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At the end of June each year, not long after the completion of the draft, the short-season minor leagues begin. The GCL Twins stay in Ft. Myers, and the Elizabethton Twins take the long bus ride to Tennessee. The last few seasons, Twins Daily has added two annual awards for the short-season Twins players. Yesterday, we handed out the award for the top hitter in the short-season teams. Today, we’ll start with the pitchers. Previous Winners: 2016: Huascar Ynoa 2017: Jovani Moran 2018: Andrew CabezasAs you’ll read below, there were several pitchers on the Twins short-season teams who put together real solid seasons. Of course, we are generally talking about a limited number of innings due to their seasons being just two months long. One poor outing can have an effect on their overall numbers. Six Twins Daily Minor League writers voted for the various awards this year. For the short-season pitcher of the year, we each voted for five players. The player who was voted as #1 received five points, #2 received four points and so on with the #5 vote receiving one point. Results were tabulated and can be found below. Short profiles of our top five are to follow, but first, some players worthy of honorable mention. These players also received votes. Others Receiving Votes: Osiris German - Elizabethton Twins - 16 G, 3-1, 3.11 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 37.2 IP, 30 H, 10 BB, 47 KAnthony Escobar - GCL Twins - 11 G, 6 GS, 5-2, 3.83 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 42.1 IP, 33 H, 13 BB, 37 KEvan Gillespie - GCL Twins - 12 G, 1 GS, 3-1, 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 16.2 IP, 14 H, 4 BB, 18 KShort-Season Pitcher of the Year Here are the top five vote-getters for Twins Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. #5 – Ryan Shreve, Elizabethton Twins: 14 G, 2 GS, 2-2, 3.40 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 45.0 IP, 55 H, 7 BB, 58 K Shreve was the Twins 16th-round pick in 2019 out of the University of the Pacific where he pitched for three years. He spent one summer with the St. Cloud Rox. The 6-6 right-hander from South California signed quickly and went to pitch for the Elizabethton Twins. After pitching 79 innings in college this season, he worked another 45 innings for the E-Twins, mostly out of the bullpen. #4 – Miguel Rodriguez, GCL Twins: 9 G, 5 GS, 2-2, 2.48 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 32.2 IP, 29 H, 11 BB, 39 The Twins signed Rodriguez in July of 2017 out of Venezuela. He spent the 2018 season pitching in the Dominican Summer League. He came to the States in 2019 and pitched for the Gulf Coast League Twins. He’s got good control and a good mix of pitches. He also showed an ability to miss bats. Opponents hit just .236 off of the 20-year-old. #3 – Donny Breek, GCL Twins: 10 G, 7 GS, 1-2, 0.74 ERA, 36.1 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 21 H, 19 BB, 38 K Breek signed with the Twins out of The Netherlands in September of 2017. He pitched in the GCL in 2018, posting an ERA of 2.84. He returned to the level this year, and as you can see, he was much improved. He has the ability to miss bats, though lack of control is the only thing really slowing him down. Over the weekend at the European Championships, he struck out ten batters over six scoreless innings. Gave up just just two hits and one walk. #2 – Niklas Rimmel, GCL Twins: 9 G, 7 GS, 3-1, 2.15 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 37.2 IP, 30 H, 8 BB, 34 K The Twins signed Rimmel out of Germany about a week before they signed Breek. The right-hander threw just over 14 innings in 2018, but he greatly improved his control. Rimmel stands about 6-3 and is lanky. He’s got a very smooth delivery with a repeatable motion. . Pitcher of the Year – Cody Laweryson, Elizabethton Twins: 10 G, 6 GS, 1-1, 1.76 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 41.0 IP, 25 H, 9 BB, 59 K Laweryson grew up in Maine and went to the University of Maine where he pitched for three years. He worked primarily out of the bullpen the first two seasons before moving into their starting rotation this year. In 14 starts, he went 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA. He threw 72 2/3 innings and struck out 79 batters. With that performance, and his size (6-4) and stuff, he caught the eyes of Twins scouts. The Twins drafted him in the 14th round in June. He signed quickly and reported to Ft. Myers for that fun-filled bus ride up to Elizabethton. The right-hander began by pitching six games for Elizabethton before moving up to Cedar Rapids where he made a spot start. In that Midwest League game, he tossed five shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He returned to the E-Twins where he made four more appearances. In his final start of the season, he struck out 15 batters in six shutout innings. Laweryson made a great first impression. He threw strikes (2.0 BB/9), recorded strikeouts (12.3 K/9), and opponents hit just .168 off of him on the season. All told, it was an easy choice for our votes, and summed up, it was clear why Cody Laweryson was our unanimous choice for Twins Daily Short-Season Pitcher of the Year. There you have it, the top pitchers in the short season leagues for the Minnesota Twins in 2019. The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Cody Laweryson, 2) Donny Breek, 3) Miguel Rodriguez, 4) Niklas Rimmel, 5) Anthony EscobarCody Christie – 1) Cody Laweryson, 2) Donny Breek, 3) Niklas Rimmel, 4) Miguel Rodriguez, 5) Evan GillespieTom Froemming - 1) Cody Laweryson, 2) Osiris German, 3) Niklas Rimmel, 4) Ryan Shreve, 5) Donny BreekSteve Lein – 1) Cody Laweryson, 2) Donny Breek, 3) Niklas Rimmel, 4) Osiris German, 5) Miguel RodriguezTed Schwerzler - 1) Cody Laweryson, 2) Niklas Rimmel, 3) Donny Breek, 4) Miguel Rodriguez, 5) Ryan ShreveMatt Braun - 1) Cody Laweryson, 2) Ryan Shreve, 3) Niklas Rimmel, 4) Miguel Rodriguez, 5) Donny BreekFeel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look? Click here to view the article

Chris Vallimont carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, Donny Breek had another outstanding start in the GCL, and the prospect-packed Pensacola lineup hit five home runs. Come check out what else happened across the Twins minor league system Friday.TRANSACTIONS Twins recalled RHP Cody Stashak from Rochester. LHP Charlie Barnes promoted to Rochester. RHP Bailey Ober promoted to Pensacola. RED WINGS REPORT Louisville 3, Rochester 1 Box Score Adam Bray: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 59.7% strikes (40 of 67 pitches) HR: Tomas Telis (8) Multi-hit games: None A great pitching performance from the Red Wings staff was squandered by a quiet night from the bats and a slip up from Fernando Romero. Adam Bray pitched four shutout innings before Jake Reed followed with a pair of clean frames of his own. Romero gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits over 1 2/3 innings. The only Rochester run came on a homer from catcher Tomas Telis. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 8, Mobile 5 Box Score Edwar Colina: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K, 56.7% strikes (51 of 90 pitches) HR: Alex Kirilloff (7), Trevor Larnach (4), Ryan Costello (5), Mark Contreras (8), Royce Lewis (1) Multi-hit games: Kirilloff (2-for-4, HR, HBP), Larnach (2-for-4, HR, BB), Travis Blankenhorn (2-for-5, 3B), Jordan Gore (2-for-4) What a first inning for Pensacola. Alex Kirilloff led things off with a home run, Travis Blankehorn added a one-out triple and Trevor Larnach brought him around on a two-run homer. The Blue Wahoos continued to serve up tater trot hotdish, as Ryan Costello, Mark Contreras and Royce Lewis would all also homer. It was Lewis’ first Double-A home run. Edwar Colina lasted just 3 1/3 innings, but the Pensacola pen stepped up. Jovani Moran (five outs), Jorge Alcala (six outs), Andrew Vasquez (two outs) and Jonathan Cheshire (four outs) combined to cover the final 5 2/3 innings. That quartet gave up just three hits and Vasquez was the only one of them to surrender a run. MIRACLE MATTERS Jupiter 9, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Chris Vallimont: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 67.9% strikes (55 of 81 pitches) HR: Ernie De La Trinidad (3) Multi-hit games: None Life comes at you fast. Chris Vallimont carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and the Miracle ended up getting blown out. Baseball can be cruel sometimes. Vallimont, who came over from Miami along with Sergio Romo in the Lewin Diaz trade, didn’t make the best first impression with his new org, giving up six runs over 2 2/3 innings in his first start. Tonight, he was brilliant. Entering the eighth inning, the only baserunner Vallimont allowed reached on a walk. Unfortunately, his first pitch of the eighth inning was hit into left field for a single. The next batter hit a double and that was it for Vallimont. Joe Record, who was recently named Twins Daily’s Reliever of the Month for July, couldn’t stop the skid, and the Hammerheads ended up scoring eight runs that inning. Ouch. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 10, Cedar Rapids 9 Box Score Matt Canterino: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 62.3% strikes (38 of 61 pitches) HR: Gabe Snyder (14) Multi-hit games: Tyler Webb (4-for-5), Snyder (2-for-5, HR) Cedar Rapids entered the top of the ninth inning trailing 6-4. Spencer Steer hit a two-run double to tie the game and Gabe Snyder added a sacrifice fly to put the Kernels up. The Cougars managed to answer and these two teams continued to go blow-for-blow in extras. Both teams scored in the 10th inning, Cedar Rapids added another run in the 11th, but Kane County answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to win on a walk-off. E-TWINS E-NOTES Johnson City 8, Elizabethton 7 Box Score Ryley Widell: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K HR: Willie Joe Garry Jr. (4) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (3-for-5, 2B), Janingson Villalobos (2-for-4), Charles Mack (2-for-5) This was a back-and-forth affair. E-Town fell behind 4-1, stormed back to take the lead in the fourth inning, gave it up and fell behind 7-5 in the sixth, tied the game in the bottom of that inning thanks to a Willie Joe Garry Jr. two-run homer, but then relinquished the lead for good in the top of the seventh. Frandy Torres did his best to keep the E-Twins in it, closing things out with four strikeouts over three no-hit innings. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 2 (8 innings) Box Score Donny Breek: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Malique Ziegler (2-for-4), Francisco Martinez (2-for-4, 2B) Scheduled to be Game 1 of a doubleheader, this game was only supposed to go seven innings. The Red Sox managed to knot things up at 2-2 in the bottom of that inning, forcing this one into extras. Though it was only the eighth inning. Minor league doubleheaders get weird. Anyway, Victor Heredia, Malique Ziegler and Franscico Martinez all recorded hits to open the top of the eighth and the Twins managed to tally three runs that inning. Donny Breek gave up one unearned run over his 5 1/3 innings, dropping his ERA to 0.59. Bradley Hanner gave up one run over the final 2 2/3 innings. To make things all the more weird, game 2, which was the makeup of a game originally scheduled for last Sunday, was suspended in the bottom of the first inning and will be completed tomorrow. Third time’s the charm? STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Chris Vallimont, Fort Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Alvor Larnilloff, Pensacola (I couldn't pick one, you decide between Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis (PNS): 1-for-4, HR, BB, R, 3 RBI, 2 K 2. Alex Kirilloff (PNS): 2-for-4, HR, HBP, 2 R, RBI, K 4. Trevor Larnach (PNS): 2-for-4, HR, BB, R, 2 RBI 5. Wander Javier (CR): 1-for-4, 2 BB, 2 R, E (throw) 7: Keoni Cavaco (GCL): 0-for-4, R, K 15. Matt Wallner (ELZ): 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, K 16. Ben Rortvedt (PNS): 0-for-4, BB, 2 K 18. Jorge Alcala (PNS): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 59.0% strikes (23 of 39 pitches) 20. Travis Blankenhorn (PNS): 2-for-5, 3B, R SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Louisville, 6:05 pm CT (Charlie Barnes) Pensacola at Mobile, 7:05 pm CT (TBD) Fort Myers vs. Jupiter, 5:00 pm CT (Blayne Enlow) Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit, 6:35 pm CT (Tyler Palm) Elizabethton vs. Johnson City, 5:30 pm CT (Tyler Benninghoff) GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT (TBD) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

Nick Gordon has been gaining some significant momentum of late, as he hit .348 with a .937 OPS in July. Tonight, he was hit directly in the left knee by a pitch and was forced to exit Rochester’s game early. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, so here’s hoping everything’s OK. Come see what else happened Friday night across the minors.TRANSACTIONS OF Brandon Barnes assigned to Rochester. C Wynston Sawyer placed on the IL. 1B Taylor Grzelakowski assigned to Fort Myers. RHP Johan Quezada placed on the IL. RHPs Cody Laweryson and Dylan Thomas assigned to Cedar Rapids. RHP Tyler Beck assigned to Elizabethton. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Pawtucket 2 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 64.2% strikes (52 of 81 pitches) HR: Tomas Telis (7), Zander Wiel (19) Multi-hit games: Telis (3-for-4, 2B, HR), Wiel (2-for-4, 2B, HR), Jake Cave (2-for-4, 2B), Ramon Flores (2-for-4) The Rochester lineup has experienced some turnover of late, but one guy who’s been a rock all year is Zander Wiel. He was at it again Friday night, hitting a two-run homer, his 19th of the season, to go with his 31st double of the year. Catcher Tomas Telis was also en fuego, going 3-for-4 with a double and homer of his own. The Red Wings pitching staff not only held the PawSox to two runs, they even did it having to pitch around three Rochester errors. Jeremy Bleich pitched a scoreless first inning as the opener before Randy Dobnak took over. After giving up just one earned run over six innings, Dobnak’s ERA with Rochester is down to an even 2.00. Ian Krol finished things off with a pair of clean innings. Nick Gordon exited this game after being hit by a pitch in the top of the sixth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Lakeland 3, Fort Myers 2 (5 innings) Box Score Tyler Watson: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 2 K, 52.4% strikes (44 of 84 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Miracle jumped out to a lead in the top of the first thanks to an Ernie De La Trinidad two-out, two-run single. Unfortunately, Fort Myers starter Tyler Watson struggled with his control and the Miracle ran out of time to make a comeback after falling behind in the bottom of the second inning. This game was called off in the middle of the fifth inning due to heavy rain. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 2 Box Score Cody Laweryson: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 63.5% strikes (47 of 74 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Jared Akins (2-for-3, BB), Daniel Ozoria (2-for-4, 2B) Cedar Rapids entered the top of the ninth inning of this game trailing 2-1. After their leadoff man was retired, Wander Javier and Trevor Casanova followed with back-to-back walks. Jared Akins hit a single to right field to plate the game-tying run before Albee Weiss delivered the go-ahead run with a single of his own. Jose Martinez, who had given up a run in the eighth inning, redeemed himself by making that one-run lead hold up in the bottom of the ninth. Cody Laweryson, a 14th-round pick from this year’s draft, had an impressive Midwest League debut, firing five shutout innings. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 10, Bristol 6 Box Score Erik Cha: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Charles Mack (6), Seth Gray (7) Multi-hit games: Mack (2-for-4, 2B, HR), Kidany Salva (2-for-4) Charles Mack hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning and Seth Gray blasted a two-run shot in the sixth to propel the E-Twins to victory. It was a rough night in the field, as the Twins committed five errors, but they were incredibly efficient on offense, scoring 10 runs on just eight hits. Sawyer Gipson-Long had a rough start, giving up 11 hits in just 3 2/3 innings, but Erik Cha (3 1/3 scoreless innings) and Frandy Torres (one run over two innings) were excellent out of the bullpen. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 1 (10 innings) Box Score Donny Breek: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jim Caceres (2-for-3, BB) Donny Breek continued his impressive 2019 season with six shutout innings today. That lowered his ERA to 0.72 on the season, which spans 25 innings pitched. Jose Guevara also shined on the mound for the Twins, striking out five batters in three scoreless innings. He has not surrendered a run in 14 1/3 innings pitched this season. This game was 0-0 through nine innings. The Red Sox managed to get their bonus runner around to score in the top of the 10th, but the Twins responded immediately. Victor Heredia tied the game 1-1 with a leadoff double in the bottom of the inning. He was later brought around to score on a Jim Caceres walk-off bunt single. Gotta love the GCL ... C.J. Cron was 0-for-4 in this game, as was Yunior Severino. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Donny Breek, GCL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Tomas Telis, Rochester TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis (PNS): 2-for-5, 2 K 2. Alex Kirilloff (PNS): 1-for-5 4. Trevor Larnach (PNS): 1-for-4, HR, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, K 5. Wander Javier (CR): 0-for-3, BB, R, K 9. Jhoan Duran (PNS): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 67.9% strikes (57 of 84 pitches) 12. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-for-1, RBI, K, HBP (exited early) 13. Ryan Jeffers (PNS): 2-for-4, BB, 2 R, K 15. Matt Wallner (ELZ): 1-for-4, R, E (fielding) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Pawtucket, 5:15 pm CT (TBD) Pensacola vs. Birmingham, 6:05 pm CT (Bryan Sammons) Fort Myers at Lakeland, 5:00 pm CT (Blayne Enlow) Cedar Rapids vs. Burlington, 6:35 pm CT( TBD) Elizabethton vs. Bristol, 5:30 pm CT (Ryley Widell) GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT (TBD) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

At the end of June each year, not long after the completion of the draft, the short-season minor leagues begin. The GCL Twins stay in Ft. Myers, and the Elizabethton Twins take the long bus ride to Tennessee. The GCL Twins finished just outside of the playoffs. The E-Twins just won their eighth Appalachian League title since the turn of the century and second in a row. The last couple of seasons, Twins Daily has added two annual awards for the short-season Twins players. Tomorrow we’ll hand out the award for the top hitter in the short-season teams, but today, we’ll start with the pitchers.The previous winners of the Short-Season Pitcher of the Year awards have gone on to continued success. Our 2016 choice was Huascar Ynoa. He had spent that summer in the GCL, and he began 2017 with Elizabethton. However, at the July trade deadline, he was traded to Atlanta in exchange for lefty Jaime Garcia.In 116 1/3 innings, he struck out 131 batters between Low A and High A. The 2017 winner was lefty Jovani Moran who was dominant in the Elizabethton bullpen that year (to the tune of 51 strikeouts and six walks over 28 1/3 innings). He began this year in Cedar Rapids where he was our choice for minor league relief pitcher of the month in June with the Kernels and then July with the Ft. Myers Miracle. As you’ll read below, there were several pitchers on the Twins short-season teams who put together real solid seasons. Most of the Elizabethton starters were really good throughout the year. Of course, we are generally talking about a limited number of innings due to their seasons being just two months long. One poor outing can have an effect on their overall numbers. Six Twins Daily Minor League writers voted for the various awards this year. For the short-season pitcher of the year, we each voted for five players. The player who was voted as #1 received five points, #2 received four points and so on with the #5 vote receiving one point. Results were tabulated and can be found below. Short profiles of our top five are to follow, but first, some players worthy of honorable mention. These players also received votes. Others Receiving Votes: Austin Schulfer - Elizabethton Twins - 11 G, 7 GS, 3-0, 1.58 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 40.0 IP, 33 H, 15 BB, 34 KMichael Montero - GCL Twins - 12 G, 1 GS, 4-1, 1 Save, 2.41 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 33.2 IP, 26 H, 10 BB, 21 KJosh Winder - Elizabethton Twins - 9 GS, 3-1, 3.72 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 37 H, 6 BB, 42 K.Landon Leach - GCL Twins - 7 G, 6 GS, 0-1, 2.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 20.2 IP, 16 H, 10 BB, 16 KKai-Wei Teng - GCL Twins - 10 G, 9 GS, 3-3, 3.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 42.2 IP, 36 H, 15 BB, 47 KShort-Season Pitcher of the Year Here are the top five vote getters for Twins Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. #5 – Donny Breek, GCL Twins: 10 G, 8 GS, 2-1, 2.89 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 37.1 IP, 26 H, 17 BB, 41 K Breek signed after the 2017 season out of The Netherlands. He arrived in Ft. Myers after regular spring training but for extended spring training. In 2016, the Twins liked something they saw from the then-16-year-old who posted a 7.51 ERA and a WHIP over 2.00 in the Dutch Major League in 2016. Breek did a nice job for the GCL Twins. He was once named the Twins minor league pitcher of the week. He’s got good stuff, though he is quite raw. #4 – Luis Rijo, Elizabethton Twins: 5 GS, 2-0, 1.27 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 21.1 IP, 15 H, 4 BB 17 K Rijo came to the Twins organization at the July 31 trade deadline. He was acquired along with Taylor Austin from the Yankees in exchange for Lance Lynn. Rijo had primarily pitched for the Yankees Appy League affiliate, though he also had made one start in the Florida State League and one start in the New York-Penn League. The Twins sent him to E-Town and he helped the team to an Appy League title. While he pitched in just five games (and just over four innings per start), he continued to post real strong numbers in the Twins organization. #3 – Erik Cha, GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins: 15 G, 2-0, 1.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 23 H, 7 BB, 29 K Cha was the Twins 17th round draft pick in 2018 out of Cal State-Fullerton. He turned 21 shortly after the draft and began his career in the GCL. 13 of his 15 games came in the GCL, but he was promoted to Elizabethton where he made two appearances and then worked in the Appy League playoffs as well. #2 – Prelander Berroa, GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins: 10 G, 8 GS, 2-0, 2.81 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 41.2 IP, 33 H, 15 BB, 41 K The Twins signed Berroa on July 2, in 2016. He pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2017. His numbers weren’t good, but the Twins saw enough to bring him Stateside in 2018. He spent most of his season in the GCL. He had a nine strikeout, one-hit, scoreless outing in the GCL. After the GCL season, he moved up to Elizabethton where he made one appearance in the regular season. Finally, he worked five innings of one-run ball in the E-Twins championship-clinching game. Pitcher of the Year – Andrew Cabezas, Elizabethton Twins:. 11 G 9 GS,, 1-3, 2.74 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 46.0 IP, 30 H, 14 BB, 44 K. Cleveland drafted Andrew Cabezas in the 34th round of the 2015 draft out of high school. However, he decided to stay close to home and attend the University of Miami. In his first two seasons at Miami, he worked primarily out of the bullpen. This season, he made ten starts and nine relief outings. In his three years, he went a combined 14-8 with five saves. He had a 3.69 ERA and struck out more than a batter per inning. The Twins drafted him in the 18th round in 2018 and signed him for $90,000. He signed quickly and reported to Ft. Myers before making the trek north up to Elizabethton. For the most part, Cabezas was used as a starter and did quite well. As you can imagine, the transition from The U of Miami to Elizabethton, Tennessee, was an adjustment. According to Cabezas, “There was a big transition from playing from University of Miami to playing with the E-Twins. From playing in front of a couple thousands fans compared to a couple hundred, the atmosphere of playing every night, the town itself... Miami and Elizabethton are completely different in their own ways.” As you can see above and from him winning this award, Cabezas handled the transition well. He felt that the key was being aggressive and efficient with his pitches. The right-hander pointed out, “(The key) was definitely getting after batters much more efficiently. I was able to go deep in games by having the hitter making quick contact, not letting them do much. That’s probably the #1 thing that helped me out big time this season.” His manager, the legendary Ray Smith, pointed out that Cabezas has an “attack mentality.” He continued, “(Cabezas) was able to slow his delivery down some. He could spin the ball and change speeds. He threw it over the plate for most of the season. He fields his position well. He took the ball consistently. Hitting is all about rhythm and timing, and good pitching can upset that rhythm and timing. Cabezas has ‘funk.’ Hesitation pitches, semi-quick pitches, unusual deliveries.” Twins minor league director, Jeremy Zoll, spoke of what helped Cabezas to his quick pro start. “We knew we were getting some polish in Andrew having worked his way through the Miami program. It’s a bulldog mentality out there. He goes out there and attacks guys. Good feel for how to attack guys and utilize his pitches. Does a good job of getting ground balls. Really fills up the zone. The thing that really stands out with him is his slider. We think that’s really going to continue to be a good weapon for him here as he continues to develop and harness it and play other pitches off of that.” The E-Twins had a really strong starting rotation as evidenced by the other starters mentioned above. It was the key to the E-Twins winning their 2018 Appalachian League championship this year. Cabezas thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the championship team. “It was amazing! The fact the coaches had the confidence to choose me to pitch Game #3, do-or-die game, it really meant a lot because I love games with that much adversity. I haven’t won a championship since high school so I definitely missed that feeling. By winning the Appalachian League championship, it definitely made my first year playing pro baseball a thing to remember most!” With his track record as a reliever at Miami, it’s natural to wonder whether Cabezas will stick as a starter or potentially move to the bullpen. “We’ll see” is how Jeremy Zoll responded to that question. He continued, “We’re going to give him every opportunity to continue to start here and see how his changeup continues to develop and ultimately how he holds up over the course of a full season.” There you have it, the top pitchers in the short season leagues for the Minnesota Twins in 2017. The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Prelander Berroa, 2) Austin Schulfer, 3) Andrew Cabezas, 4) Donny Breek, 5) Josh WinderJeremy Nygaard – 1) Andrew Cabezas, 2) Michael Montero, 3) Erik Cha, 4) Donny Breek, 5) Prelander BerroaCody Christie – 1) Luis Rijo, 2) Andrew Cabezas, 3) Prelander Berroa, 4) Donny Breek, 5) Michael MonteroTom Froemming - 1) Andrew Cabezas, 2) Josh Winder, 3) Erik Cha, 4) Kai-Wei Teng, 5) Donny BreekSteve Lein – 1) Luis Rijo, 2) Andrew Cabezas, 3) Michael Montero, 4) Donny Breek, 5) Kai-Wei TengTed Schwerzler - 1) Erik Cha, 2) Austin Schulfer, 3) Landon Leach, Prelander Berroa, 5) Andrew CabezasFeel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look? Click here to view the article