 games of a wild card spot. So, should the Twins be buyers again?There are a number of ways to look at the 2017 Minnesota Twins to try to figure out what they should do here in August. It’s clear that the team, at least not right now, should not sell off any additional players. At least not this week. But should they be buyers? Well, the Twins are now 4.5 games back of Cleveland in the AL Central Division and one game behind the Royals for second place. However, in the wild card race, they find themselves just 1.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners, who would be the second wild card team if the season was to end today. Sure, the Twins still have to pass three teams to get into that second wild card slot, but with 50 games to play, it’s not insurmountable by any means. The Mariners have played three more games and have three more wins already in the bank. The Rays already have two more wins in the bank. But 50 games is a lot of time. The Effect Of The Trade Deadline Brian Dozier spoke out with his thoughts on the decision of the front office to trade lefty Jaime Garcia before the deadline. While the team’s downward slide meant that the voices were a bit quieter when the team traded closer Brandon Kintzler on the deadline day, there’s no doubt that there was some disappointment in the clubhouse. We know that Paul Molitor had a rare team meeting. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that meeting. I would guess that the message from the manager to his team was clear. Yes, the front office made some decisions, and they traded a couple of players that we could use. I’m guessing that he spoke about how much talent there still was in that locker room. I would assume he mentioned that he was not going to give up on anything, that he believed in the players and he would manage with the goal to win. I’m certain that he challenged the team to prove people wrong. That’s the same thing Brian Dozier has said in a few interviews since the trades. Proving people wrong. That can be a motivator. Where Falvey and Levine Wrong to Trade Garcia and Kintzler? The answer to that question is certainly a matter of opinion, but I still don’t think it was. For the front office, they need to continue thinking big picture. They need to look at things like the team’s run differential and realize that there was a likelihood of a slide. When Cleveland and Kansas City both went on extended winning streaks before the trade deadline and it coincided with the Twins worst stretch of the season, the moves were right. The organization took on payroll. They took the contract of Garcia so that they “only” had to send rookie ball pitcher Huascar Ynoa to Atlanta. But Garcia will be a free agent at the end of the season. They will continue paying Garcia throughout the season, and in doing so, they were able to pick up quality pitching prospects Zack Littell (AA) and Dietrich Enns, who will start for the Twins on Thursday. Trading Kintzler, who also will be a free agent at the end of the year, for a young, left-handed, projectable starting pitcher also made sense. The Twins have a history in the last decade of selling low rather than selling high. I think that the front office did a good job of selling high. Youth Movement Delayed? The team is in contention again, and they need to act accordingly. That means, in my opinion, that they should not call up young players just to give them experience, just to get them big league time. Decisions should again be made with the primary thought being what will help the 2017 Twins. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that young players shouldn’t be called up. If there are young players at AAA, or even AA, that they feel will give them a better chance to win now, call them up. With the injury to Adalberto Mejia, someone will have to take his place in the rotation. For Thursday, that will be Dietrich Enns. But Dillon Gee could be an option this year. So could Tim Melville, or Aaron Slegers, or Stephen Gonsalves, or Fernando Romero. Whoever the Twins brass believes will give them the best chance to win. Talk of getting rid of Bartolo Colon, or DFAing him, really needs to stop. I hope that's clear to everyone. After Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios, Colon has given the Twins a reliable third starter option. Kyle Gibson has been OK of late. Losing Mejia hurts, but it all goes back to someone else stepping up. Maybe that’s Enns. Maybe that’s needing Dillon Gee to eat three to five innings sometimes. And if in a week or so, they feel that Stephen Gonsalves is ready to help them win games, call him up. Should They Be Buyers? I’m curious what you all think. Leave your comments below. But my general thought would be that they can again be looking for pitching. Cleveland added outfielder Jay Bruce, who has 29 homers and 75 RBI this season for the Mets. And they only had to send 22 year old, right-handed relief pitcher Ryder Ryan in return. He was Cleveland’s 30th-round draft pick in 2016 out of North Carolina. In Low-A Lake County, he’s got a 4.79 ERA. In other words, if Jay Bruce could be available for a non-prospect relief pitcher, the cost for the Twins to acquire some relief pitcher help, or even a mid-rotation starter, should not be too high. In my opinion, if the price is right, Falvey and Levine should consider any options to make the team better. Is It OK for Twins fans to get their hopes up? Hey, there are a lot of real positives on this Twins roster. There’s The Core Four. Byron Buxton equals tremendous center field defense, and he’s been improved at the plate. Miguel Sano is in a rough stretch offensively right now, but we know the power he can provide. His defense has also been better than advertised. Max Kepler had slumped, but in recent games, he appears to be figuring some things out at the plate. Defensively, he plays well in right field. Jose Berrios is the pitcher in the group, and he’s been as good as hoped, maybe even a little better. He got off to a great start for the Twins this year, struggled for a few starts and then he’s been better again lately. These four will be a big part of the charge toward a wild card spot. Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco are outside of my Twins Core Four, but they are vital to Twins playoff hopes. Rosario has been among the best Twins hitters the last two months. It’d be great if that could continue for a couple more months. Jorge Polanco just had the worst two-month stretch of his career. In the last week, he is coming out of that and hitting like we thought he could. His defense has also slumped, but if he can be an average defender down the stretch, it will be huge for the Twins. The veterans also need to step up. Joe Mauer’s been better this year than in recent years. Fans need to accept what he is now offensively and stop worrying about his contract and such. What he needs to do is continue getting on base (same with Robbie Grossman), and continue to come up big with runners in scoring position as he has his whole career, even in the down years. His ability to play first base so well has saved several errors already, and he should continue to keep extra base runners from getting on. Brian Dozier isn’t having the same season success as he did in 2016, but the last week, he has taken off. Really, since the All-Star Game, he has been very good again. We’ve seen what he can do when he’s hot, so what if he’s got another two-months of being on fire left in him? What would that mean for the Twins? If all of that, or even several of those things, can happen in the final 50 games, then Jason Castro and Chris Gimenez can focus on their defense and working with the pitchers. Any offense will be a bonus from them, so hopefully they can at least work counts and take a lot of pitches. The offense has a chance to come up big through the final two months. But it will obviously be the pitching that needs to step it up for the Twins to have a chance at a playoff berth. We need to hope that Ervin Santana pitches like he did in April and May and not like he did in June. We need to hope the Bartolo Colon has seven or eight more good starts left in his 44-year-old arm. We need to hope that Kyle Gibson can pitch like he did in 2015 for the rest of the season. We need to hope that Adalberto Mejia can come back healthy. And if not, someone will need to step it up, whether that’s Dietrich Enns or Dillon Gee or Stephen Gonsalves or Fernando Romero or some combination of them. And the bullpen will need to find its way to success. There were a lot of struggles early in the season, but Taylor Rogers and Brandon Kintzler were fantastic. Well, with the one-week exception right before the trade deadline. Rogers will need to get back to his dominant self in the eighth innings. Matt Belisle will need to continue “pulling a Kintzler” in the ninth innings. And after that, guys will just have to step it up in their roles. Maybe that means more Trevor Hildenberger in the seventh and eighth innings. Maybe it’s trusting Alan Busenitz. Having a Dillon Gee-like long-relief option could be important, at least until rosters expand in September. Being able to use Buddy Boshers only against left-handers will also be helpful, though when he does face right-handers, he’ll need to find a way to get them out. Listen. A lot of things would have to go right for the Twins to just get that second wild card spot. Is that worth getting excited about? Would you be excited about a one-game playoff game against the New York Yankees? I would be. I am. I just wrote about 2,100 words, trying to show that there are many reasons, and admittedly many What Ifs, to be excited about the Twins. I’m thrilled that we have a team to watch that is competitive. I’m thrilled and excited to see what happens in the final 50 games. If I were a Twins fan (and I have been for at least 36 of my years - I don’t remember the first six years too well), I’d be excited about what could be. But as we’ve seen a couple of times in the last month, in another week, the situation could change completely again. Then they could be sellers again. I look at it like this. The Twins didn’t have Garcia when they put themselves in a position to be buyers. So, trading him is a loss, and yet it put them right where they were a week earlier, roster-wise. Losing Kintzler takes a really good pitcher out of the bullpen rotation. It may hurt. It might. But, had he (or any other key piece of the team) got hurt and went on the DL, it would be similar. Someone would have had to step into those roles. And the phrase “Step it up” applies again. And maybe it took a trade to push some players. They’re major leaguers. They shouldn’t need extra motivation, but if that’s what it was, I’m fine with that. Right now the Twins are a .500 team, but they’re on a four-game winning streak. It’s OK to be excited again. Click here to view the article

Kennys Vargas spent one day with the Minnesota Twins in his latest stint, as the club announced Thursday morning that the first baseman/designated hitter has been sent back to Triple-A Rochester following the previous night’s game. Vargas appeared in Wednesday night’s game to pinch-hit for starter Bartolo Colon, popping out in foul territory in the eighth inning. Vargas, who was granted a fourth-year option by MLB, has been promoted by the Twins four times this season, but has failed to capitalize on playing time at either level this season. He’s hit just .243/.289/.429 in 190 big-league plate appearances, and only marginally better in 173 with the Red Wings (.221/.341/.441). September roster expansion and his performance in that final month may go a long way to dictating what sort of future Vargas has in the organization. Moving in the other direction is left-handed pitcher Dietrich Enns, who’ll make his MLB debut by getting the start against the Brewers and Zach Davies at Miller Park on Thursday night. The move allows the Twins to back each of their starters up a day. That means Kyle Gibson, Jose Berrios and Ervin Santana are lined up to face the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park over the weekend before the off-day on Monday. Enns came over in the Jaime Garcia deal, and was already on the 40-man roster of the Yankees. He battled a shoulder issue earlier in the season, but came back to post a 2.29 ERA at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre in seven starts prior to the trade. Enns fanned 8.5 batters per nine innings, walked just 2.3 and posted a stellar 1.02 WHIP. He is, however, already 26 years old, so he’s more or less a finished product with little left in the way of physical projection left. At that age, he’s also just a half-year younger than the average International League (Triple-A) contemporary — which isn’t saying much since it’s a breeding ground for older players not quite able to make the leap to the bigs. Please click through to Zone Coverage to read the rest of this story here.

Clark Beeker threw 8.2 shutout innings for Cedar Rapids tonight, extending his scoreless streak to 25.2 innings. It was in an epic pitcher’s duel, which the Kernels unfortunately lost 2-0 in 10 innings. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Friday.RED WINGS REPORT Game 1: Syracuse 2, Rochester 1 (7 innings) Box Score Dietrich Enns’ Minnesota org debut will go down as a complete game. Sure, it was only a six-inning outing, but it still counts. Enns, whom the Twins acquired from the Yankees in the (second) Jaime Garcia trade, gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out four. Niko Goodrum hit his 22nd double of the year and drew a walk. Engelb Vielma hit his eighth two-bagger since being called up from Chattanooga. Daniel Palka was 1-for-2 with a walk. Both managers got ejected from this one, in separate incidents/innings and even by different umpires. Had to make it a little awkward to go back out there for Game 2. Game 2: Rochester 3, Syracuse 2 (7 innings) Box Score Mitch Garver was 2-for-3 with a double and sparked the game-winning rally. With the score tied in the top of the seventh (and final) inning, Garver hit a leadoff single. That was followed by a Leonardo Reginatto double. Consecutive walks by Niko Goodrum and J.B. Shuck forced in the go-ahead run. Nik Turley got off to a great start, striking out three batters in three scoreless innings, but a rain delay knocked him out of the game. Drew Rucinski gave up two runs over 2.1 innings. Jake Reed pitched 1.2 scoreless innings for his first win of the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 1 Box Score Nick Gordon hit his eighth home run and Stephen Gonsalves pitched 6.2 shutout innings to help lift the Lookouts to victory. Gordon also stole his 13th base and drew a walk. He has five more homers than he’s ever hit in a season, and both his current OBP (.357) and slugging percentage (.431) would represent career highs by a large margin. Gonsalves has been incredibly consistent this season. Tonight was his 13th start. You know how many times he’s given up four runs? Zero. Tonight was just his second scoreless outing, however, and the second consecutive game he’s pitched into the seventh inning. Third baseman T.J. White has also been essential to the special season Chattanooga is putting together. He was 2-for-2 tonight with a double, a homer and two walks. Max Murphy also had a pair of hits. Todd Van Steensel continued his excellent season by striking out a pair of batters over 1.1 scoreless innings. Gabriel Moya, recently acquired in the John Ryan Murphy trade, gave up a solo homer, but managed to earn the save. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Jupiter 0 Box Score Lewis Thorpe struck out nine batters over five shutout innings. He gave up just two hits and walked three. Thorpe threw 97 pitches on the night, 59 for strikes, as he lowered his ERA to 2.79 on the season. The nine K's was a season high, and Thorpe has now racked up 64 strikeouts in 58.0 innings this season. Here’s what Thorpe told Seth Stohs of Twins Daily after his outing: “Slider was working tonight. And the fastball. It wasn't really the plan but in the first two innings we figured out they were gonna be aggressive.” The K's kept coming, as Michael Theofanopoulos had four over his two innings and Williams Ramirez had three over his two frames. So it was a 16-strikeout game for the Miracle pitching staff. Plus, catcher Kevin Garcia was 2-for-4 with a couple of RBI. Nelson Molina was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. This was a huge win for Fort Myers, as it put them a half game in front of Jupiter for the Flordia State League South division lead. After finishing the first half two games under .500, the Miracle are 25-16 so far in the second half. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 2, Cedar Rapids 0 (10 innings) Box Score Clark Beeker was phenomenal, as he’s been all season for the Kernels. The Davidson product pitched 8.2 shutout innings, striking out seven without issuing a walk. He gave up four hits, all singles. He gave up a two-out single in the top of the ninth after he had surpassed the 100-pitch mark, so it seemed logical that was as far as he was going to pitch in this one. This was the 24-year-old’s third-straight scoreless start. He pitched a complete game shutout on July 29 after throwing six shutout innings in July 23. Unfortunately, Cedar Rapids just couldn’t get anything going offensively. Seth also found time to catch up with Beeker tonight, here’s what he had to say about his marvelous performance: “The game plan was very similar, mix in all counts and use the changeup early to set up the fastball later in at-bats. It was the third time facing these guys so I had a decent idea of how I wanted to pitch some of their hitters. I'd be lying if I said I completely ignored the scoreless streak, but I try not to think too much about it. I just know if I put up scoreless innings, it gives our team the best chance to win and keeps the bullpen fresh.” Colton Davis gave up a couple of runs in the top of the 10th inning, but it appeared for a moment the Kernels might mount a comeback. Ben Rortvedt drew a leadoff walk. After Trey Cabbage struck out, Hank Morrison hit a deep fly out to center field. Jordan Gore singled, but Rortvedt was thrown out at the plate for the game’s final out. That run wouldn’t have mattered much, so it was a bit of a head-scratcher. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 10, Burlington 5 Box Score Catcher Robert Molina had a big game, going 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Akil Baddoo was on base four times, hitting two singles to go with a pair of walks. Multi-hit games also came from Shane Carrier, J.J. Robinson, Ariel Montesino and T.J. Dixon. Brusdar Graterol, who turns just 19 later this month, picked up his first Appy League victory, giving up a pair of runs over five innings. He struck out three batters. Randy Dobnak, who was recently signed out of the United Shore League, earned the save by throwing the final four innings. He gave up three runs and struck out five. E-Town improved to 27-15 on the season, extending their lead in the Appy League West to 4.5 games. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 9, GCL Red Sox 8 Box Score Jean Carlos Arias, a 19-year-old Dominican center fielder, was 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. Emmanuel Morel, Benjamin Rodriguez, Alex Robles and Jared Atkins all had two hits a piece. Rodriguez drove in three runs. Altogether, the Twins had 14 hits, eight walks and stole five bases. They were also 8-for-17 with runners in scoring position. Royce Lewis had his second-straight three walk game, stole his 11th base (in 13 attempts) and scored a pair of runs. He’s now played 30 games. He has 32 hits, 16 walks and 34 runs scored. Lewis’ slash line is .291/.405/.445 (.850 OPS). Carlos Suniaga started and gave up two runs (one earned) over five innings. The Twins built an 8-4 lead before their bullpen sputtered a bit, letting the Red Sox back in this game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Clark Beeker, Cedar Rapids (8.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: T.J. White, Chattanooga (2-for-2, HR, 2B, 2 BBs SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Syracuse, 6:05 pm CT, David Hurlbut (3.34 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) Chattanooga vs. Jackson, 6:15 pm CT, Zack Littell (3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) Fort Myers vs. Jupiter, 5:05 pm CT, Anthony McIver (2.32 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) Cedar Rapids at Wisconsin, 6:35 pm CT, Anthony Marzi (2.27 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) Elizabethton vs. Burlington, 5:00 pm CT, Bailey Ober (0.00 ERA, 0.55 WHIP) GCL Twins vs, GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT, TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday's games. Click here to view the article

The Cleveland Indians went to the World Series last year, and could well return this year, on the strength of a terrific pitching staff. Their exemplary rotation was built through a very distinct strategy, and now their former assistant general manager appears to be implementing the same plan here in Minnesota.Sure, it's great to draft and develop your own arms. But the draft is a known crapshoot, especially where pitchers are concerned (hello, Kohl Stewart and Tyler Jay), so the real key is identifying players in other organizations and getting them at just the right time. Three of Cleveland's top starters were acquired at a point when they were big-league ready, or very close, but had little or no MLB experience Corey Kluber came in a trade with San Diego in 2010, when he was in Double-A. He arrived in the majors the next year. Carlos Carrasco was a Triple-A pitcher for the Phillies when he came over in 2008, and debuted for Cleveland the next year. Trevor Bauer was a 21-year-old with four big-league starts when the Indians got him. The Twins, positioned at the front end of what they hope will be a prolonged winning cycle, should be targeting players at this very stage. And they have been. It actually started a year ago, before Falvey and Thad Levine even arrived. At the 2016 deadline, acting GM Rob Antony sent Eduardo Nunez to San Francisco in a deal that looked good at the time and now looks even better. Adalberto Mejia has made 16 starts for the Twins this year, and he's been their third-best starter. In the Rule 5 draft, Minnesota selected Justin Haley, another prospect on the verge of MLB-readiness, though injuries robbed him of the chance to make an impression and he was recently sent back to Boston. When the Twins traded John Ryan Murphy to Arizona last week, they got back Gabriel Moya, a reliever who was dominating Double-A and could enter the picture very quickly. Then, over the weekend, Jaime Garcia's frantic journey landed him in New York, as the Twins flipped him for two more high-performing minor-league pitchers who are close. Dietrich Enns was pitching in Triple-A, with a 2.29 ERA in seven starts, and Zack Littell was 5-0 with a 2.05 ERA in seven starts at Double-A. The sum result of the Garcia moves is this: Minnesota swapped out a teenager in rookie ball for two pitchers capable of helping in 2018. Their entire strategy has followed this general pattern under Falvey and Levine, and I suspect that if any big deals occur on Monday, we'll see it continue. You're not often going to find a Kluber or Carrasco through this method, unless you have big-time talent to dangle, but even getting a few more Mejias would be hugely helpful for the Twins. Click here to view the article