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On Tuesday, the Twins announced that they had acquired middle infielder Daniel Ozoria from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In exchange, the Twins sent hard-throwing reliever John Curtiss who had been designated for assignment a day earlier to make room for Blake Parker. Today you can get to know a little more about the newest member of the Minnesota Twins organization.Below you will find a profile for Daniel Ozario in the form that is found in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. There is header information with the bio information as well as his 2018 statistics. Tom Froemming wrote up his 2018 recap, as he did throughout the Prospect Handbook. I wrote up the background information and the scouting report as well as the 2019 projection. Have you purchased the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook yet? If not, why not? There are over 160 of these profiles for the Twins minor leaguers. There are feature stories on the Twins Daily 2018 Minor League Award winners (Alex Kirilloff, Tyler Wells, Andrew Vasquez), and more articles from the likes of Dan Hayes, Chris Blessing, Ted Schwerzler, Cody Christie and Tom Froemming. There is also an article about each of the Twins top five minor league affiliates that are enjoyable. Plus, you get the Top 30 Twins prospect rankings from Cody, Tom, Jeremy Nygaard, and myself. Plus, you can look at my Top 30 Prospect rankings going all the way back to 2015, if only to mock and ridicule me. DANIEL OZORIA • SHORTSTOP BORN: August 24, 2000 HEIGHT: 5-9 • WEIGHT: 150 BATS: Left • THROWS: Right HIGHEST LEVEL: Orem (Pioneer League - Rookie (Advanced) 2018 STATS: .195/.248/.218 (.461), 0 HR, 12 RBI, 26.4 K%, 5.2 BB%, 6/12 SB ACQUIRED: Acquired from the Angels for John Curtiss (1/15/19) Background: Ozoria grew up in the Dominican capital city of Santo Domingo. While he was not big, scouts saw a young player with great baseball instincts and the ability to play shortstop. He was about as young for the 2016 international signing period as possible. At the time, he was about 5-foot-9 and less than 135 pounds. He made his professional debut in 2017 in the Dominican Summer League where he hit .247/.332/.301 (.633) with six doubles and three triples. He participated in the Angels Instructional League in 2017. 2018 Recap: Ozoria spent all but two games of his 2018 season with the Angels' Arizona League team. He was very young for his level. Not once all season did Ozoria face a pitcher who was younger than he was. He was tested, and the numbers show it. The diminutive Dominican tallied just four extra-base hits in 217 plate appearances on the season. In the field, Ozoria made 33 appearances at shortstop, 13 at second base and five at third base. Scouting Report: If you look at his biographical information on most baseball sites, it will still show him at about 135 pounds. In the two years since signing, he has added some size and strength and is now up to about 150 pounds. Clearly he will have to continue to grow and add strength over the coming years, but the skills and the tools are there. Again, Ozaria is a real good defensive player. He’s got good hands, and good range. He’s also got a good arm, though strength should help his arm improve to above average. Right now, Ozoria has a nice, smooth swing that can produce line drives from gap-to-gap. The Twins took a flyer on Ozoria, and they will certainly need to exhibit a lot of patience. Rule 5 eligible: 2021 Free Agent: 2023 Forecast for ‘19: He will start the season at extended spring training and likely stay in Ft. Myers and play for the GCL Twins. More Notes One comp that I have heard is Engelb Vielma. If the Twins can turn a DFAd player (Curtiss) into a guy who gets to the big leagues, the player development would deserve a ton of credit. Best case scenario… he could become a Dee Gordon type of player. That would work, right? I’ve always been told that statistics matter much, much more in the upper levels than the lower levels. In the DSL or the rookie leagues, statistics all need to looked at, but the stats mean less than the tools. So, the fact that he hit .195 in rookie ball as a 17-year-old isn’t something that should scare anyone away. And, just for fun, here is the profile in the Handbook on former Twins pitcher John Curtiss: Again, if you haven’t already, pick up a copy of the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook today, available in paperback and for immediate PDF download. Click here to view the article

Shortstop is becoming a position of strength across baseball. Names like Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Corey Seager are becoming household names. These budding infielders are leading the next generation of baseball stars. It is truly seems like the sky could be the limit for each of them. The sky has not been the limit for the Twins when it comes to the shortstop position. In fact, the position has become a revolving door in recent years. While other organizations are building their franchise around a star shortstop, Minnesota has struggled to fill the void. Even in midst of a young season, Jorge Polanco is providing poise at one of baseball's hardest positions.Doubling Down On Defense Polanco's biggest question marks as a prospect were on the defensive side of the ball. The Twins blundered a little with his development last season as he didn't play a single inning at shortstop in the minors. Twins manager Paul Molitor was asked about how the organization handled Polanco during spring. "I wish I had a better explanation for you. But I think myself, a lot of other people, realized we didn't handle it the right way." Even with this organizational blunder, Polanco seems to have overcome some of these defensive faults. According to FanGraphs, he currently leads the American League in defensive runs saved (3). The only player with a better DRS mark this season is the Cubs' Addison Russell. Polanco also ranks in the top-10 across baseball in RZR, UZR, and defensive WAR. Looking For Lumber Being a two-way player is what separates many of the young shortstops mentioned above. Polanco was never expected to be an elite hitter but he showed positive signs as a prospect. So far this season, he ranks third in the American League in shortstop WAR. He has the third fewest strikeouts and the fourth highest OBP. This puts him ahead of players like Carlos Correa, Troy Tulowitzki, and Elvis Andrus. Much of Polanco's offensive success has come against left-handed pitching. He has hit .364/.391/.591 (.982 OPS) against southpaws with three extra-base hits in 22 at-bats. His OBP is almost 100 points lower against righties and this has come in 21 more plate appearances. He does have an impressive 6 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio versus right-handed hurlers. Waiting In The Wings The Twins have other young shortstop prospects waiting in the wings. Former first round pick Nick Gordon is off to a hot start at Double-A. Through 14 games, he is hitting .339/.397/.464 with four extra-base hits in 56 at-bats. After playing every game in 2016 at shortstop, Gordon has started four games at second base this season. Gordon's time at shortstop is being challenged by Engelb Vielma. When it comes to shortstop, Vielma is widely considered the better defender. Vielma has started six games at shortstop and seven at second base. There have been questions about Vielma's offensive in the past but he is hitting .340/.365/.400 to start the year. While shortstop might have been a weakness in recent years, the Twins look poised to stop their revolving door. Polanco is emerging as a very viable shortstop candidate. If he can't keep up his hot start, Gordon and Vielma are waiting for their own opportunity. Who will be the Twins shortstop by 2018? What about 2020? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Only three of the Twins four full-season affiliates were in action on Tuesday, as the Chattanooga Lookouts enjoyed a much needed day off. They also got some good news for their already stalwart bullpen, as a top prospect was activated from the disabled list. A much talked about name in the offseason made an appearance in AAA, but Rochester’s starter made the bigger story. A couple of hitters also continued impressive showings in the last week with home runs.To find out who did what in the minor leagues on Tuesday night, read on! TRANSACTIONS There was a notable move in AA today even though the Lookouts didn’t play, as Todd Van Steensel and 2016 first-rounder Tyler Jay were activated. Randy LeBlanc was assigned back to Fort Myers to help make room. Also, Cam Booser was added to the Ft. Myers roster off of the DL. Van Steensel was dealing with a groin strain, while Jay has yet to pitch this year with tendinitis in his pitching arm. RED WINGS REPORT Durham 0, Rochester 4 Box Score The story of the game in this one for Twins fans may have been the fact it was Jose De Leon making the start for the Durham Bulls. Yep, that De Leon. He had missed all of April with an arm injury, and this was his third start of the season. The Red Wings got to him in the second inning for all the runs they would end up needing, as Jason Wheeler outdueled the top prospect. Singles from Byungho Park and Matt Hague led off the second inning, and they both scored on a double from J.B. Shuck. Engelb Vilema and Zach Granite added an RBI double and an RBI single, respectively, to cap the scoring. De Leon went just four innings, allowing eight hits and a walk. Wheeler pitched seven shutout frames in opposition, allowing just five hits while striking out nine. Durham did not send more than four hitters to the plate in any inning while Wheeler was on the mound, and didn’t cause trouble until he came out for the eighth inning. A lead-off single followed by a double put runners on second and third, leading to Trevor Hildenberger being called in from the bullpen. He got the first man to line into a double play, and then induced a pop-out in foul territory to snuff out the threat. He closed out the game in the ninth for his third save on the season, allowing just a two-out single. JB Shuck had two doubles and Engelb Vielma had two hits, including a double, to lead the rest of the offense. It was Vielma’s first double since moving up to AAA. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Scheduled day off. The Lookouts enjoyed an off day after a brutal stretch that was made worse by some early rain. They played 20 games in 20 days and went 12-8 over that stretch. They were 11-3 before the rigors caught up with them and they lost five in a row at the tail end before getting a needed victory yesterday. They are 24-21 on the season, and in fourth place in the Southern League North Division, though less than two games back of first. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 3 Box score Aussie left-hander Lachlan Wells was on the mound for the Miracle, and it was opposing major leaguers who made his day worse than it actually was. In five innings, he allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four. Two of the three runs came courtesy of a Josh Donaldson RBI single in the second, and a Troy Tulowitzki solo-home run in the fifth. Fort Myers got back in the game in the sixth, scoring their only two runs of the game on a Zander Wiel home run, his sixth of the season. It was also his third in the last four nights. He was the only hitter in the Miracle lineup with multiple hits, adding a single to lead off the ninth as the game-tying run. He reached second base after a Tulowitzki throwing error, but a bunt attempt resulted in him being forced out at third. A liner to center field off the bat of Rafael Valera ended up turning into a double play, as the potential game-tying runner was doubled off second to end the game. The bullpen tandem of Cameron Booser (2IP, 2 BB) and Sam Clay (IP, H, BB, K) got them to that point, combining for three innings of scoreless baseball. It was Booser’s first appearance of the season, and he set the Blue Jays down one-two-three in his first inning. Daniel Kihle added a double for the offense, which went just 1-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base for the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 7, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Clinton got the jump on Cedar Rapids starter Domenick Carlini in the top of the first, as the lead-off man led off the game with a home run for an early 1-0 lead. They would extend that lead to 7-1 as they tacked on two runs in each of Carlini’s final three innings. He did make it through five innings, allowing the seven runs on eleven hits and a walk. He struck out two. Zach Tillery and Max Cordy each pitched two innings of relief and each struck out two LumberKings. Tillery allowed one hit in his two frames, Cordy went one-two-three in each. The Kernels got their lone run of the game in the fourth inning, as Jaylin Davis launched his tenth home run of the season. He leads the Midwest League in that category after his recent binge (six HR’s in seven days) and is hitting .375 in his last ten games. He finished this one 2-4. Caleb Hamilton added two hits and a walk to the effort, and Travis Blankenhorn added a double. The lineup was just 1-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving ten on base. At 26-19, the Kernels lead the Midwest League Western Division, a half-game in front of rival Kane County. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler, Rochester Red Wings (W, 7 IP, 5 H’s, 9 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel, Fort Myers Miracle (2-3, HR, 2 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (4-3, 3.83 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (2-5, 4.73 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) – RHP Brady Anderson (2-0, 3.42 ERA) Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (12:05PM CST) – RHP Clark Beeker (5-2, 2.76 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

It was a busy night in the Twins minor league system. One starting pitcher recorded a career-high in strikeouts. Six hitters recorded three hits on the day as well. There were two one-run games, one of which finished in 12 innings with a walkoff. Hey the Twins beat Justin Verlander on Friday night which is a good reminder that in this great game of baseball, anything can happen.Continue on to find out all the specifics on a busy night in the Twins farm system. Be sure to go to the Minor League forum and check out the Adopt-a-Prospect. We’d love to have you adopt a Twins prospect or three and follow them throughout the season. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Charlotte 2 Box Score Jason Wheeler has never been described as a strikeout pitcher, but seemingly each year he reaches double digits in strikeouts once. He did so once each year from 2012 through 2015. He didn’t have a ten strikeout game in 2016, but on Friday night the left-hander struck out a career-high 11 batters in seven innings to improve to 2-1 on the season. He gave up two runs on five hits and walked two batters. Drew Rucinski got the first two outs of the eighth inning on strikeouts. Buddy Boshers recorded the third out of the inning. Alex Wimmers recorded his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth frame. The Red Wings tied the game at two in the fifth inning. A wild pitch on a strikeout with the bases loaded allowed the first run to score. Next, Matt Hague grounded out to score the game-tying run. Then in the eighth inning, Kennys Vargas walked for the second time. Bengie Gonzalez pinch ran for him. Daniel Palka doubled him to third base, and Leonardo Reginnato drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Reginnato went 2-3. JB Shuck went 2-4 with his third double. Palka and John Ryan Murphy added doubles. Former Twins starter Mike Pelfrey was supposed to start for Charlotte. Instead, he was called up and will make a start for the White Sox this weekend. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Biloxi 3 Box Score Chattanooga was able to end their series against the Biloxi Shuckers with a nice win. The Lookouts got the majority of their offense from their top two hitters. Nick Gordon went 3-5 with his second double and three RBIs. In the sixth inning with the game tied at three, he hit a bases loaded single. He tried to stretch it into a double but was thrown out at second. In the meantime, the third runner scored all the way from first giving Gordon three RBI on that single. The second-spot hitter was Engelb Vielma. He went 3-5 with two RBIs. He gave the Lookouts the early lead when he hit a two-run single in the third inning. The other Lookouts run scored on an RBI single from Ryan Walker in the fourth inning. LaMonte Wade went 2-3 with a walk. Levi Michael, who made another start in center field, went 0-1 and walked twice. Paul Clemens was back on the mound for the Lookouts. The veteran right-hander gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits in six innings. He walked four and struck out seven. Todd Van Steensel came on and worked 2.1 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, but no walks and struck out four. John Curtiss recorded the final two outs to earn his second save of the season. May have to do a little digging, but lefty Mason Melotakis was ejected from the game in the first inning. UPDATE: MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 10, Dunedin 4 Box Score A five-run third inning gave the Miracle a lead. They kept adding to it including three runs in the ninth inning to claim a big win. The bats have continued to hit after a very slow start. Ehire Adrianza played in his first game on rehab assignment. He started at shortstop and went 3-5 with a stolen base and three runs scored. Max Murphy was also 3-5. Zander Wiel hit his fourth and fifth doubles and drove in three runs. Nelson Molina went 2-4 with his first triple and two RBI. Chris Paul had just one hit, but his three-run homer was the big blow in that third inning. Keaton Steele was back on the mound. The right-hander gave up four runs on ten hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out four on his way to his first win of the season. Michael Theofanopoulos struck out four batters over two scoreless innings. Jonny Drozd came on and got the final three outs. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 3 (12 innings) Box Score Travis Blankenhorn led off the bottom of the 12th inning with a walk. Two wild pitches advanced Blankenhorn to third base. After Lewin Diaz was intentionally walks, Jaylin Davis singled in Blankenhorn, ending a long night in Cedar Rapids with a 4-3 Kernels win. Blankenhorn had the big hit early in the game when his double scored two runs for the Kernels. Jermaine Palacios went 3-6 with his second double. Brandon Lopez was 3-5 in the game. Davis went 2-6. Sean Poppen was back on the mound and provided the Kernels with another quality start. The right-hander from Harvard gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out seven. Logan Lombana struck out four over 2.2 scoreless innings. Thomas Hackimer picked up the win with 3.1 scoreless innings, with three strikeouts. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Tennessee @ Chattanooga - (6:15 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) - LHP Domenick Carlini Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday night’s games. Click here to view the article

It's that time of year. With spring training bearing down upon us, we're going to prep you for the upcoming season with a series of profiles highlighting the top prospects in the Minnesota Twins organization. Today, our choices for 20 through 16. On Friday, 15 through 11. Then we'll count down one by one over the next two weeks, leading right up to the start of Grapefruit League play. 20. Justin Haley, RHP Age: 25 2016 Stats (AA/AAA): 146.2 IP, 3.01 ERA, 126/45 K/BB, 1.12 WHIP ETA: 2017 Download attachment: JustinHaley_LMZ (1).jpg Photo courtesy Louriann Mardo-Zayat With the top pick in December's Rule 5 draft, the Twins selected Miguel Diaz, a hard-throwing righty from the Brewers system, but traded him for the player they really wanted. Justin Haley may not offer the fancy ceiling of some others you will read about in this series, but he's a polished MLB-ready product riding some serious momentum. A sixth-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2012, Haley got his career off to a promising start, but hit a skid in 2015 when he went 5-16 with a 5.15 ERA at Double-A. For a college draftee with unexceptional stuff, it's the kind of setback that can spell doom. But Haley rebounded in a big way. He went to the Arizona Fall League and pitched brilliantly, albeit in only a handful of outings. The next year he conquered Double-A in the first half and then graduated to Triple-A where he didn't miss a beat. His last start was his best of the year – eight innings of shutout, two-hit ball. Then he returned to the AFL and was masterful again allowing just one run on 12 hits over 23 innings. He's coming to the Twins organization with a full head of steam and a fair shot at winning a roster spot in camp. Haley could make a impact sooner than anyone else we profile for this feature. 19. Ben Rortvedt, C Age: 19 2016 Stats (Rookie Leagues): .222/.306/.253, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 5 R ETA: 2021 Download attachment: B Rortvedt.jpg Photo courtesy David McQueen It's no secret that the Twins have a deep organizational need for more catching talent. They addressed it in last June's draft when they used their second pick on prep backstop Ben Rortvedt from Verona, a small Wisconsin town located about four hours from Target Field. Clearly the Twins scouted him heavily. They were bold in using the 56th overall selection on him and luring him away from a scholarship at Arkansas. Rortvedt was the only catcher from an American high school taken by any team in the first five rounds. That isn't to say that Minnesota reached; in pre-draft rankings, MLB.com had the teenager 51st in the talent pool and Baseball America had him 82nd. Rortvedt was touted for his receiving skills and offensive upside. His potential at the plate remains just that – the teen catcher didn't do much damage with the bat in two levels of rookie ball, though his 10/10 strikeout-to-walk ratio suggests he wasn't overwhelmed by the pitching. Listed at 5'10" and 190 lbs, he's got some growing to do and we'll see how that influences his development. At this point there is little to go on performance-wise but we do know that the tools are there. Unfortunately, as is the nature of raw high school draft picks, he's got a long way to go. 18. Engelb Vielma, SS Age: 22 2016 Stats (A+/AA): .271/.345/.318, 0 HR, 21 RBI, 47 R ETA: 2018 Download attachment: Engelb Vielma 2.jpg Photo courtesy Seth Stohs He has already established himself as a high-caliber defensive shortstop, but in order to take the next step as a player Engelb Vielma needs to show significant progress with the bat. That didn't really happen last year. In Chattanooga, where he spent most of his time, the slender infielder posted a .663 OPS that represented his best since 2012 in rookie ball but still failed to impress. As usual, Vielma proved capable of putting the bat on the ball, but rarely struck with authority. In 367 plate appearances he managed only 11 extra-base hits and never cleared the fence. His solid speed only translated to a 10-for-18 success rate on steals. While his glove work made him a sturdy regular at Double-A, Vielma added minimal value offensively. As he climbs the ladder and pitchers begin to challenge him more and more in the zone, the shortstop's inability to punish them will only grow more inhibiting. Unless he can make meaningful strides in terms of production at the plate he will remain limited in his ceiling as a potential backup in the majors. 17. Nick Burdi, RHP Age: 24 2016 Stats (AA): 3 IP, 9.00 ERA, 1/1 K/BB, 1.67 WHIP ETA: 2018 Download attachment: Nick Burdi 3.jpg Photo courtesy Seth Stohs When the Twins selected Nick Burdi with the 46th overall pick in the 2014 draft, he was considered perhaps the best collegiate relief arm in the nation. It is important to remember this amidst his stalling development as a pro. That innate high-end talent remains, making Burdi an intriguing wild-card in the organization's relief pitching pipeline, but right now he's nothing more than that. The 2016 season was a complete loss for the radar-rattling righty. He made only three appearances in Double-A before being sidelined by a bruised humerus he was never able to bounce back from. Now he's going to need to fight his way back into the picture, as he'll be heading to camp without a big-league invite. The good news is that scans identified no issues with Burdi's UCL, and he has had plenty of time to heal up his bone bruise. The bad news is that his injury is a rare one – likely resulting from stress caused by a high-effort delivery to produce his signature heat – and there is no certainty he'll get past it. Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press recently reported that Burdi has made alterations to his mechanics with hopes of alleviating the issue. 16. Zack Granite, OF Age: 24 2016 Stats (AA): .295/.347/.382, 4 HR, 52 RBI, 86 R ETA: 2018 Download attachment: Zach Granite 4.jpg Photo courtesy Seth Stohs A tremendous 2016 in Chattanooga earned Zack Granite the organization's Minor League Player of the Year award. Keying a Lookouts lineup that ranked second among 10 Southern League teams in runs scored, he was the prototypical pesky spark plug atop atop the order. The lefty swinger constantly put the ball in play (7 percent K rate) and maximized his excellent wheels, legging out 18 doubles and eight triples to go along with 56 steals. He also provided outstanding defense in center field, rounding out a complete value offering that made him a fitting choice for farm system's top honor. If Granite can continue on this path and add a little more pop he could become a Brett Gardner type in the majors, and any team would love to have that. However, in the wider scope, he's a former 14th-round pick who hasn't put up even a .730 OPS at any level of the minors, so he's more likely to catch on as a fourth outfielder type in the big leagues. With his contact skill, speed and defense, he looks likely perfectly suited for that billing. Click here to view the article

The first big addition of the Derek Falvey era was done in design to improve the team's defense, an area that had gone serially overlooked in recent years. Let's hope the defensive upgrades continue, as there has been a strong correlation between team defense and success for the Twins. Take a look through the more than 220 comments on Parker's article and it becomes obvious there is not a consensus among Twins Daily readers on whether or not it was wise to sign Jason Castro to a three-year, $24.5 million deal. Only time will tell, but an upgrade at catcher, particularly in terms of defense, was a huge need. It's a good start, as Nick noted, but there are still plenty of areas of improvement. And it's worth noting that defense has been a huge factor in the team's successes and failures over the years.Over the past 15 seasons, the Twins have ranked in the top half in team defense seven times, according to Fangraphs. They had a winning record in six of those seasons (every year but '07 when they were 79-83) and made the playoffs five times. In the eight years they've fielded a below-average defense (which includes each of the past six seasons), the Twins have been over .500 twice with just one postseason appearance ('09, Joe Mauer's MVP season). With an above average defense, the Twins have averaged 89 wins and with a sub-par defense they've averaged just 72 wins. And that's pretty close to being in line with what you see across the league. Taking a look at the past five seasons, teams who finished in the top 10 in defense averaged 85 wins and those in the bottom ten averaged just 75 wins. It's very difficult to be a good team that's bad at catching the baseball. As always, there are plenty of exceptions. The '14 Reds and Red Sox both ranked in the top five in defense but lost 86 and 91 games, respectively. On the other end, the '15 Pirates won 98 games despite being in the bottom five in defense. Last season, the Twins were 29th in defense, ahead of only Oakland. The only position where the Twins had above average glove work was at first base, where they ranked 8th. Center field (16th) and second base (19th) were spots where the team was at least passable. But right field (23rd), third base (24th), catcher (25th), and shortstop (27th) were all pain points for the Twins' defense, and thanks to Robbie Grossman's horrendous performance the team had the worst-rated left field defense in baseball. The hope is that Castro will boost the defense behind the dish, but what about the other positions? Max Kepler spent more time in right field with the Twins last season than he had played the position over his entire minor league career. Hopefully with more reps in right his defense will improve, he certainly appears to have the physical tools to be an above average fielder. In left, Eddie Rosario has been one of the best defenders in baseball the past two seasons. But he only accounted for about a third of the innings in left last season, as he spent some time in Rochester and played some center field. That leaves the biggest unanswered questions are on the left side of the infield. The obvious in-house candidates to fill those spots are Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco and Eduardo Escobar. If I'm going to give Kepler a break due to lack of minor league reps in right, I suppose I need to do the same for both Sano at third (thanks to his 2014 Tommy John surgery) and Polanco at shortstop (because he inexplicably played second base last season in Rochester). But it would be risky to hope they can both make the major improvements necessary to become even just average defensively. Considering they'd be playing next to each other in the field, a lack of improvement from both would be a defensive disaster. In his offseason blueprint, Seth recently offered up punchless leatherwizard (copyright Eric Longenhagen) Engelb Vielma as a glove-first alternate at shortstop. Vielma hasn't played above Double A, but for what it's worth both Falvey and GM Thad Levine have had success aggressively promoting young shortstops (not that Vielma is anywhere near the prospect Francisco Lindor or Elvis Andrus were). The only other player with infield experience on the 40-man roster is Danny Santana, and the free agent market is thin. How everything shakes out in the infield also relies heavily on whether or not Brian Dozier is traded. With the Winter Meetings coming up this week, many more questions may be answered. What would you like to see the Twins do to improve their defense? Click here to view the article

As is necessary every year at this time, the Twins had to add players to their 40-man roster today or potentially lose them in the Rule 5 draft. The Twins today added six players to the roster. They were pitchers Fernando Romero and Felix Jorge, outfielders Zack Granite and Daniel Palka, shortstop Engelb Vielma and catcher Mitch Garver. Earlier in the day, we learned that Trevor Plouffe was placed on outright waivers and has become a free agent. Also, Juan Centeno was outrighted. Adam Brett Walker was also placed on waivers and claimed by his hometown Milwaukee Brewers. In a message to me, he called the news “Bittersweet, but exciting to be going home for sure.”Fernando Romero has the most electric stuff of any pitcher in the Twins system. He returned in May after missing about two years of playing time due to Tommy John surgery and a knee surgery. He works with an upper-90s fastball and a three-to-four-pitch mix (depending on the day). No surprise that the Twins added catcher Mitch Garver to the roster. He has steadily moved up the Twins ladder while watching his stock improve as his work behind the plate has improved. He can hit, provide some power, and now he has become a good backstop. Felix Jorge was left unprotected last year. After a strong showing in Ft. Myers, and a solid 11 starts in Chattanooga, they would not have been able to do the same this year. The lanky right-hander has a smooth delivery, making his 91-93 mph fastball jump on hitters. He attacks the zone and mixes three good pitches. Defensive-whiz Engelb Vielma was also added to the 40-man roster. He missed time twice with injuries in 2016, but he hit enough to warrant inclusion on the roster. Defense is where he will make his money, but he’ll still need to show that he can hit enough. Outfielder Daniel Palka hit 35 home runs in 2016 between Chattanooga and Rochester. Like Walker, Palka struck out a lot at AAA. He came to the Twins a year ago in exchange for Chris Herrmann. He was the Twins Daily choice for Minor League Hitter of the Year. Zack Granite was the Twins choice for Minor League Player of the Year. For Chattanooga the outfielder hit .295/.347/.382 (.729) with 18 doubles, eight triples and four home runs. He also led all minor leaguers with 56 stolen bases. Earlier in the week, I ranked the eligible playersin terms of likeliness for players to be selected. However, there are several players, as there are every year, who will have a chance to be selected in the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings on December 8th. Players who would likely be the most vulnerable include catcher Stuart Turner, Pitchers left unprotected include DJ Baxendale, Aaron Slegers, Ryan Eades, Dereck Rodriguez, and Jason Wheeler. The Minnesota Twins 40-Man roster is now at 39. They could add a player in the Rule 5 Draft if they choose to do so. Feel free to share your thoughts on the Twins roster changes today. Click here to view the article

After posting Part 1 and Part 2over the last couple of days, predictably, today I am going to post Part 3 of my personal (preliminary) Top 50 Twins Prospect rankings. Today I'll share with you my choices for prospects 26 through 30. Typically, that would be a list of five people. However, when someone makes a list, and that list "accidentally" has two 29s in it, well, prospects 26 through 30 will contain six prospects instead of five today. So, continue on, and read of the SIX prospects ranked between 26 and 30. It is an interesting list. There are a couple of players who have spent some time in the upper levels, but the other four players are very young. Three of them remain teenagers. The teenagers all have the possibility of significantly moving up this list in 2017. Continue reading to learn more about six Twins minor leaguers deserving of recognition.REMINDER: Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at-bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2017 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 26-30 #30 – Nelson Molina - 21 – IF – Cedar Rapids Kernels Molina was the Twins 11th-round pick in 2013 out of high school in Puerto Rico (same high school as Twins catcher Juan Centeno). It is fair to say that he struggled offensively in the rookie leagues his first three seasons. However, watching him, he has the size (6-3), build (175), tools and work ethic to want to stand out. In 2016, he came up to the Kernels at the end of April and played well the rest of the way. He was named to the Twins Daily Minor League All-Star team after hitting .300/.374/.381 (.755) with 15 doubles, three triples and two home runs in 94 games. Drafted as a shortstop, he has played all over the field. He mostly played third base for the Kernels this year, but he ended the season playing shortstop for the team, including in the playoffs. #29 – Trey Cabbage - 19 – 3B – Elizabethton Twins Cabbage was the Twins fourth-round draft pick in 2015 out of Grainger High School in Tennessee. After signing, he spent the summer in Ft. Myers, spending some time with the GCL Twins and more time rehabbing a back injury. He spent the first half of the 2016 season at extended spring training before heading north, back to Tennessee, to play in Elizabethton. The third baseman hit .204/.297/.337 (.634) with five doubles, one triple and two home runs in just 31 games with the E-Twins. At 6-3 and a little over 200 pounds, Cabbage is a tremendous athlete. He’s got a sweet, left-handed swing with line-drive power that could turn into home run power from gap-to-gap. Defense continues to be a work-in-progress at third base, but he has a strong arm and puts in a lot of extra work. He could start 2017 in extended with an opportunity to move up to Cedar Rapids. #29 – Tanner English - 23 – OF – Ft. Myers Miracle/Rochester Red Wings English was the Twins 11t- round pick in the 2014 draft out of South Carolina. In 2015, he was named the top defensive outfielder in the Twins system for his glove work in center field in Cedar Rapids. At 5-10 and 180 pounds, English has great speed, range and a powerful arm. Offensively, he can be a leadoff type of hitter. He takes quality at-bats and has good pop. He also is a very good base runner and base-stealer. He began the 2016 in Ft. Myers, but he went on the disabled list early in the season. When he was about ready to come back, he had his ankle rolled in an extended spring game. He returned late in the year to the Miracle. When Rochester needed a center fielder for the final week, English was pushed to the level and hit .294 in 17 at-bats. To get some extra plate appearances, English will head to Arizona to participate in the Fall League. #28 – Akil Baddoo - 18 – OF - GCL Twins If these lists were solely about upside, Baddoo would likely be a Top 10 prospect. Baddoo was the fourth pick in the 2016 draft and the Twins second compensation- round pick, 74th overall. He was an outstanding high school player from the state of Georgia. After signing, he went to the GCL. At 6-1 and just shy of 200 pounds, Baddoo has a lot of tools. He has good speed (8 steals in 9 attempts). He has good range in the outfield and has a strong left arm. Though he hit just .178 in his pro debut in the GCL, most believe he will hit, and he has already shown that he has some power potential (2 triples, 2 home runs). As it is with most 18 year olds, patience will be a big key. #27 – Jose Miranda - 18 – SS – GCL Twins Miranda was selected one pick before Akil Baddoo, 73rd overall, in the June draft out of high school in Puerto Rico. He also began his career in the GCL. He played shortstop and third base equally and also played a handful of games at second base. He’ll likely be given more time at shortstop, but when he was drafted most scouts believed his future was either at third base or second base. He played in 55 games and hit .227/.308/.292 with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. Listed at 6-2 and 180 pounds, he has average speed. Most believe he will hit and has a chance to hit for above average power. #26 – Engelb Vielma - 22 – SS – Chattanooga Lookouts Vielma signed with the Twins out of Venezuela in mid-September of 2011, just late enough that he didn’t need to be added to the 40-man roster last year. The Twins will have to make that decision this November. Vielma has been named the Twins top minor league defensive infielder the last two years and earned an invitation to big league spring training after a solid 2015 in Ft. Myers. He spent the majority of the 2016 season in Chattanooga, though he had two stints on the disabled list and played some rehab games in Ft. Myers. With the Lookouts, he hit .271/.345/.318 (.663) with seven doubles and four triples. While he’ll never hit for power, if he can hit for average, he has a chance to be a big league shortstop because of his great defense. He is the total package at shortstop. He has good range, instincts and a powerful arm. Others discuss his leadership So what do you think of Part 3, Prospects 26-30? Next up will be prospects 21-25. Feel free to discuss, comment and ask questions below. Click here to view the article

These last three games against the Indians have really been something. It might make you wonder how things would be different had the offense clicked earlier this year. It might also make you look at the contributions of Max Kepler and not feel so bad about Byron Buxton or Miguel Sano. It might also make you think about the future.Let’s look back a little bit first. Though fans suffered through all the 90-loss seasons, 2014 was when the lights started to flicker brighter and we were introduced to the first wave of prospects. Oswaldo Arcia used the season to build on a successful 2013 campaign. Danny Santana debuted and put up a ridiculous .824 OPS while stealing 20 bases. Kennys Vargas teased us with his power in a 53-game cameo. All were 23 years old. Kyle Gibson spent his first full season in the major leagues and was a 13-game winner. Trevor May started nine games - and while he struggled - he showed fans an ability to strike hitters out with a K/9 of 8.7 in 45.2 innings. Last season, 2015, was more of the same. We witnessed the duo of Miguel Sano, 22, and Eddie Rosario, 23, push the team to the brink of the playoffs. Sano with his power (18 home runs and an OPS of .916) and Rosario with his speed and defense (a league-leading 15 triples and 16 outfield assists). Tyler Duffey joined the rotation, got roughed up in his debut, but was 5-0 down the stretch and the club’s best pitcher. Also seeing time in 2015 were members of the next wave: Byron Buxton who debuting at 21, battled injuries and remained a prospect by one at-bat, Jorge Polanco, who debuted at 20, and always hits, and Max Kepler, last year’s Southern League Player of the Year, who joined the team in late-September. Jose Berrios, who turned 22 earlier this summer, has rejoined the team (hopefully) permanently and it’s not hard to imagine that many of the pieces of the next competitive team are in place. But who’s next? THE POWER BATS With Kepler firmly entrenched in right field and Buxton the future of centerfield, it would be easy to stick Rosario in left field and call it a day. Not so fast. Daniel Palka, 24, has 26 home runs this year between Chattanooga and Rochester. His left-handed power will play at any stadium and though he isn’t on the 40-man roster, could be a September call-up. He’s not alone. Adam Brett Walker, also 24, has 21 home runs for Rochester this year. Walker’s right-handed power will play anywhere. The catch, obviously, is that both players have a massive amount of swing-and-miss in their game. But that doesn’t mean that either (or both) should be cast aside. Byungho Park, who had 12 home runs for the Twins before being demoted in late June, also offers a ton of power from the right-handed batter’s box, but he is limited to first base or DH in the lineup (and he’s 29 and not a prospect). THE NEXT PIRANHAS There will never be another set like the originals, but there’s some potential with this next wave: Zach Granite, 23, and Engelb Vielma, 22, are both hitting just shy of .300 in Chattanooga and both offer premium defense and a lot of speed. Granite has 34 walks and 34 strikeouts on the season along with 38 stolen bases. Coming into the year with a 65% success rate, Granite has improved and has been successful in 81% of his attempts this year. Vielma has battled hamstring injuries this season and only has six swipes, but he had 35 last year and we’ll see his numbers trend north as the season progresses and his legs get all the way back to 100%. THE NEXT CATCHER After trading for John Ryan Murphy, the future appeared set. Until Murphy forgot how to hit (worse than you can imagine with the Twins before becoming a .210/.266/.283 hitter for Rochester). So who’s next? Mitch Garver, a 25-year-old at Chattanooga, has improved his defense and made greater strides with his bat. Garver has an OPS over .800 supported with 11 home runs. He 20% strikeout-percentage is higher than normal, but his walk-rate remains over 11%. He’s also thrown out more than 50% of would-be base-stealers on the season. THE TURNING OF THE ROTATION The minor-leagues contain a number of pitchers who could find time in the rotation including Jason Wheeler, a 25-year-old, who is on his way to being named the organization’s pitcher of the year with a 10-3 record between Chattanooga and Rochester and Aaron Slegers, 23, and David Hurlbut, 26, who are potential back-end arms, as well currently pitching in Chattanooga. Recently-acquired Adalberto Mejia, 23, will make his organizational debut for Rochester tomorrow. He’s not far off and has a chance to make the Opening Day rotation next year. Sometime later in 2017, we could be introduced to the cream of the pitching prospect crop: Stephen Gonsalves, 21, has continued to dominate every level, including AA, with a K/9 in excess of 10.0 (though he’s still walking too many), Tyler Jay, 22, started to come into his own with Fort Myers before his promotion, move to the bullpen and subsequent shut-down in Chattanooga, and Kohl Stewart, 21, who’s been an enigma but still has lots of potential. Felix Jorge, also 22, has struggled a bit since his promotion to Chattanooga, but he’s been compared to current Twin Ervin Santana. THE POWER ARMS We saw J.T. Chargois earlier this summer (and it wasn’t pretty), but between him and newly-acquired Pat Light, the Target Field radar gun will hit triple-digits in the top of an inning sometime yet this season. (Light did it twice for Rochester on Wednesday night, according to reports.) 2010 first-round pick Alex Wimmers, 27, doesn’t throw that hard, and neither does Trevor Hildenberger, 25, but both could make their major-league debut this year. Hildenberger was recently placed on the DL with elbow tendinitis, but no one in baseball has numbers as good as he does. Jake Reed, 23, has bounced back with a really good 2016 after a disappointing 2015 (EDIT: According to an AL scout, Reed also hit 100 mph on the radar gun last night) and Zack Jones, 25, continues to strike batters out since his return from the Brewers (after they decided not to keep him as a Rule 5 draft pick). Nick Burdi is another arm who throws it really hard… when healthy, which he currently isn’t. THE RECAP The Twins have been a lot of fun to watch these last few days. And they have plenty of young players who are making it so fun. But they have more young players knocking on the door and that makes it exciting. We’re going to see some guys get a(nother) chance before many of these prospects get their turns, but this next wave is going to be fun to watch. Who excites you? Click here to view the article

The Chattanooga Lookouts are playing as well as any team in the minor leagues, having won 13 of their last 18 games. The catalyst has been slugger Daniel Palka, but others have chipped in as well to help the Lookouts go from seven games below the .500 mark to one game above. In the month of June, Palka has been unstoppable, leading Chattanooga to an 11-4 start to the month. The 24-year-old outfielder has a .288 batting average (15-52) with nine homers and 19 RBI. Palka was acquired in an offseason trade for catcher Chris Herrmann. He has been a big reason for the recent surge by the Lookouts, but not the only reason. The middle infielders have both been impressive over the past several games. Engelb Vielma, who many consider to be the best fielder in the Twins system, is hitting the ball extremely well. Since his return to Chattanooga, he is hitting at a .414 (12-29) clip. He won’t keep this pace up, but if he bats around the .300 mark all season, with his glove being arguably the best in the Twins system, he could work his way up the system and perhaps make the big leagues in either 2017 or 2018. Brazilian infielder Leonardo Reginatto has been even outperforming Vielma the past few weeks. Earlier this season, he had a 14-game hitting streak and has at least one hit in 18 of his last 21 games. Of those 18 games, Reginatto has multiple hits in nine of them. Since the hitting streak started on May 22, Reginatto has a batting average of .369 (31-84), rasing his season batting average 36 points in the process. Center fielder Zach Granite has been gold for the Lookouts this month. He has only been held hitless twice in the month of June. In said month, Granite has a .375 batting average (21-56) with seven of those 21 hits going for extra bases. He also has nine multi-hit games. His batting average was .255 at the start of the month and now it is at .283. As the weather has warmed up, so has Ganite’s bat. Finally, we cannot forget about the pitching staff. In the 14 games this month, the Lookouts have given up more than three runs in just four games and in two of those four that they did give up more than three, most of the runs were unearned. Chattanooga is on a current streak of nine consecutive games without allowing more than two earned runs in a game. This month, the Lookouts pitchers have an ERA of just 2.30, and just a 1.56 ERA in the past nine games. It would make sense why Chattanooga has won seven of those nine. Despite the loss today, Chattanooga still is second in the division in the Southern League North Division. It will be interesting to see if the Lookouts can keep it going or if they are just all hot at the same time, but right now, Doug Mientkiewicz has his team playing extremely well.

Each year I like to update my Top Prospect rankings right before the draft. My most recent rankings were done for the 2016 Prospect Handbook, so last December. (I posted them here in March.) It’s time for a new ranking as several things have happened, including players “graduating’ from prospect status as well as a couple months of games and new information. Today, I’ll do kind of a lightning round for prospects 21-40 and then over the next two days, I’ll do ten prospects at a time. These prospect rankings are fun. They’re not scientific. They involve many factors including, but not limited to, age, performance, level of competition, reports from players, coaches, front office types, as well as my eye test from spring training, a trip to Cedar Rapids and watching several games on MiLB.TV There are several purposes for writing these. First, it gives you some names to consider as you are reading our minor league reports. Second, these players (and really all of the minor leaguers, but I’m not going to rank 150 players!) deserve to be recognized for their hard work and dedication to their profession. Third, it’s always fun to discuss these lists and the players involved. I’m pretty certain that not 100% of you will agree with 100% of my rankings. In fact, I’m certain no one would share the exact same Top 40, so feel free to discuss in the forum. I enjoy answering any questions you may have. With that, let’s get started.It's always tough to come up with those final prospects not matter if you go with a list of 30, or 40, or 50, or whatever. So, I'm going to go with a tie for #40... I also want to mention a couple of Cedar Rapids Kernels that were very strongly considered for a spot as well. 1B Zander Wiel is a 23-year-old first baseman out of Vanderbilt. He has heated up since the weather in Iowa warmed up and does a nice job defensively too. Also, catcher AJ Murray has been a very good hitter much of the season. He's still a work-in-progress behind the plate since he caught very little at Georgia Tech. But he's a really hard worker, and Jake Mauer said that he is similar to where Mitch Garver was two years ago. Definitely a couple of Kernels to watch. There are many others at each level who fit into the "prospect" category as well, but a Top 40 has to end somewhere. So, here is my Top 40 (or 41, if you will). #40 (Tie) - RH RP Williams Ramirez (23 - Cedar Rapids Kernels) and Johan Quezada (21 - Extended Spring Training) I didn’t know how to separate them. These are two very hard-throwing right handers who had a lot of success last year in the GCL. Ramirez recently was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he has been terrific, throwing a fastball 94-97 with a really good breaking ball. Quezada is dominating in extended spring training with a fastball 95-99. Quezada has really grown since signing. Literally, he’s added about 8 inches of height and almost 10 mph to his fastball. Ramirez has only been a pitcher for three or four years. In other words, both have plenty of room for improvement. #39 - RHP Yorman Landa - 21 - Ft. Myers Miracle Landa missed time with shoulder problems in 2014 and 2015, but he showed enough late last year with the Kernels - including a 99 mph fastball - to be added to the 40-man roster for the Twins. He’s had some ups and downs with the Miracle so far this year, but overall, he has pitched well, whether asked to throw one inning or three. #38 - 1B Amaurys Minier - 20 - Extended Spring Training Minier signed from the Dominican in 2013 and has been moved quite slowly, primarily due to several injuries that cost him time early in seasons. Unfortunately, his bat also has moved along slowly and he will return to the rookie leagues (unless promoted soon) for another year. He’s still very young, and when he works hard, he does have a good swing that could produce a lot of power. #37 - OF Jaylin Davis - 21 - Extended Spring Training Davis is a bit of a sleeper, maybe a surprise to even see on this list. He was drafted a year ago out of Appalachian State. He fell in the draft due to injury and did not play a year ago. However, Davis has tremendous power and much more potential. Reports from Ft. Myers indicate that he is crushing home runs all over the field with a powerful swing. He is a solid outfielder, and he is also a guy who could skip Elizabethton and go to Cedar Rapids if there was a need. #36 - OF Tanner English - 23 - Ft. Myers Miracle English was the Twins top minor league defensive outfielder in 2015. He began this season in Ft. Myers, but a series of events have slowed things down for him. He was hit in the head with a pitch and missed a couple of days. He had Lasik eye surgery and on the last day of his rehab assignment with the EST squad, someone landed on his foot and hurt his ankle. So he’s been rehabbing that. English is a good top-of-the-order type of hitter who led the minor league system in stolen bases last year. He should be back to the Miracle shortly. #35 - OF Zach Granite - 23 - Chattanooga Lookouts Granite had a tough, injury-filled 2014. So he began 2015 with the Kernels. After a strong April in which he was named Minor League Hitter of the Month by the Twins, he was promoted to Ft. Myers where he was solid. This year, he jumped right to Chattanooga and has been their leadoff hitter almost every day since. He takes very professional at-bats and knows his job is to find ways to get on base. He’s doing that, and when he gets on base, he is looking to keep running. He already has 25 stolen bases this season. #34 - LH RP Mason Melotakis - 24 - Chattanooga Lookouts “Melo” missed all of the 2015 season after having Tommy John surgery the fall before. With reports of him hitting 97 mph in Instructional League last fall, the Twins needed to add him to the 40-man roster or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. He went to big league spring training and then reported to the Lookouts. He struggled early, as you would expect, but he has been much better of late. #33 - OF Edgar Corcino - 24 - Ft. Myers Miracle One of the best pure athletes in the organization, Corcino signed with the Twins before the 2015 season out of independent baseball. He had been drafted and spent a couple of seasons in the Tigers system. After a strong showing in Cedar Rapids in the second half last year, he moved up to Ft. Myers this year. He started slow, not playing every day in April. In May, the Twins selected him as their Minor League Hitter of the Month. He plays great outfield defense at all three positions. He has good speed. And, he has extra base pop in his bat. Definitely one to watch as he just turned 24 today. #32 - LHP Jason Wheeler - 25 - Rochester Red Wings In 2014, Wheeler had a solid half-season, repeating in Ft. Myers and carried it into a strong showing in AA. Following that season, he was added to the 40-man roster. He started in Rochester in 2015 for some reason and really struggled. Late last year, he was removed from the 40-man and cleared. He went on to be the MVP of the Southern League championship series. He began this season with the Lookouts and was quickly called up to AAA where he has been lights-out most every outing. At 6-6, he does not throw real hard, but like the other lefties in the Red Wings rotation, he has good control and mixes his pitches well. #31 - OF Travis Harrison - 23 - Chattanooga Lookouts Harrison is repeating at AA Chattanooga this year and has been solid in the middle of the Lookouts lineup. His outfield defense has improved and his approach at the plate has improved. He has been productive offensively despite similar numbers to last year. I believe that he is in line for a strong second half. Still just 23, Harrison has time to grow into his potential. #30 - RHP Huascar Ynoa - 18 - Extended Spring Training While his brother Michael was signed to a huge free agent bonus (about $4 million) as a 16-year-old, the Twins were able to sign Huscar for around $850K. He pitched in the DSL last year and will be making his stateside debut this year. He has been pitching quite well in EST, flashing a fastball in the 90-95 range with the ability to dominate. He just turned 18 and will likely pitch in the GCL this year. #29 - C Stuart Turner - 24 - Chattanooga Lookouts Turner was the Twins 3rd-round pick in 2013 out of Mississippi where he was named the top catcher in college baseball. In 2014, he skipped Cedar Rapids and jumped to Ft. Myers. He struggled with the bat. In 2015, he went to Chattanooga where he was good defensively but struggled with the bat. Finally in 2016, he is sticking at the same level, hopefully allowing his bat to catch up. He started out strong with lots of walks and doubles. He’s slowed, but he does have a good approach at the plate. Many still believe he is a top defensive catcher. #28 - LHP Lachlan Wells - 19 - Extended Spring Training The Australian had a strong debut in 2015 in the GCL, putting up numbers very similar to what Lewis Thorpe put up a couple of years earlier at that level. He even left right before the end of the season to pitch for Team Australia in an international competition, just as Thorpe had. While Wells doesn’t throw as hard as Thorpe can, he does know and understand how to pitch and shows a lot of poise on the mound. He should pitch for Elizabethton. #27 - RH RP Jake Reed - 23 - Chattanooga Lookouts The last two offseasons, Reed has dominated in the hitter-friendly Arizona Fall League. However, for the second straight year he has really struggled in the AA Southern League. That said, he has been much better of late. His mid-90s fastball gets a lot of movement, so command has been an issue for him at times. Other times, he can flat-out dominate. #26 - 2B Luis Arraez - 19 - Cedar Rapids Kernels One of the biggest surprises, for me, early in the season has been Arraez. I was surprised that he started in Cedar Rapids, and I thought maybe he would just get a little experience before going down to Elizabethton when the short-season started. Though he didn’t play a lot the first week or two, he was given an opportunity and he has fully taken advantage of it. He has been a catalyst at the top of the Kernels’ lineup, hitting over .320 and taking really good, professional at bats. #25 - IF Travis Blankenhorn - 19 - Extended Spring Training Blankenhorn was the Twins 3rd-round pick a year ago out of high school. A tremendous athlete, he played for the GCL and Elizabethton teams in 2015. This spring in EST, he has shown some glimpses of his big potential. He has a nice swing and should develop some power over time. Interestingly, drafted as a third baseman, he has spent almost all of his time in EST playing second base. #24 - RH RP Trevor Hildenberger - 25 - Chattanooga Lookouts He was our choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year last year with his work in Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers in his first full professional season. He even pitched well in the Arizona Fall League. The side-winding right-hander started with the Miracle this year, but after just a few weeks, he quickly advanced to AA where he has continued to pitch great. Where many have struggled, Hildenberger has put up great numbers and become the team’s reliable closer. A 22nd-round pick just two years ago, he could get to Minnesota yet this year, or certainly put himself into consideration for a spot early in 2017. #23 - SS Jermaine Palacios - 19 - Cedar Rapids Kernels Palacios burst on the scene last year when he dominated (offensively) in the GCL and Elizabethton in his first year in the United States. The 19-year-old began this season in Cedar Rapids but it has been slow-going for the talented Venezuelan. After hitting a combined .370 last year, he has been hovering around (and mostly below) the Mendoza Line most of this season. Defensively, he’s got a ways to go, but the skills are there. Could he go to Elizabethton when the short-season starts? #22 - SS Engelb Vielma - 21 - Ft. Myers Miracle Vielma had a solid season in 2015 in Ft. Myers which led to a spring training invite to big league camp. He began the season with the Lookouts, but he has twice been on the disabled list already. In the last week, he was activated and sent back to Ft. Myers just to get more at-bats. He should move up to Chattanooga again soon. The slick-fielding shortstop could hit for average and should play very good defense, though he did struggle early in the season. #21 - C Mitch Garver - 25 - Chattanooga Lookouts It has been his bat that has carried Garver through much of his minor league career, but it is his defense behind the plate that is moving him up this list this time around. He has thrown out 64% of would-be base stealers so far this season and is listed among the top catchers in baseball in pitch framing. Pitchers have also enjoyed working with him in the past. His bat has been solid in the Southern League. He’s hitting .265 with 11 doubles and two homers in 40 games. When not catching, he has played some at first base and frequently at DH. He did miss about a week with a concussion. So there you have it, a quick glance at my updated prospects 21-40. What are your thoughts? Noticing any trends yet? Tomorrow we’ll dive into prospects 11-20. But for today, consider my list above. Ask questions, and start thinking about how your top 20, 30 or 40 Twins prospect list might look. Click here to view the article

Transaction Report: The big move of the day, reported in full by Jeremy Nygaard, was the MLB draft. The Twins selected OF Alex Kirilloff with the 15th overall pick, a toolsy outfielder from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Twins used their next pick, 56th overall, to select C Ben Rortvedt, a high schooler from the Badger State. With back-to-back picks at 73 & 74 in the competitive balance round, the Twins selected SS Jose Miranda from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, and OF Akil Baddoo out of Salem High School in Georga. In lesser news, the Twins signed infielder Christian Ibarra from the independent Lincoln Saltdogs and assigned him to the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Red Wings @ Buffalo Bisons Box Score The Red Wings were down 4-0 after three innings, used a 3-run fifth to pull within one, and tied things in the top of the eighth at 6-6 before things fell apart in the bottom half of the inning. The Wings committed three errors, one each from James Beresford (3, throwing), Adam Walker (3, throwing), and Logan Schafer (1, fielding). The Red Wings had just six hits on the night (four for extra bases, all doubles), but benefitted from seven free baserunners via the walk to help score six runs. No Rochester hitter had multiple hits, but Logan Schafer and Kennys Vargas were both 1-4 with a walk, and Vargas added three RBIs. Tommy Field was 0-2 as the DH, but had a pair of walks and scored a run. If you're wondering who Tommy Field is, he's a MiLB veteran who has had a cup of coffee in parts of four different seasons, never making more than 51 plate appearances. He was released by the Detroit Tigers (AAA Toledo) on May 6th, and the Twins (Red Wings) snatched him up a week later on May 14th. He's hitting .195/.250/.366 for Rochester, but owns a .265/.347/.429 AAA slash over five seasons. The Red Wings sent Andrew Albers out for the start, and he gave up 6 runs (4 earned) over 5.2 innings. He struck out 5 and walked no one. He left with a loss hanging over him, but lucked into a no-decision after the Red Wings scored several runs late in the game. Albers was replaced by Nick Greenwood who pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless 1-hit baseball in his Red Wings debut. Greenwood made 20 appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, with 19 coming in 2014. Greenwood started 2016 with the independent New Britain Bees before signing a MiLB deal with the Twins on May 6th. Greenwood was replaced by Dan Runzier who gave up three earned runs on two hits and a walk before being replaced by Marcus Walden who came into the game with two runners on base, allowing both the score before recording the final out of the eighth inning. The winning run was scored by old friend Alexi Casilla. Final: Red Wings 6, Bisons 9 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jacksonville Suns @ Lookouts Box Score Great hitting and great pitching both came together for the Lookouts who won a laugher against the Suns. Seven Lookouts hitters had multi-hit nights, led by a pair of 3-5 nights from Leonardo Reginatto and Engelb Vielma. Reginatto had a two-run homer in the fifth, and Vielmad had a double and a run scored. Daniel Palka had ANOTHER two-home run game, 2-3 with two home runs, 4 RBI, 2 walks, and three runs scored. Zach Granite, Travis Harrison, and Mitch Garver also added home runs, because apparently everyone was hitting them on Thursday night. Kohl Stewart picked up his first AA victory with six innings of 3-hit baseball. Stewart gave up no runs, no walks, and he struck out five. Corey Williams pitched the seventh and gave up the only run of the night, on two hits. Mason Melotakis sent the Suns down in order in the eighth, including a strike out. Mike Strong finished the game with a scoreless ninth, giving up a walk and picking up a strike out. Final: Suns 1, Lookouts 15 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers Miracle @ Brevard County Manatees Postponed due to rain The Miracle and the Manatees will play a doubleheader on Friday, two seven-inning games. Game one starts at 4:05pm. KERNELS KORNER Kane County Cougars @ Kernels Box Score The Kernels burned a quality start from Miles Nordgren and a couple of web-gems from J.J. Fernandez and LaMonte Wade, falling two-zip to the Cougars in front of 4,004 fans at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Fernandez robbed the Cougars of a home run, and Wade threw out a runner at home. Nordgren pitched six innings, gave up two hits, two runs (both unearned), walked two and struck out three. Nordgren gave way to Kuo Hua Lo who gave the twins 2.0 innings of 1-hit ball. He struck out two, walked one, and gave up zero runs. Cam Booser pitched the ninth for the Kernels, striking out the side. Four of the five Kernels hits came from the top two hitters in the order, Luis Arraez and Sean Miller. Arraez was 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a pair of strike outs. Miller was 2-4, also with a pair of strike outs. The only other Kernels hit of the night was a double from A.J. Murray. Final: Cougars 2, Kernels 0 DSL TWINS TAKES DSL Twins @ DSL Mariners1 Box Score Not much doing in the Dominican for the DSL Twins on Thursday morning, except for a big game from Edgar Herrera who was 3-4 with a double. Herrera has eight hits over the first four games of the year for the DSL Twins, including a pair of 3-4 nights. The DSL Twins received 4.0 innings from both of their pitchers on Thursday. Edwar Colina gave up a hit, 3 runs (1 earned), stuck out five and gave up a home run. Carlos Suniaga picked up the loss with 4 hits, two runs (both earned) and he struck out 4. Final: DSL Twins 3, DSL Mariners1 5 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Daniel Palka - Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Kohl Stewart - Chattanooga Lookouts FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Toledo Mud Hens @ Rochester (6:05pm) - Buck Farmer vs. Jason Wheeler (4-1, 2.05) Chattanooga @ Tennessee Smokies (6:05pm) - D.J. Baxendale (5-6, 3.38) vs. Brad Markey Fort Myers @ Brevard County Manatees (Game 1, 4:05pm) - Keaton Steele (1-5, 4.72) vs. Eric Hanhold Fort Myers @ Brevard County Manatees (Game 2, 30 minutes after conclusion of Game 1) - TBD vs. TBD Cedar Rapids @ Peoria Chiefs (7:00pm) - Cody Stashak (3-3, 2.90) vs. Sandy Alcantara DSL Mariners1 @ DSL Twins (9:30am) - TBD vs. TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf

The Minnesota Twins announced their first batch of cuts from spring training this afternoon. They reassigned five players to minor league camp. Infielders Engelb Vielma, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Heiker Meneses, catcher Alex Swim, and right-handed pitcher Jake Reed will report to the minor league facilities on Monday morning. More transactions are anticipated by the club Monday morning.There were no real surprises among the list of players reassigned. The surprise was that, at this time, the Twins have not officially optioned any players off of their 40-man roster. (Again, expect information on that to come on Monday) Reynaldo Rodriguez is leaving Twins spring training to join the WBC-Qualifying team from Colombia. He will most likely spend the season in Rochester again. Engelb Vielma had a solid showing in his first big league spring. Earlier in the day, he was awarded the organization's top defensive infielder award in the minor leagues. He is likely to spend the season in Chattanooga. Heiker Meneses spent all of last season in Chattanooga and is likely to return there. He played a lot of second base, though he played shortstop when Jorge Polanco was with the Twins or Red Wings. Alex Swim spent last season in Ft. Myers. He could go back there after missing time in the second half due to injury, though he is likely to spend time in Chattanooga as well in 2016. Jake Reed pitched a clean inning today and has been solid in his first big league camp. As Paul Molitor said after the game, it is his command that will need work. He should go back to Chattanooga to start the season, but he could surface in the big leagues late in the season. Feel free to discuss this group, and remember to check back tomorrow for more roster decisions. Click here to view the article