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With the 2022 trade deadline approaching, has the current front office shown any trade deadline trends over the last five seasons? Derek Falvey and Thad Levine took over Minnesota’s baseball operations department leading into the 2017 season. Each season has taken on a different feel, but they have a track record of making moves at the trade deadline. This series will look back at each trade deadline under this regime. The 2017 season was an interesting trade deadline because it looked like the front office couldn’t decide if they were buyers or sellers. Minnesota started the deadline by dealing for a starting pitcher who they traded away after only one start. Only five AL teams finished with winning records, so they all made the playoffs, including the Twins, who lost to the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game. Minnesota ended up being a contender, and here is how the trade deadline played out. Trade 1 (July 24, 2017) Twins Receive: P Jaime Garcia, C Anthony Recker Braves Receive: P Huascar Ynoa Garcia infamously pitched one game in a Twins uniform before being part of the trade package mentioned below. He allowed three earned runs over 6 2/3 innings in one start as the Twins defeated Oakland 6-3. Recker was a seven-year veteran at the time of the deal, but he never appeared in a big-league game with the Twins. Ynoa was a 19-year-old in rookie ball when the Braves acquired him. He’s made 31 big-league appearances over the last four seasons and posted a 5.22 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. At the time, it looked like a strong trade for the Twins to help bolster their rotation for the stretch run. Trade 2 (July 27, 2017) Twins Receive: P Gabriel Moya Diamondbacks Receive: C John Ryan Murphy Murphy was the lone player the Twins received from the Yankees in the Aaron Hicks deal, but his Twins tenure only lasted one season. In 2017, Arizona dealt for him, and he played parts of three seasons with a 62 OPS+. Moya made all of his big-league appearances with the Twins as he posted a 4.64 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP. His 7.6 K/9 wasn’t enough to be effective as a reliever, and he was out of affiliated baseball after the 2019 season. Trade 3 (July 30, 2017) Twins Receive: P Zack Littell, P Dietrich Enns Yankees Receive: P Jaime Garcia, Plus $4 million Garcia’s Twins tenure was almost non-existent as Minnesota sent him to the Yankees, who would be the team’s eventual Wild Card opponent. Following the trade, Garcia made eight starts and posted a 4.82 ERA with a 1.63 WHIP. Evaluators viewed Littell as a strong pitching prospect, but the Twins moved him to the bullpen. He posted a 4.52 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP in 63 2/3 innings with Minnesota. Enns only appeared in two games (4 IP) for the Twins and allowed three earned runs on seven hits. In less than a week, the Twins had gone from buyers to sellers, which didn’t sit well with some players in the clubhouse. Trade 4 (July 31, 2017) Twins Receive: P Tyler Watson, Plus $500,000 in international bonus pool money Nationals Receive: P Brandon Kintzler Kintzler had been an All-Star for the Twins in 2017, so this move was another poor signal to a contending clubhouse. In 45 games before the trade, Kintzler had a 2.78 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP and 28 saves. Last season, Watson topped out at High-A in the Twins organization as a 24-year-old. He posted a 4.78 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 69 2/3 innings with the Kernels. What do you remember most about the 2017 trade deadline? Did all the moves motivate the team to become a contender? Should the team have kept Garcia and Kintzler? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

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

Entering July 24th 2017, the Minnesota Twins were 49-48 coming off a 9-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers the night before. The Twins now stood 2.5 games back of Cleveland, and ready to make a push towards claiming the AL Central crown for the first time in 7 years. "Falvine" decided to push the button, making their first major trade during their Twins tenure, and acquire Atlanta Braves starter, Jaime García . Finally, after years of purely terrible baseball, the Twins were back, and the Front Office was willing to go for it. Now, it's July 28th 2017, the Minnesota Twins are in Oakland, and on a 4 game skid as they sit 49-51. Jaime García takes the mound for the first, and only time as a Minnesota Twin. He pitches well, but unremarkably as he leads the Twins to a 6-3 victory ending the losing streak with a decent stat line: 6.2 IP 7 K 3 BB 8 H 3 ER. Flash forward a bit further to July 30th, the Twins are 50-52, Cleveland has gone on a run, and the Twins are 7 games out. Oh, how the turn tables. Falvine decides they're no longer pushing for that first division title in 7 years, so why hold onto the rental they just acquired? So, after spending less than a week as a Twin, Jaime García packs his bags once again and heads to the Bronx to become a Yankee. As the leaves turn from green to wonderful fall colors, the Twins find out it didn't really matter if they bought or sold. Jaime García didn't pitch very well as a Yankee, and the Twins still managed to claw to a 85-77 record, going from the worst team in baseball to a wild card team in just a year. 7 years of terrible baseball. 13 years without a playoff victory, now with a chance to change that. October 3rd 2017, enter: the New York Yankees. We all know how this story goes, there's no point in reliving this one again. So, okay, the trades themselves, what exactly happened? Looking back, I think we can safely consider Jaime García's performance itself a wash and rather insignificant. But what about the prospects involved? Trade 1: The Minnesota Twins receive: SP Jaime García, C Anthony Recker, Cash Considerations. (Recker was soon released and never played for the Twins) The Atlanta Braves receive: SP Huascar Ynoa Trade 2: The Minnesota Twins receive: SP Zack Littell , SP Dietrich Enns The New York Yankees receive: SP Jaime García So essentially, the Twins gave up Ynoa, to get Littell and Enns. Neither Littell or Enns are with the Twins anymore, and only Littell had marginal success. Meanwhile, I have yet to mention the ginormous horse in the room. Huascar Ynoa has been the ace of the Atlanta Braves pitching staff thus far in 2021 pitching 44.2 Innings while garnering 1.8 bWAR. However, he could be out the rest of this year. That being said, the Braves potentially have a really good pitcher for a long time to come, and Falvine essentially gave Ynoa to them for free. Not every trade works out, many work out great, and many don't, and unfortunately this whole saga is the latter. Perhaps the best part of this whole saga for the Twins is that a day after sending Jaime packing to New York, they signed a guy from Utica with a rad mustache who was driving for Uber, fan fave Randy Dobnak. Once again, all stats are thanks to Baseball Reference, and the picture thanks to MLB.com. What trades should we revisit next?

Yesterday, we wrote a bit about how well Aaron Slegers has pitched in his last seven or eight starts. For his last two starts, he was named the International League’s Pitcher of the Week. The major news on Monday, of course, was the Twins officially acquiring Jaime Garcia and Anthony Recker for Huascar Ynoa. But there was much more to the day including the decision to send back their Rule 5 pick. There are likely to be more transactions following the Monday night Twins game in Los Angeles, so we’ll update those below.Also, the E-Twins had another huge offensive inning. Brent Rooker had another solid showing. There was a #ParkBang. A Kernels reliever has a pretty impressive streak going. And, a second 2017 shortstop draft pick is playing well in the GCL. Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday. Let’s start with the transactions of the day: It happened about four days after it was deemed “close,” but the Twins did officially acquire lefty Jaime Garcia from Atlanta, along with catcher Anthony Recker, in exchange for Elizabethton starting pitcher Huascar Ynoa.To make room, Rule 5 RHP Justin Haley was outrighted and sent back to the Boston Red Sox.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 1, Indianapolis 4 Box Score Niko Turley was on the mound for the Red Wings on Monday, and things didn’t go well. In 4.1 innings, he gave up four runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out three… and, well, this happened too. DJ Baxendale gave up a hit and walked two over 1.2 scoreless innings. Alex Wimmers struck out four over two perfect innings. Byungho Park led the Red Wings offense. He went 3-4 and launched his seventh home run. Matt Hague went 2-4 with his 19th double. Engelb Vielma added his seventh double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts had an off day on the schedule. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Tampa 7 Box Score Lewis Thorpe had his first real rough start since his return from missing two seasons. The lefty went just 3.2 innings and was charged with five runs (three earned) on four hits. He walked three and struck out two. He also hit one batter, threw two wild pitches and had a balk. Mike Theofanopoulos struck out two in 2.1 perfect innings. Alex Robinson walked three and struck out one in a scoreless inning. Andrew Vasquez gave up two unearned runs on four hits over two innings. He struck out two. Sean Miller led the offense. He went 3-4 with his 14th double. Brent Rooker went 1-2 with two walks and his first Miracle double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Lansing 3 Box Score The Kernels won the season series against Lansing even though they fell in the finale on Monday afternoon. Anthony Marzi made the start and went the first seven innings. He gave up three runs, though just one was earned. He gave up six hits, walked none and struck out none. Colton Davis came in and did what he’s done all year… put up a zero. From Jeff Johnson’s article in The Gazette, “Davis has not allowed an earned run in his last 22 appearances out of the bullpen and given up only one run, period, in that span of 31 1/3 innings. The last time a team nicked him was way back on May 10.” He did need a little bit of help though. With a runner on second, Davis gave up a single to center. Aaron Whitefield charged the ball and came up throwing. He gunned down the base runner at home by at least five feet. Hector Lujan worked a scoreless ninth inning. The offense managed just one run. Whitefield and Christian Cavaness each went 1-3 with a walk. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 15, Pulaski 4 Box Score For the third time in a week, the E-Twins put together a huge, late-inning inning. In this one, they scored eight runs in the ninth inning. Jose Miranda went 4-5 with his sixth homer. He scored three runs and drove in three runs. TJ Dixon was 3-5 with his first pro home runs. He stole his third base. Ariel Montesino went 2-3 with two walks. Shane Carrier had two hits. Wander Javier walked twice and hit his seventh double. Carson had three RBI and his seventh double. JJ Robinson added his fifth home run. Ryley Widell made his second appearance. He gave up one run on two hits over 3.2 innings of work. He struck out three without issuing a walk. Moises Gomez gave up three runs on four hits in the final 5.1 innings. He walked four, but he struck out nine. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 5 Box Score Jordan Balazovic started for the GCL Twins on Monday. The right-hander from Canada gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 5.2 innings. He walked one and struck out one. Juan Mojica walked two, but got four outs without being charged with a run. Amilcar Cruz came on and threw two shutout innings. Ricky De La Torre is now hitting .288 after going 2-3 with a walk. Darling Cuestro was also 2-3 with a walk in the game. Kidany Salva went 2-4 with his first double of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Alex Wimmers, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jose Miranda, Elizabethton Twins TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis (6:05 CST) - TBD Birmingham @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves Ft. Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Cedar Rapids - No Game Scheduled Elizabethton @ Pulaski (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins are playing the Yankees. Not just Aaron Judge, but the whole Yankees team. However, this is the minor league report, and there were seven games that started in the Twins system on Monday. They had a couple of big-time starting pitcher performances. Matt Hague and Matt Albanese were very productive, each driving in five runs for their squads. Could the Kernels use their offensive output from Sunday as a catalyst for Monday? Did Michael Tonkin keep his scoreless streak going? There were three morning/early afternoon games, and a doubleheader. It was busy, so let’s get to the report.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday. Let's start with Sean Poppen being named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 - Rochester 5, Charlotte 4 Box Score The Red Wings used a big inning and held on for a one-run win in the first of two games on Monday. The Red Wings got RBI singles from JB Shuck and Tommy Field in the third inning. Then with the bases loaded, Matt Hague emptied them with his 16th double of the season. David Hurlbut improved to 7-5 on the season. He went five innings and gave up three runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out three. In the sixth inning, he gave up a double and a single before being replaced by Jake Reed. Reed walked the next two batters, the second pushing in a run. However, Reed got a ground ball double play that cut the Red Wings lead to one, but he got two big outs. He got the third out before the tying run scored. Michael Tonkin came in for the seventh inning. He picked up his fourth save thanks to two strikeouts in a perfect inning. The score remained 1-0 Red Wings until Matt Hague singled in two runs in the sixth inning. But that was more than enough for Aaron Slegers. The right-hander went all seven innings to complete the shutout. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out five. He improved to 10-4 while dropping his ERA to 3.50. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Jacksonville 9 Box Score The Lookouts jumped out to a 6-0 lead after just two innings in this morning game. Felix Jorge was on the mound. Through the first four innings, he’d given up just one run. However, the fifth inning was his and the Lookouts’ downfall in this loss. Jorge got one out in the fifth, but he was charged with six runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings. He walked two and struck out four. Randy LeBlanc came on and allowed one inherited runner to score. He went 1.2 innings and gave up three runs on four hits. He walked one and struck one out. Randy Rosario tossed a scoreless inning, and Luke Bard threw two scoreless innings. Andy Wilkens provided much of the punch for the Lookouts offense. The veteran went 2-3 with a walk and his fourth home run. It was a grand slam and gave the team their 6-0 lead. LaMonte Wade went 2-4 with a walk and his 16th double. Jonathan Rodriguez went 1-3 with a walk. Travis Harrison walked twice. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 7 Box Score It was a get-away morning game for the Miracle. It was also a bullpen game for the pitching staff. Keaton Steele started and threw three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three. Williams Ramirez got the next two innings. He gave up just one hit. Michael Theofanopoulos came in for the sixth. He got two outs and was charged with four runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out one. He gave up back-to-back homers in the inning. Andrew Vasquez came on and got the next four outs, striking out one. David Fischer came in and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks over the final two innings. The Miracle pushed across three runs in the game. They had seven hits, but they came from just three players. Jermaine Palacios stayed hot. He went 4-5 and is now hitting .341 through 21 games with the Miracle. Nelson Molina went 2-5 and stole his third base. Zander Wiel went 1-2 with two walks and his 21st double. He also stole his seventh base. In case you were wondering, Tim Tebow started in centerfield. He went 3-5 with a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, South Bend 2 Box Score After scoring just two total runs over their previous five games, the Kernels busted out for eight runs in South Bend on Monday. On Tuesday afternoon, the Kernels offense was unable to put together sustained rallies and fell by a score of 2-1. Eduardo Del Rosario was on the mound. The right-hander went the first six innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out five. Ryan Mason and Hector Lujan each threw a scoreless inning. Aaron Whitefield led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his 13th double. He also stole his 21st base. He scored the lone Kernels’ run on a sacrifice fly from Lewin Diaz. Hank Morrison went 2-4. The Kernels had runners on second and third with one out in the ninth inning, but they were unable to cash in a run to tie it. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 13, Greeneville 0 Box Score If you just looked at the final score, you would assume that this was a blowout. You’d be right. However, through seven innings, there was no score. However, they started pounding the ball late. They scored five runs in the eighth inning, powered by the first professional home run for Matt Albanese, a three-run shot. Jose Miranda added his fifth homer during that inning. That was just the start. In the ninth inning, the E-Twins scored eight times. Andrew Bechtold added his second homer. Albanese went 2-5 and drove in five runs. Bechtold was 3-5. So was outfielder Shane Carrier. Wander Javier went 2-4 with a walk. Jose Miranda also had two hits. Colton Waltner added two doubles in the game. Huascar Ynoa started for Elizabethton. He went the first innings and gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out six. He left a 0-0 game. Jose Martinez came on and worked three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out two to gain the win. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Rays 0 (Suspended in 1st inning) Box Score Game was suspended after just two batters. Brusdar Graterol got one out and gave up one hit before the game was delayed and subsequently suspended by lightning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Hague, Rochester Red Wings TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (10:05 CST) - RHP Tim Melville Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe Cedar Rapids - No Game Scheduled Bristole @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - RHP Moises Gomez GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (DH @ 11:00am CST) - Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

With a full slate of action on Tuesday, fans all across Twins Territory already were getting plenty of chances to watch baseball on Independence Day. Then three of those six games went into extra innings so the fans that made it out to the ballparks in Chattanooga, Tampa, and Fort Myers got free baseball to enjoy on the holiday. One of those games even ended with fireworks in the form of a walk-off home run for the good guys.To find out who the standouts on the Fourth of July were in the minors, and just how many extra innings those teams played, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS Before we get into the games, there were a few Independence Day transactions. In Rochester, Justin Haley was sent on a rehab assignment to the Red Wings and made the start in their game. Outfielder Ryan Strausborger was promoted from Chattanooga and Kennys Vargas was optioned to AAA. The Lookouts also got a pitcher on a rehab assignment, theirs in the form of Zack Jones, who also started the game for Chattanooga though under different circumstances than Haley. RED WINGS REPORT Pawtucket 3, Rochester 5 Box Score The Red Wings got another multi-hit effort from Zack Granite, who went 2-4 with three RBI. He scored one of those with a single in the second inning, and his fourth inning single scored the other two and gave Rochester a 4-2 lead. They extended their lead to three in the fifth on a wild-pitch that allowed Mitch Garver to scamper home from third. Justin Haley made the start for the Red Wings and went the first three innings in his first rehab appearance. He allowed a two-run home run in the third and four hits total while striking out three. Nik Turley came on in relief and went the next five innings. He allowed no runs on two hits and a walk, and added three K’s. Jake Reed pitched the ninth inning and picked up his second save for Rochester. He did allow a solo home run for the final score of 5-3, but also struck out the last two hitters of the game. It was Reed’s first run allowed at AAA. Niko Goodrum scored two runs with a 1-2 day that included a walk. Bengie Gonzalez picked up the other RBI for the Red Wings with a single in the second inning that scored Kennys Vargas. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Tennessee 5, Chattanooga 6 (14 innings) Box Score Chattanooga jumped out to a 5-1 lead after five innings, but weren’t able to keep the Smokies at bay. They scored those five runs thanks to a T.J. White RBI single in the second inning, a Jonathan Rodriguez two-run homer in the fourth, and a two-RBI single off the bat of LaMonte Wade in the fifth. Starter Kohl Stewart gave up a run in the top of the first after a giving up a one-out double, but that would be it for the Smokies against him. He went five innings, allowing four hits and one walk. He struck out one. Relievers Matt Tracy and Paul Clemens each threw two innings, but the Smokies also tagged each of them for two runs to tie the game at five in the top of the eighth. Tracy’s runs came on three walks and double while Clemens’ came on four hits including three doubles. Both relievers also struck out two. Randy Rosario took over in the tenth, and went the next three scoreless and perfect innings while picking up two K’s. Luke Bard came on for the thirteenth inning and pitched a one-two-three frame. Chattanooga had an opportunity in the bottom of the thirteenth as three two-out walks loaded the bases, but Levi Michael grounded out to end the inning. Bard came back out in the fourteenth and again had a one-two-three inning, striking out the final two hitters of this one. Over his last eleven appearances and 17.2 innings pitched, Bard has allowed just one run on twelve hits and six walks, while striking out 30. #FreeBard The Lookouts got another bases-loaded opportunity in the fourteenth after a Nick Gordon single and walks to Edgar Corcino and LaMonte Wade with two outs, and this time the day’s hero came through. Designated hitter Rodriguez knocked his fourth hit of the game, a single to score Gordon and walk it off after a long day. Rodriguez finished 4-6 with two runs scored, two doubles, his tenth home run, a walk, and three runs batted in. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Tampa 2 (14 innings) Box Score Fort Myers fell behind 1-0 in the second inning when starter David Fischer gave up a solo home run. He was pretty good otherwise in his four innings however, allowing just one other hit with one strikeout. Michael Theofanopoulos went the next three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and a walk, with six K’s. The Miracle tied the game at one in the top of the ninth inning thanks to an RBI single from Mitchell Kranson. His hit scored Jermaine Palacios who had singled to lead off the inning. Sam Clay came on for Theofanopoulos in the eighth and brought the game into extra innings. He finished four scoreless innings and allowed one hit, walked three and struck out two. Position Player Pitcher Alert: Catcher Kevin Garcia was the next arm brought on to pitch and he made it two plus innings. He had the first two outs of the bottom of the fourteenth, but a solo home run ended the game for Fort Myers. The Miracle lineup, despite the five extra frames, had just two at-bats in the entire contest with runners in scoring position and went 1-2. They had six singles after nine innings, and added three more singles for nine total hits on the game after fourteen innings. Max Murphy, Palacios and Kranson all had two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Lewin Diaz, but that’s all the offense they would push across for the game as this one also turned into a pitcher’s duel. Eduardo Del Rosario made the start for the Kernels and went seven strong innings. He allowed just one run on a solo home run, three hits total, walked none and struck out six. The game was tied 1-1 when he left after those seven innings, and Max Cordy pitched a scoreless eighth before a leadoff walk in the ninth allowed the Timber Rattlers to manufacture the go-ahead run. The lineup for Cedar Rapids collected just six hits and was led by Diaz (2-3, RBI) and Ben Rortvedt (2-3, 2B) who each had two. Lean Marrero added a triple in the fifth inning but was left stranded. As a team they were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. E-TWINS E-NOTES Princeton 6, Elizabethton 2 Box Score Twins Daily’s 2016 Short Season Pitcher of the Year, Huascar Ynoa, made the start for the Twins and went the first five innings. They were of the scoreless variety as he allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out three. Elizabethton scored the first run of the game in the second inning when Andrew Cosgrove singled in Andrew Bechtold, who had picked up his first double of the year a batter earlier. The Twins made the score 2-0 for their starter in the bottom of the fifth when Jose Miranda led off the inning with his second Appalachian League home run. Bryan Sammons came on in relief of Ynoa for the sixth inning, and an error led to an unearned run to make the score 2-1. Sammons added a scoreless seventh inning and struck out three in his outing. In the eighth, Blair Lakso was summoned to keep the lead but it wasn’t meant to be. With one out there was an errant throw on a steal attempt, then a walk, single, wild pitch, two-run double, and RBI single ended his outing with the score 5-2 Princeton. Jared Finkel came on and got the last out of the inning with a K and he finished the game with another frame, but gave up an insurance run in the ninth on three singles. Down 6-2 in the bottom of the ninth, the Twins did their best to mount a comeback by loading the bases with two-outs for Brent Rooker. Unfortunately his ground ball to third didn’t find a hole and dropped Elizabethton to 8-5 on the season. Miranda finished his day 2-5 with the home run, Bechtold was 1-3 with a double, a run scored, and walk, and Matt Albanese added a double to lead the offensive effort. As a team they were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 4 (10 innings) Box Score The GCL Twins jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning thanks to a Benjamin Rodriguez triple that scored Akil Baddoo and Victor Tademo who had reached base via a walk and hit by pitch, respectively. They made it 3-0 in the third as Royce Lewis drew a walk to lead off the frame and stole second base before Rodriguez singled him in. In the fifth Rodriguez delivered again with a single to score Alex Robles, who had doubled earlier in the inning. The Twins would need all those Rodriguez runs batted in as the Rays finally got to the bullpen of the Twins in the eighth inning. Zack Jones had started the game for his first rehab appearance, and stuck out two in the first inning. Jordan Balazovic then came on and went the next five scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six. Matt Jones pitched a scoreless seventh inning before running into a heap of trouble after a strike three got away from the catcher and put a runner on. Four more singles and a hit batter scored four runs to tie the game before Austin Bizzle came one and struck out the two hitters he faced to end the threat. Jose Burmudez brought the game into extra innings with two scoreless frames, including the tenth which started with a runner on second base under the new rules. In the bottom of the tenth, Lewis started on second base for the Twins as he was the last out of the ninth inning. He didn’t have to do much running, as Baddoo launched his first home run of the season in walk-off fashion to give the Twins the 6-4 win and bring on the fireworks. Despite just six hits as a team, thanks to Rodriguez and Baddoo the Twins made the most of them by getting four of those with runners in scoring position. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Eduardo Del Rosario, Cedar Rapids Kernels (7.0IP, ER, 3 H’s, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts (GW-single in fourteenth inning. 4-6, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, HR, BB, 3 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester, Game 1 (3:35PM CST) – RHP Dillon Gee (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Pawtucket @ Rochester, Game 2 (TBD) - TBD Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (0-0, -.-- ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Evan Sanders (0-1, 11.25 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – RHP Moises Gomez (0-0, 14.29 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

UPDATED (Friday afternoon): added C Andrew Cosgrove, C Colton Waltner, IF Andrew Bechtold, IF Carson Crites, IF Jordan Gore, IF JJ Robinson, OF TJ Dixon, RHP Nick Brown, RHP Christian Broussard, RHP Jared Finkel, RHP Bailey Ober, RHP Ricky Ramirez, and LHP Ryley Widell UPDATED (Thursday afternoon): added OF Brent Rooker, OF Mark Contreras, LHP Bryan Sammons, and RHP Calvin Faucher. On Thursday, the Elizabethton Twins will open up their 2017 season at home against the Danville Braves. Below you can find the 2017 Elizabethton Twins Opening Day roster... or at least the current Elizabethton Twins roster. More players will be added as early as tomorrow. This team has some older players, college guys drafted this year or last, but there are some very intriguing younger players who are certainly worth watching. I also think there are more players jumping straight from the Dominican Summer League to Elizabethton than in years past. Elizabethton is a small, mountain town, an ideal place for some minor leaguers to make their professional debut. Many of these players, particularly those drafted earlier this month, have likely never been real far from home or had to pay their own bills. Some may not have ever used a wood bat or played under the lights. Some have been in Ft. Myers for the last three months at extended spring training, eagerly anticipating getting to Tennessee (if not Iowa) to start playing games where box scores show up online! Manager Ray Smith has been on the coaching staff in Elizabethton for 31 seasons now. This is his 23rd season as manager. His hitting coach, another former big leaguer, Jeff Reed will be in that role for the 15th straight year. This year, Luis Ramirez is the team’s pitching coach. It is his third season in that role after spending 2014 in that same role in the GCL and 2013 in the Venezuelan Baseball Academy.Here is a very brief look at the players on the 2017 Elizabethton Twins Opening Day roster, though we know there will be others added soon. In fact, Twins Daily has learned that four players will be added to this roster on Thursday, and more on Friday. In large part, this may be due to the draft being a week later than it has been in past years. I’m certain you’ll notice some names missing. This page will be updated as the players are added. We’ll post the GCL roster preview in coming days and some of your questions may be answered. It’s possible some are heading up to Cedar Rapids, and some players have already been released. We’ll try to find answers to all of these questions. Note also that this roster is subject to change for a variety of reasons, particularly in the next few days as more 2017 draft picks sign, etc. THE ROSTER Catchers: Robert Molina (20), Rainis Silva (21), Bryant Hayman (24-DL) Molina hit just .135/.200/.149 (.349) in 25 games (80 PA) in 2016. Silva hit .230/.297/.254 (.551) with three doubles in 37 games a year ago at Cedar Rapids. Hayman had ACL surgery earlier this year. Infielders: Andre Jernigan (23), Wander Javier (18), Kolton Kendrick (20), Jose Miranda (18). Wander Javier is one of the organization’s top prospects. Signed to a $4 million bonus in 2015, he played in just nine games a year ago in the DSL due to hamstring issues. He is impressive offensively and defensively at shortstop. Jose Miranda was one of two compensation picks that the Twins had last year between the second and third rounds. Drafted as a shortstop, the assumption was that he would move to third base at some point. That happened already in spring training. He played in the GCL after the draft last year. Kolton Kendrick was the team’s eighth-round pick in 2015 out of high school in Louisiana. He lost time that year due to mono, and last year, he really struggled with the bat in the GCL. The burly first baseman will get a shot in the Appy League this year. Andre Jernigan was the Twins 14th-round pick in 2016 out of Xavier University. In 36 games a year ago in Elizabethton, he hit .243/.336/.374 (.710) with six doubles, a triple and two home runs. Outfielders: Matt Albanese (21), Trey Cabbage (20), Shane Carrier (21), Brent Rooker (22), Mark Contreras (22), Alex Kirilloff (19-DL). Trey Cabbage has been transitioning somewhat to the outfield during extended spring. That said, he’s also likely to play a lot at third base as well. The Twins fourth- round pick in 2015 out of high school hit .204/.297/.337 (.634) with five doubles, a triple and two home runs last year in E-Town. Matt Albanese was the Twins eighth- round pick a year ago, but he did not play due to some wrist injuries and a couple of surgeries. He’s a good athlete and looking forward to making his professional debut. Shane Carrier began this season in the Cedar Rapids outfield. In 30 games, he hit .215/.243/.299 (.542) with six doubles and a homer. He can be a big power threat in the middle of the E-Twins lineup. The Twins Comp pick is indeed heading to Elizabethton to start his pro career. So is 9th round pick Mark Contreras. Pitchers: Huascar Ynoa (19), Charlie Barnes (21), Jose Martinez (20), Griffin Jax (22), Taylor Clemensia (20), Jovani Moran (20), Melvi Acosta (22), Juan Gamez (23), Moises Gomez (20), Blair Lakso (22), Carlos Suniaga (20), Edwar Colina (20), Bryan Sammons (22), Calvin Faucher (22), Miguel DeJesus (21-DL), Cam Booser (Restricted List) Huascar Ynoa turned 19 at the end of May. He was the Twins Daily choice for short-season Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year after he went 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA in 11 starts for the GCL Twins. In 51 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 51. He’ll be quite young for this level. Charlie Barnes was the Twins fourth-round pick just last week out of Clemson. Known to have a terrific changeup, he’s a guy who could move up to Cedar Rapids relatively soon. The situation with Griffin Jax sounds as if it is yet to be resolved, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t spend the full season in E-Town, for pitching reasons or Air Force reasons. He made four appearances for the E-Twins during his time off last year. Miguel De Jesus split 2016 between the GCL and Elizabethton. Combined, he went 3-3 with a 2.38 ERA in 53 innings (11 starts). Jose Martinez made 11 starts last year for the E-Twins but went 1-5 with a 7.88 ERA. He gets another shot at the Appy League. Then there are several pitchers who threw in the GCL last year. Lefty Taylor Clemensia (from the Netherlands) pitched 43.2 innings in 11 games (10 starts). He went 1-4 despite a 2.47 ERA and 47 strikeouts (26 walks, too). Juan Gamez was drafted out of NDSU as a catcher. After just a few games, he was moved to the mound where he pitched in three games last year in the GCL. He has a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s. Moises Gomez posted a 1.19 ERA over 37.2 innings last year. He pitched a lot in long relief and ended the season with a start. Several pitchers are making the jump from the Dominican Summer League to Elizabethton this year. Melvi Acosta went 5-2 with a 3.20 ERA over 14 DSL starts. In 70.1 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 57. Edwar Colina struck out 52 (and walked 26) over 58.2 innings. He was 1-3 with a 2.30 ERA. Carlos Suniaga worked 57.2 innings last year. He walked just 13 and struck out 58. He went 7-3 with a 2.03 ERA. Finally, two pitchers who did not pitch in the Twins system at all last year are on this roster. 2015 draft pick Jovani Moran had some bone chips removed before the season last year which caused him to miss the whole year. Blair Lakso was signed after the draft. He was a pitcher at the University of Buffalo, but really struggled. He was working for a summer team when he got some tips from a former big leaguer, John Halama, and suddenly he was throwing more strikes and hitting 95. The Twins signed him. Bryan Sammons was the team's 8th round pick in June. Calvin Faucher was their 10th round pick. Both were senior signs. As I mentioned right from the outset, this roster is subject to change as guys in the GCL start performing, and as more 2017 draft picks decide to sign and report. For instance, Brent Rooker is not currently on this roster, and yet we have heard that he will start in E-Town. It has to be challenging for the coaches and for the minor league coordinator to keep things straight for the next week or so with these rosters. On Monday afternoon, the GCL Twins will play their first game. We’ll provide a roster preview for them in the coming days. Click here to view the article

Last week, I began a review of my updated, midseason Top 40 Minnesota Twins prospects. In Part 1, we reviewed prospects 31-40. In Part 2, we looked at prospects 21-30. As we jump into the Top 20, we will briefly profile five players at a time. Today’s grouping of five is rather interesting. Two upper-level relief pitcher prospects. Two very young, but immensely talented arms. A former top prospect who has really struggled yet still profiles well by several reports. This group illustrates so much about pitching prospects. There are lots of young arms with huge upsides, but there is a reason that TINSTAAPP (There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect) is a thing in baseball circles. Some take off and become MLB starters. Some struggle with control, adding secondary pitches or injury and never reach their perceived potential. Some become relievers. Some relievers who throw really hard get hurt.Today’s group of prospects also illustrates why prospect rankings are so difficult. There is such a large range of talent, age, and potential. Some players are very young and have a lot of development to do. Others have pitched at the highest level. With that, I present Part 3 of my midseason Top 40 Prospect Rankings, prospects 16-20. 20. Huascar Ynoa, RHP, 19 Ynoa turned 19 years old on Memorial Day. He signed with the Twins in July of 2014 out of the Dominican Republic. His brother Michael is a reliever for the Chicago White Sox. After spending 2015 in the Dominican Summer League, he came to the States in 2016. He was the Twins Daily short-season minor league pitcher of the year. For the GCL Twins, he went 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 11 starts and 51 innings. He walked 12 and struck out 51. Ynoa throws hard, sitting 91-93 and touching 95. He’s got the makings of really good secondary pitches. He’ll likely pitch at Elizabethton this season. 19. Nick Burdi, RH RP, 24 After a long 2016 season in which he missed most of the season with a bone bruise in his elbow, things were looking good for Nick Burdi in 2017… at least until last week. Burdi had pitched 17 innings in 14 outings for Chattanooga. He had four walks and 20 strikeouts. He had given up just one run, on a solo homer. His ERA was 0.53 ,and his WHIP was 0.77. There was talk of him being ready for a promotion to Rochester, if not even directly to the Twins. He was hitting 100 with regularly. And then news came late last week that he has a torn UCL and will need Tommy John surgery which will put him out for the rest of the season. The Twins second-round pick in 2014 out of Louisville. 18. JT Chargois, RH RP, 25 The Twins second-round pick in 2012 out of Rice University, Chargois missed the 2013 and 2014 seasons with an elbow injury and Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2015 and stayed healthy. Last year, he dominated the minor leagues and got a chance to pitch for the Twins. Early results were not good but he was terrific in September. His velocity (normally 95-98 on the fastball) was a little down this spring and he struggled, so he went down to Rochester. Unfortunately, he has pitched in just two games this year due to elbow concerns. Frankly, we haven’t heard anything on him in quite some time. But as we’ve seen, when he’s healthy, his fastball-slurvy thing-change up can be a late-inning threat for the Twins. 17. Kohl Stewart, RHP, 22 It’s been a difficult start to the 2017 season for Stewart, the Twins first-round pick in the 2013 draft. While he’s never been a big strikeout pitcher, he’s always done a good job of not giving up too many hits and not walking batters. He’s maintained low ERAs. However, he went 0-4 with a 5.62 ERA in six starts to begin the season. In just 24 innings, he walked 22 and struck out 14. He was placed on the disabled list with a ‘knee’ injury. Still just 22, there is no reason to give up on Stewart. He has great talent. He throws into the mid-90s. He’s got a good slider. He can have a good changeup. Let’s hope that he gets healthy and starts throwing strikes again, because if he’s got those things, he can still be a solid starter. 16. Brusdar Graterol, RHP, 18 When I posted a previous Top 40, I had Graterol ranked in the low-20s. I felt that might have been too low, but most readers told me I had him too high. I’m sticking to my thinking and have moved him up. While he hasn’t pitched in nearly two years, and that was just 11 innings over four starts in the DSL (also 1 walk, 17 strikeouts), Graterol is intriguing. The right-hander signed with the Twins in 2014, but after those 11 innings in 2015, he came to the States and had Tommy John. He missed all of 2016. but he was pitching (and hitting 100 mph) in Instructional League. Unfortunately, before spring training, he broke his hand and had to sit most of camp. But he’s back, and he’s often sitting 97-98 with his fastball. He’s also got some solid secondary pitches. Now he just needs to be healthy and start working some innings. So there you have my selections for Twins Prospects 16-20. Feel free to discuss, ask questions, debate, etc. Click here to view the article

No one covers Twins minor league baseball like we do at Twins Daily, and today is one of those days. We take a look at the young Twins players who remain in Ft. Myers in extended spring training. Players that didn’t make a full-season team’s Opening Day roster will remain, for an extended time, in spring training in Ft. Myers. They call this, creatively, extended spring training. These players will continue to work out, practice, play some games against other teams, and generally just keep ready. Some are getting ready for when there is a need at Cedar Rapids or even Ft. Myers (such as Casey Scoggins who has already moved up to the Miracle). Some are waiting for the short-season leagues to start in late June, and then head to Elizabethton, Tennessee, or remain in Ft. Myers and play in the GCL. Today we’ll take a quick look at the players who remain in Ft. Myers for extended spring training. Which do you think will surface in Cedar Rapids? Who are the prospects? There is a little bit of everything in this group.What do the guys do in extended spring training. Literally, it is very similar to regular spring training. Each morning there is a workout/practice. Approximately five days a week, they will play a game in the afternoon against EST teams of the Red Sox, Orioles or Rays. Most weeks, there will be one day where they will just practice and work out. They get Sundays off. You’ll see a lot of these guys go watch the Miracle games at night when they are at home. Players are able to take English classes at the player academy. Their final game is June 13th. At that point, players from the draft will also start on June 12th. COACHING STAFFS Ray Smith is again the manager of the Elizabethton Twins. It is his 31st season with the Elizabethton Twins, and the 24th as manager. There were a few years in there where he was a coach so that the Twins could have a manager work with him. He has a managerial record of 936-621. He has won six Appalachian League titles. He originally signed with the Twins in 1977, and he played in 83 big league games for the Twins between 1981 and 1983. His hitting coach for the 16th straight season is Jeff Reed. Reed was the Twins first round pick in 1980 and played in 93 games for the Twins from 1984 through 1986. The catcher went on to play a total of 17 seasons in the big leagues. Luis Ramirez is back for his third season as the E-Twins pitching coach. He had coached in the GCL the two previous years. He also spent eight seasons as the Twins pitching coordinator in their Venezuelan Academy. The manager for the GCL Twins for the seventh season is Ramon Borrego. Before coaching for the Twins in the States, he spent a year in the Dominican Republic and four years in Venezuela. From 1996 through 2002, he was an infielder in the Twins minor league system, reaching AAA in 2002. He is joined by two pitching coaches. Virgil Vasquez is in his third season on the job. He spent big league time with the Tigers and Pirates, and he played for the Twins AA and AAA teams in 2013 and 2014. He still plays in Australia in the offseason. Cibney Bello is in his second season with the organization, coming over from the Mariners organization. Toby Gardenhire was supposed to be a hitting coach in the GCL, but he was named the third base coach for Rochester last week due to Mike Quade’s shoulder injury and surgery. The Twins will still need to add a hitting coach or two for the GCL team. ROSTERS Catchers: Jhon Alvarez, Kerby Camacho, Darling Cuestro, Justin Hazard, Robert Molina, Kidany Salva, Rainis Silva, Bryant Hayman (DL-knee) Infielders: Trey Cabbage, Mario Calcano, Joe Cronin, Dane Hutcheon, Wander Javier, Andre Jernigan, Kolton Kendrick, Shane Kennedy, Amaurys Minier, Jose Miranda, Emmanuel Morel, Jorge Munoz, Bradley Strong, Victor Tademo, Roni Tapia, TJ White Outfielders: Matt Albanese, Isaiah Aluko, Jean-Carlos Arias, Akil Baddoo, Zach Featherstone, Edgar Herrera, Humber Maldonado, Lean Marrero, Hank Morrison, Casey Scoggins, Alex Kirilloff (DL-elbow) Pitchers: Melvi Acosta, Chris Anderson, Petru Balan, Vadim Balan, Jordan Balazovic, Jose Bermudez, Tyler Benninghoff, Domenick Carlini, Taylor Clemensia, Edwar Colina, Amilcar Cruz, Miguel DeJesus, Juan Gamez, Pedro Garcia, Moises Gomez, Brusdar Graterol, Quin Grogan, Matt Jones, Blair Lakso, Logan Lombana, Jose Martinez, Ryan Mason, Patrick McGuff, Jovani Moran, Callan Pearce, Johan Quezada, Evan Sanders, Matz Schutte, Carlos Suniaga, Lewis Thorpe, Huascar Ynoa TOP PROSPECTS Alex Kirilloff - The Twins top pick in 2016 will miss the season due to Tommy John surgery.Wander Javier - The bonus baby just two years ago, Javier may have as much upside as any Twins prospect.Huascar Ynoa - High upside right-hander, works into the mid-90s. Very young.Akil Baddoo - supplemental second round pick last year out of high school, very strong, good left-handed swing.Jose Miranda - supplemental second round pick last year out of high school in Puerto Rico as a shortstop, moved to third base already (as expected), strong right-handed swing.Brusdar Graterol - After Tommy John, he came back during Instructs last year throwing 98+. Unfortunately, he broke his hand before spring training and will be out a bit longer.Lewis Thorpe - He’ll surface on a full season soon, we hope, and looks to show he’s still got it after missing the 2015 and 2016 seasons.Jordan Balazovic - Canadian draft pick from 2016, throws hard, looks the part of a starter. Very young, but has potential.Amaurys Minier - Two years in the GCL. Two years in Elizabethton. Back to EST again, though he did hit 10 homers in E-Town last year. Should move up before short season.Trey Cabbage - injured last year heading into the E-Town season, he missed a couple of weeks this spring with a foot injury. Smooth swing, very strong, athletic, huge potential. Needs to play.Tyler Benninghoff - Twins 11th round pick last year out of high school, he immediately had Tommy John surgery. He’s recently started throwing bullpens off a mound. Could possibly pitch very late in GCL season.STORIES TO WATCHThe Cedar Rapids rotation is filled with guys from the 2016 draft, but there are some more bullpen arms that need to be pushed up to Cedar Rapids before the short season gets under way.Teams can only have a certain number of players play in the rookie leagues (GCL/Elizabethton) for more than three years. That number has increased in recent years, but there are a lot of players on this list who have played at least three years in the rookie leagues including former bonus baby Amaurys Minier.The biggest surprise for me on this list is outfielder Casey Scoggins. The 40th round pick in 2016 out of the University of Tampa moved up to Cedar Rapids last year after just four games in Elizabethton. He held his own and was an instigator at the top of the Kernels lineup. He also won a Gold Glove for his centerfield defense one year in college. Instead, Australian Aaron Whitefield is in Cedar Rapids to start the season after his strong showing in the GCL last year and in the ABL this winter. (Note that Casey Scoggins was already added to the Ft. Myers roster.)Will Lewis Thorpe take the Fernando Romero plan from 2016? Romero went to Cedar Rapids in mid-May for three starts before moving up to Ft. Myers. He was shut down one week before the season’s end. Maybe the same thing will happen with Thorpe? Could he go straight to Ft. Myers?What will the Twins do with Chris Anderson? The Centennial High School grad was the Dodgers #1 pick in 2013 out of Jacksonville University. He struggled last year and was released late in spring training. The Twins will likely work with him in EST and then start him back up the ladder. No real risk in bringing in the big talent, and there is some potential for reward still.There are also several veterans that remain in Ft. Myers. They are either on the disabled list of an affiliate, or they are working on something in their game before going to an affiliate.There are about a dozen players who have come to the US from the new Twins academy in the Dominican Republic now that spring training is complete.Feel free to discuss the talent that the Twins have in Extended Spring Training. You can ask as many questions as you’d like and we’ll try to get them answered. Click here to view the article

We continue to look at and recognize Minnesota Twins prospects. We've already discussed many Twins prospects. Today, we discuss five more, my choices for Twins prospects 11 through 15. When we get to this point, it comes with prospects where you can try to start envisioning their future. Again, there are a couple of guys that we could see in 2017. There is a power hitter, and another hitter with a tremendous approach at the plate. There’s another hard-throwing reliever, and a strike-throwing machine who has risen these rankings over the last couple of years. And there’s a flame-throwing teenager with upside, but a long ways to go. If you've missed any of the previous installments, check them out here: Part 1 (41-50) Part 2 (31-40) Part 3 (26-30) Part 4 (21-25) Part 5 (16-20) And then feel free to join the conversation. Ask questions, start thinking about your Top 30 or Top 50 list.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 11-15 #15 – Nick Burdi - 23 – RH RP – Chattanooga Lookouts Burdi was the Twins second-round pick in 2014 out of Louisville. That summer, he pitched in Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He began 2015 in Chattanooga but struggled enough to be sent back to Ft. Myers. He walked three and struck out 29 in 20 innings for the Miracle before moving back up to the Lookouts where he and JT Chargois shut the door in the late innings of their Southern League championship run. He went to the Arizona Fall League where he walked one and struck out 11 in eight scoreless innings. Burdi was invited to big league spring training and really impressed the coaching staff. He went to minor league camp and was shut down with some forearm soreness. He returned and threw in three games for the Lookouts before being shut down with a bone bruise near his elbow. He didn’t return. But the 23-year-old remains a top relief pitching prospect because of a big, upper-90s fastball and a terrific slider. With health, we should see him in a Twins uniform in 2017. #14 – LaMonte Wade - 23 – OF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle Wade was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2015 out of the University of Maryland. After signing, he went to Elizabethton where he hit .312/.428/.506 (.934) with eight doubles, five triples and nine home runs. What stood out is that he walked 46 times and struck out just 34 times. He ended the season with four games in Cedar Rapids, which is where he started the 2016 season. He was a Midwest League All-Star after hitting .280/.410/.396 (.806) with 13 extra base hits. He walked 44 times with just 27 strikeouts. After the game, he was promoted to the Miracle. In the Florida State League, he hit .318/.386/.518 (.904) before his season came to an end with an injury. While he played center field throughout most of the 2016, he likely profiles more as a left fielder. Wade has an extremely professional approach at the plate. He’s solid all-around and people are most impressed with his makeup. He can hit and has gap-to-gap power that could develop more into home run power. He’s got average outfield speed and runs the bases well. None of his tools jump out when you watch him once, but over time, one can notice that he really doesn’t have a weakness in his game. #13 – Huascar Ynoa - 18 – RHP – GCL Twins Ynoa was the Twins biggest international signing in July of 2014, signing for about $800,000. He made his professional debut in 2015 in the DSL where he went 2-5 but posted a 2.70 ERA in 56.2 innings. He came to the States for the 2016 season and pitched for the GCL Twins. He went 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. In 51 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 51. Ynoa’s brother, Michael, was originally signed by the A’s for $4.25 million but debuted in the White Sox bullpen in 2016. Michael is 6-7 and 210 pounds. Huascar is 6-3 and about 215 pounds. Huascar throws 90 to 95 mph with movement. He’s still working on his secondary pitches. He has the ability to be nasty, but as you would expect of an 18-year-old, he’ll need to be more consistent. #12 – Felix Jorge - 22 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Jorge signed with the Twins in 2010 as a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic. He spent a season in the DSL. He came to the States in 2012 and pitched in the GCL. He moved up to Elizabethton in 2013. He began the 2014 season in Cedar Rapids, but after a month of struggling, he went back to EST. He pitched for the E-Twins again and was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. He returned to Cedar Rapids in 2015 as a different pitcher. He went 6-7 with a 2.79 ERA. He began 2016 in the vaunted Miracle starting rotation. According to some reports, he was the best of the group in Ft. Myers. He went 9-3 with a 1.55 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 93 innings. He moved up to AA Chattanooga where he experienced some issues. In 11 starts, he went 3-5 with a 4.12 and a 1.28 WHIP. Overall, he walked just 1.2 per nine innings. In Ft. Myers, he struck out 7.5 per nine, but that dropped to just 3.9 per nine over his 74.1 innings in AA. He ended the season with a complete game, one-run game against Jackson. And in reality, he gave up more than three runs in just two of his 11 starts for the Lookouts. He also worked five or more innings in all 11 starts, and he worked into the seventh inning in seven of 11 starts because he keeps the pitch count down. Jorge attacks the zone with a fastball that touches the 94-95 range at times. He throws a ton of strikes, generally keeping the ball on the ground. Jorge could have been selected in the Rule 5 draft last offseason. Will the Twins add him this November? #11 – Daniel Palka - 24 – OF – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings Last November, Terry Ryan traded Chris Herrmann to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return, the team received OF/1B Daniel Palka. Until then, few Twins fans knew of Palka. However, we all checked out his stats and found that last year in High-A Visalia, he hit .280/.352/.532 (.885) with 36 doubles, three triples, 29 home runs, 90 RBI and 24 stolen bases. This for Chris Herrmann, who was out of options and not likely to stick with the Twins in 2016. Palka reported to Twins minor league spring training. He got an opportunity to play in a big league game, and he hit home runs in his first two at-bats. He added another two days later in a big league game. It was a sign of things to come for Palka in 2016. He began the season in Chattanooga where he hit .270/.348/.547 (.894) with 12 doubles, four triples, 21 homers and 65 RBI in 79 games. He was a Southern League All-Star and later was promoted to AAA Rochester. In 54 games with the Miracle, he hit .232/.296/.483 (.779) with 12 doubles, 13 homers and 25 home runs. In AA, he struck out 29% of the time. In AAA, he struck out 39% of the time. Palka has Sano and Walker power. Like Walker, he’ll have to cut down his strikeout rate to have big league success, but sometime in 2017, he will get an opportunity. He has to be added to the Twins 40-man roster in November or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. So there you have it, my choices for Twins prospects 11-15. We’ll be back tomorrow with Part 7, Prospects 6-10. Click here to view the article

Short season pitchers can be tough to evaluate. One bad outing when players have limited innings can really skew a player's overall numbers. Should fans only be looking at the players who are starters? Can a relief pitcher be the best player on a short season team and the best short season pitcher? As evidenced by the ballots below, the Twins Daily minor league writing team had a tough time voting for this award. The overall winner was left off one person's ballot, was fifth on another ballot, but he was the only player to make it onto four ballots. The third place winner only made it on to two ballots, but he finished first on both of those ballots. And a relief pitcher came in second place!The five Twins Daily Minor League Report authors were asked to vote for the various awards. 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. First, a reminder of our previous awards: Short-Season Hitter of the Year – Lewin DiazShort profiles of our top five are to follow, but first, some players worthy of honorable mention. Honorable Mention: Brady Anderson, GCL Twins: 13 G, 9 GS, 5-0, 1.43 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 56.2 IP, 43 H, 0 BB, 42 K.Moises Gomez, GCL Twins: 13 G, 0 GS, 3-0, 1.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 32.2 IP, 29 H, 11 BB, 21 K.Miguel De Jesus, GCL Twins/ Elizabethton Twins : 11 G, 11 GS, 3-3, 2.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 53.0 IP, 37 H, 19 BB, 47 K.Pitcher of the Year Here are the top five vote-getters for Twins Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. #4 (Tie) –Tyler Wells, Elizabethton Twins: 10 GS, 5-2, 3.23 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 47.1 IP, 40 H, 17 BB, 59 K. Wells ended on quite the stretch for the E-Twins. He earned victories in his last four starts (24.1 IP) and he posted a 0.74 ERA and a 27 to 7 strikeout-to-walk ratio during that stretch. He lowered his ERA by 3.24 between July and August while decreasing his walk rate and his WHIP. Wells was particularly effective against right-handed batters as he collected 34 strikeouts compared to six walks over 112 at-bats. #4 (Tie) – Taylor Clemensia, GCL Twins: 11 G, 10 GS, 1-4, 2.47 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 43.2 IP, 27 H, 26 BB, 47 K. Clemensia joined the Twins organization this season after pitching last year in the Dutch Major League. He got off to a strong start as he allowed two earned runs and held opponents to a .083 batting average through his first four appearances. Walks have been the biggest struggle for Clemensia as he has allowed batters to get on base over 31% of the time. #3 – Bo Hellquist, GCL Twins: 11 GS, 3-2, 1.34 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 60.2 IP, 46 H, 15 BB, 49 K. Hellquist, an Edina native and a University of Minnesota-Duluth product, has been very consistent this season as he didn't allow more than one earned run in his first 10 appearances. In his last outing, he allowed three earned runs but he struck out six on the way to his fifth victory. His ERA was 2.50 or lower in each month of the season. Even though he is a lefty, Hellquist fared better against right-handed foes. Lefties posted a .705 OPS and a 9 to 2 strikeout to walk ratio (56 AB) while righties had a .571 OPS and a 37 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio (156 ABs). He struck out five or more batters in four of his eleven appearances and he never walked more than two batters in a game. #2 – Patrick McGuff, Elizabethton Twins/GCL Twins 22 G, 17 GF, 2-0, 2.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 26 H, 10 BB, 42 K. During his professional debut, McGuff has shown plenty of positive signs. He started the year with four appearances out of the GCL Twins bullpen. He picked up two saves and only allowed three base runners during that stretch. He struck out nine and didn't issue a walk before being promoted to the E-Twins. He continued his hot pitching after being promoted. Through his first six appearances with Elizabethton, he didn't allow an earned run and he posted a 17 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio. Over his next four games, he allowed a pair of earned runs but he was still able to pick up saves in two of those outings. Across his last eight games (11.0 IP), he has earned a save or victory as the E-Twins were in the midst of the playoff hunt. Opponents were limited to a .275 SLG during this stretch and he had a 12 to 2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Pitcher of the Year – Huascar Ynoa, GCL Twins : 11 G, 11 GS, 3-5, 3.88 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 51.0 IP, 44 H, 12 BB, 51 K. In his first year of baseball in the United States, Ynoa took a while to get the ball rolling. Through his first five appearances (27.1 IP), he had an 0-4 record but combined for a respectable 2.96 ERA with a 31 to 7 strikeout to walk ratio. Opponents were hitting .241/.299/.287 against him during this stretch but he wasn't able to earn a win. As the calendar flipped to August, Ynoa began to find his groove. He reeled off three straight wins to start the month when he pitched five innings in every outing and allowed only one earned run. He collected 13 strikeouts and only two walks through those three games as opponents were limited to a .426 OPS and a .243 BABIP. His last two starts were not as clean as he allowed nine runs (eight earned runs) in 8.2 innings of work. Batters were getting on over 32% of the time and he allowed more than a hit per inning. Even with this rough end to the season, Ynoa did well enough to be the Twins best short season pitcher. There you have it, the top pitchers in the short season leagues. The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Patrick McGuff, 2.) Moises Gomez, 3.) Huascar Ynoa, 4.) Jordan Balazovic, 5.) Taylor ClemensiaJeremy Nygaard – 1) Huascar Ynoa, 2.) Taylor Clemensia, 3.) Brady Anderson , 4.) Miguel De Jesus, 5.) Patrick McGuffCody Christie – 1) Bo Hellquist, 2.) Tyler Wells, 3.) Huascar Ynoa, 4.) Tyler Beardsley, 5.) Miguel De JesusSteve Lein – 1) Brady Anderson, 2.) Patrick McGuff, 3.) Tyler Wells, 4.) Miguel De Jesus, 5.) Huascar YnoaEric Pleiss – 1) Bo Hellquist, 2.) Taylor Clemensia, 3.) Colton Davis, 4.) Tyler Wells, 5.) Moises GomezFeel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look? Click here to view the article

The Twins open a seven-game homestand and the big news of the day in the organization on Monday was that Max Kepler and Joe Mauer were named American League co-Players of the Week. Though two affiliates didn’t play Monday, there was still plenty of action and moves. Per Jeff Johnson, Christian Ibarra (pictured) was promoted to Fort Myers along with Manuel Guzman. Travis Blankenhorn and Brandon Lopez will join the Kernels from Elizabethton.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester - OFF DAY Trevor Plouffe’s rehab has ended and Byron Buxton’s return to AAA begins… tomorrow (we think) when the Red Wings open a series in Syracuse. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Jacksonville 2 Box Score The Lookouts failed to get a hit with a runner in scoring position (0-for-4) and got shut out for the second time this month. David Hurlbut gave up two runs (one earned) in 6.2 innings. He allowed six hits and a walk. He only struck out one. He was charged with the loss and is now 7-7. Alan Busenitz made his second scoreless appearance for his new club. He still hasn’t struck anyone out. Mason Melotakis struck out two in a perfect frame. Offensively, Chattanooga spread out five singles and a Ryan Walker double, his ninth. Corcino added a walk to his single to be the only other hitter to reach safely twice. The Lookouts fall to 58-56. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers vs St. Lucis - POSTPONED, RAIN Hammond Stadium’s field was unplayable Monday night, forcing the series opener between the Miracle and the St. Lucie Mets to be postponed until Tuesday. The teams will be play two seven-innings games beginning at 4 p.m. CST. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 4 Box Score The duo of Christian Ibarra and Luis Arraez (pictured above) combined for seven hits, two doubles, a walk, three runs and five RBIs. Jaylin Davis doubled twice and stole a base, Rainis Silva drove in two runs on two hits and Nelson Molina added another RBI in his two-hit game. Sam Gibbons lasted six inning and picked up a win, his sixth. He only allowed three hits, but issued four free passes and two unearned runs scored. He struck out one and was aided by the ground ball, getting two double plays. Logan Lombana gave up two runs in two innings and Tom Hackimer allowed a hit in the final frame. The Kernels are 61-52 E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Danville 3 (Game 1; 12 innings) Box Score There’s nothing like planning to play fourteen innings over two games… and then turning one of those seven-inning games into a 12-inning affair. That’s exactly what happened in the front end of Monday’s doubleheader. It took (only) three hours and sixteen minutes before a Shane Carrier walk-off single ended it. Carrier, Alex Kirilloff and Trey Cabbage had two-hit games. The whole offense totaled only nine hits. Cabbage had the only extra-base hit (a double). Kirilloff is batting .361 Jose Martinez gave up three runs in 5.2 innings. He struck out and walked one. Patrick McGuff allowed two hits and a walk in three scoreless innings. McGuff has made 13 relief appearances over two levels and allowed only one earned run in his 20 innings. His has an impressive K/9 of 13.5. Austin Tribby pitched the final 3.1 innings, holding Danville scoreless (and only surrendering one hit) while striking out seven. It was, by far, Tribby’s best professional outing. Elizabethton 1, Danville 3 (Game 2) Box Score Three late-inning runs - fueled by misplays in the field - led to an E-town defeat. Miguel De Jesus was a hard-luck loser, giving up only three hits and two walks in six innings. Two runs came across against him, but only one was earned. De Jesus struck out three. After walking the leadoff batter in the seventh inning, De Jesus was replaced by Hector Lujan, who committed an error allowing the winning run to score. Travis Blankenhorn had two hits and an RBI in his final E-town game. Lewin Diaz also had two hits, including a triple, and is now batting .314. Brandon Lopez had a hit and a walk and will likely complete his career at E-town with a .337 average. He did commit his sixth error of the year. Entering the day at .500 and splitting, see the E-Twins exit the day still at .500: 22-22. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 0 Box Score The story of this team is three-fold: Huascar Ynoa, Aaron Whitefield and newly-signed Justin Hazard. Ynoa picked up a win on Monday, improving to only 2-4, but he’s pitched much better than his record indicates. In this outing, Ynoa pitched five innings, allowing only four hits. He struck out two. In his stateside debut season, Ynoa has an ERA of 2.17, a K/9 over 9.0 (38 strikeouts in 37.1 innings), a WHIP barely over 1.00 (31 hits, eight walks) and he hasn’t allowed a home run all season. Whitefield, an Aussie who made his brief debut in the GCL last season, continues to tear up the league. Adding two more hits on Monday, Whitefield has increased his batting average to .321. He stole two bases and now has 22 on the season… in 29 games. Defensively, he’s played all three outfield positions as well as first base. Hazard has played in only nine games, but his two hits bring his season total up to 13 (which is seventh on the team). You have to wonder how long the 22-year-old will stay in the GCL. In other news, Gorge Munez tripled and Roni Tapia hit his third home run. Tapia is batting .093, with only four hits. It’s fairly difficult to have 75% of your hits be home runs and barely have a slugging percentage above .300. Zach Strecker picked up a three-inning save and the GCL Twins improve to 20-18. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Huascar Ynoa, GCL Twins Hitter of the Day – Luis Arraez, Cedar Rapids TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Syracuse (5:35 CST) - LHP Pat Dean (5-6, 5.08) Chattanooga vs Jacksonville (6:15 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (0-2, 5.98 ERA) Fort Myers vs St. Lucie (4:00 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele (5-9, 4.21 ERA) Fort Myers vs St. Lucie (Game 2) - TBD Cedar Rapids vs Peoria (6:35 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson (0-0, 5.40 ERA) Elizabethton vs Danville (6:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells (1-2, 5.87 ERA) GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Not every prospect is going to make it to their ultimate goal. That's the nature of baseball. However, last year's Southern League MVP Max Kepler is sure making hitting at the big league level look pretty easy. A night after becoming the fifth Twins player with three home runs in a game, Kepler cranked another one out in Cleveland. His 13 home runs since June 26 are the most in the American League (two ahead of Brian Dozier). Minnesota's 49 home runs are the most during that same stretch. Are any players following in Kepler's footsteps? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Pawtucket 3 Box Score With Monday's trade deadline passing, there were a flurry of roster moves that impacted the Rochester roster. Newly acquired pitchers Adalberto Mejia and Pat Light were both assigned to the Red Wings. Trevor Plouffe also joined Rochester as part of his rehab assignment. On Tuesday, Jason Wheeler didn't have his best stuff but he was still able to put the Red Wings in position to come out on top. While pitching into the sixth frame, he gave up three runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and a walk. DJ Baxendale, Sean Burnett and JT Chargois put up zeros the rest of the way to close out the win. Chargois allowed two base runners in the ninth but still earned his ninth save. Trevor Plouffe helped get things started for Rochester as he singled to start the second frame. Adam Brett Walker followed with his 21st home run. Things kept moving with Logan Schafer singling before stealing second base. Wilfredo Tovar doubled in Schafer and John Ryan Murphy capped the four-run inning with an RBI single. Schafer had a three-hit night, reaching base in all four plate appearances. He also threw out a runner for his fourth outfield assist. Plouffe finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Daniel Palka and Byung Ho Park each added a double as part of the Triple-P (Palka, Park, Plouffe) middle of the line-up. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga --, Mobile -- (Postponed- Rain) After being rained out on Tuesday, the Lookouts sit at 56-51 on the season and 20-17 in the second half. Kohl Stewart was a tough luck loser as he threw six innings and allowed one earned run but still took the loss. Monday's trade deadline impacted the Chattanooga roster as Alan Busenitz, the minor league player included with Hector Santiago, was assigned to the Lookouts. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Burlington 11 Box Score The Kernels tied things up in the top of the seventh inning at 5-5 but the bullpen imploded in the bottom half of the frame. Kuo Hua Lo allowed nine runs, six earned, on eight hits including two home runs. Sam Gibbons started and scattered six hits while limiting the Bees to two earned runs. He struck out two and walked three. Tom Hackimer pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to end the game. Even in victory, the Bees couldn't get Luiz Arraez out in this game. Arraez finished with a career-high five hits along with two RBIs. He is hitting .335 with the Kernels this year. JJ Fernandez collected his 22nd double as part of a two-hit effort. Chris Ibarra also had a double and those were the only extra-base hits for Cedar Rapids. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Princeton 12 Box Score The E-Twins offense had plenty of opportunities with runners in scoring position but the club went 2-for-16 in those situations and left nine runners on base. Shane Carrier led the way offensively by going 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and two RBIs. Alex Kirilloff, Amaurys Minier and Travis Blankenhorn all went 2-for-5 with each player adding a double. It was Kirilloff's eighth double and he's up to 21 RBIs. Blankenhorn had a very rough night in the field as he was charged with three errors, one fielding and two throwing. Add an Ariel Montesino throwing error and there were seven unearned runs scored against the E-Twins pitching staff. Tyler Wells couldn't make it through four innings and allowed six earned runs on eight hits. Alex Robinson pitched 2.1 innings and limited the Rays to one run on a solo home run. Austin Tribby was asked to get a few extra outs as four unearned runs were scored with him on the mound. Quin Grogan finished the game with a pair of strikeouts in 1.1 innings of work. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Orioles 1 Box Score Huascar Ynoa put the GCL Twins in a great position to win after hurling five shutout frames. He limited the Rays to one hit with five strikeouts and one walk. Onas Fanfar kept the shutout going with three scoreless frames while striking out three. Moises Gomez ran into a little trouble in the ninth by giving up a run on two hits and two walks. Garrett Kelly finished off the final frame for his second save. Every Twins hitter reached base at least once but the club didn't manage a single extra-base hit. Gorge Munoz drove in two runs as part of a two-hit effort. He also stole his fifth base. Aaron Whitefield scored three runs out of the the lead-off spot. The win moves the GCL Twins to two games over .500 and the team is in the midst of a three game winning streak. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Huascar Ynoa, GCL Twins Hitter of the Day – Shane Carrier, Elizabethton Twins WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Pawtucket (6:05 CST) - LHP Pat Dean (4-6, 5.29 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mobile (5:05 CST) - TBD (Rain delay could alter rotation) Chattanooga @ Mobile (Game 2) - TBD Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) -LHP Randy Rosario (6-6, 3.60 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs Clinton (6:35 CST) - TBD GCL Twins vs GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. Click here to view the article