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Cedar Rapids topped Clinton on Friday night, then saw their Saturday tilt against the Lumber Kings suspended due to rain. The next day, they swept the suspended game and the regularly scheduled contest against the Clinton. When Burlington fell to Peoria on that final day of the first half, the Kernels had qualified for the postseason. 2019 is the seventh consecutive season that the Kernels will participate in the MWL playoffs. That’s every season since the Kernels and Twins affiliation began with the 2013 season. It took a major comeback from a very slow start to the season for Cedar Rapids to even be within shouting distance of a playoff spot by mid-June. “We were scuffling a little bit, not playing our best baseball,” recalled manager Brian Dinkelman, this week. “A lot of new players in their first year of pro ball, so getting their feet wet. It was still cold. “Then guys started playing better, it warmed up a little bit. Guys got comfortable. Hitters started swinging the bat a lot better there, the middle of May, finally. They helped out our pitching staff a little bit. Yeah, the last few weeks we made a run. The boys competed well there at the very end. I think they had a sense that they were getting closer, they had a chance to possibly make a playoff spot, so that helped drive them.” The Kernels started the second half of the season a little sluggish, dropping six of the ten games played through the rest of June. But once July rolled in, the Kernels started rolling, as well. They won eight straight games to start the month before suffering a three-game series sweep to Great Lakes. The Kernels’ pitching has been solid to very good all season long and the hitting has started to show signs of coming alive this month. Of course, this being minor league baseball, as soon as a player starts showing he can be consistently successful at this level, he’s getting a ticket to the next level up in the organizational ladder. Four of the Kernels’ top hitters on the season, measured by OPS, have been promoted out of of Cedar Rapids. Only first catcher/first baseman Chris Williams (.836) and baseman Gabe Snyder (.789) remain of the seven position players that put up better than a .650 OPS in a Kernels uniform this season (minimum 10 games with Cedar Rapids). “It’s my fourth year here (in Cedar Rapids) and every year it’s the same,” said Dinkelman. “The guys who do well in the first half usually stick around for all of the first half, then right after the All-Star break, head down to Fort Myers and join the Miracle. That’s the way the game is and it’s good for the players who do well here to move on to the next level and challenge themselves a little bit more and get closer to the big leagues.” Josh Winder put together a string of seven consecutive quality starts. Andrew Cabezas followed up a strong June with a complete game one-hit shutout in his first start of July. Luis Rijo, Tyler Palm, Kai-Wei Teng and Austin Schulfer have all put up quality starts in each of their two July starts. Out of the bullpen, Moises Gomez has had three one-inning scoreless outings, while striking out seven batters. In addition to Snyder’s .341 BA and .962 OPS in July and Williams’ .897 July OPS (despite just a .211 BA for the month), Gilberto Celestino has contributed a .297 BA and .840 OPS during the month. Mauer Inducted into Hall of Fame No, not that Mauer and, no, not that HOF. Though that day may certainly come. On Wednesday night, former Kernels manager Jake Mauer was inducted, along with three others, into the Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame. Mauer managed the Kernels for four seasons, beginning with 2013, the inaugural season of the Twins/Kernels affiliation. He led Cedar Rapids to four consecutive postseason berths, including a trip to the MWL Championship series in 2015. Interviewed during the game that night and after the on-field ceremony, his comments were absolutely Mauer-esque. “It’s pretty cool coming into here, seeing the lights,” he said, concerning his family’s arrival back in Cedar Rapids for the first time since the end of the 2016 season. “The kids remembered it right away. It’s pretty neat.” Mauer, now working in the family’s Twin Cities auto dealerships and coaching his kids’ softball and baseball teams, seems content with his decision to leave the grind of minor league professional baseball. “I miss the guys. I miss being around, being around the boys, competing and games and that stuff,” he admitted,. “But there was so much more that I was missing back home with those kids growing up that now I get to be a part of.” Baseball is still in the blood, though. Asked if he’d consider an opportunity, if offered, to return to pro ball, he certainly didn’t rule it out. “I would say if the situation was right, I would. For sure, yeah. The travel, that’d be tough. Tough to do bus rides and all that, but if the situation was right and made sense professionally and with the kids and the wife, too, I would definitely get back in.” Watkins Returns On his staff for several of those seasons was Tommy Watkins, who now coaches first base for the Twins. Watkins, in Cedar Rapids over the MLB All-Star break, was in attendance the night Mauer was honored at the ballpark. As the Twins’ first base/outfield coach, Watkins has had a first-hand view of the incredible start to a Twins’ 2019 season that has them sitting atop the American League Central Division race by several games over the Cleveland Indians. Did he see this kind of success on the horizon when he was working with the team in spring training? “I tell you what, when you leave spring training, I think you always think you have a chance to compete for something and leaving spring training, I felt like we had a good chance to play for something,” Watkins said. “The group of guys that we have are amazing. Everybody. They’re all talented. At each position, they all can hit. I think we’ve got like ten guys with double-digit homers right now. That’s crazy. So, it’s been fun to watch.” Of course, spring training is still just spring training and you hesitate to put too much stock in what happens down in Florida during February and March. “You do,” Watkins concurred. “And you just saw in spring training, I guess we didn’t have the whole lineup playing together every day, but every day you had somebody in the lineup that can hurt you with the long ball. You would hope it would carry over (to the regular season).”

Predestined for Second Base Throughout his minor league career, there were questions about whether Polanco was going to be able to stick at shortstop. In fact, he played some second base in every season throughout his minor league career. If concerns were there, the Twins have ignored them at the big-league level as he has played all but 14 games at shortstop. “When I got here [in 2017], some guys told me, ‘Yeah, his defense, he’s got to work on it, he’s got to improve. Maybe he’s second base when [brian Dozier] leaves,” said Ehire Adrianza, who has backed up Polanco for the past two seasons. “But he works so hard, and he’s been getting better and better. You don’t hear anyone say [he’s not a shortstop] anymore.” “I thought he was going to become an elite, All-Star-level second baseman,” said Jake Mauer, one of Polanco’s minor league managers. “It’s a testament to Jorge that he worked to make himself better and stayed at short. I’m really proud of him.” Defensive Transformation Polanco’s lone full season with the Twins came back in 2017. He logged almost 1120 innings at shortstop and posted a .964 fielding percentage. His other peripheral numbers didn’t stack up as well. He had a -12 Rtot (Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average). He also posted a -1 Rdrs or defensive runs saves above average. The flaws present in his minor league career followed him to the MLB level. This season, Polanco has been a different player on the defensive side of the ball. His Rtot has improved from -12 in 2017 to 4 in 2019. He’s also improved his Rdrs from -1 in 2017 to 7 in 2019. His fielding percentage is roughly the same, but the other defensive metrics show a remarkable improvement. However, those aren’t the only areas in which he has improved. SABR’s Defensive Index Since 2013, SABR and Rawlings have teamed to use SABR’s Defensive Index to help chose the Gold Glove winners in both leagues. According to SABR, the SABR Defensive Index draws on and aggregates two types of existing defensive metrics: those derived from batted ball location-based data and those collected from play-by-play accounts. Because of Polanco’s 2018 suspension, he didn’t have enough games to qualify for the leaderboards that season. In 2017, only four qualified AL shortstops finished with a lower SDI than Polanco's -3.8 SDI. This season, Polanco has seen a remarkable improvement as he is currently at a -0.5 SDI compared to his career high (or career low depending on how you look at it) back in 2017. Since SABR started the Defensive Index, only one Twins shortstop has been able to finish with a non-negative SDI. During the 2014 campaign, Eduardo Escobar finished third in the AL with a 0.0 SDI. He was only 0.2 points away from second place. Polanco might not be in the running for a Gold Glove this year, but he could be on pace for Minnesota’s best shortstop season since SDI was introduced. Stopping the Revolving Door Polanco’s offensive production is tough to ignore, but this is a player that once was thought of as a second baseman at the big-league level. Minnesota signed him to a long-term deal in the off-season to help stop the team’s revolving door at shortstop. Cristian Guzman was the Twins’ Opening Day shortstop for six seasons, from 1999-2004. Since then, no Twin has had more than two Opening Day starts at shortstop. That’s includes 11 different shortstops in 12-years from 2006-17. Minnesota has top prospects like Royce Lewis and Wander Javier working their way towards Target Field. Neither player will be debuting in the imminent future. For now, Polanco doesn’t seem like he is in a position to give up one of the most important positions in baseball. What have you thought about Polanco’s defensive improvements? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

But now, let’s get to know a little more about Jonathan Rodriguez. He is a 28-year -old first baseman who spent the first eight seasons of his career in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Last offseason, he became a free agent and signed with the Twins. He spent most of the season with the Chattanooga Lookouts, though he spent about a week at the end of the season with Rochester. He rejoined the Lookouts for their playoff run, and had the tremendous moment to give the Lookouts the championship. Let’s get to know him. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Puerto Rico, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Jonathan Rodriguez (JR): Growing up, when I started playing baseball at 7, I was a Braves fan. Loved watching Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, the Braves starting rotation with Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine. Always wondered why Leo Mazzone, their pitching coach was always rocking during the game. SS: How difficult was it to play and be in the States during Hurricane Irma, knowing family and friends were back home going through it? JR: It was very difficult during that first playoff game because there was so much that could happen with Irma’s trajectory. Thankfully the eye missed the island and damage was way less that what it could have been. SS: How about going through Hurricane Maria while in Puerto Rico? Are you and your family doing alright? JR: Thankfully, my family and I are OK. But the country is devastated. It’s not green at all. All trees, branches and leaves are gone. Looks like all the trees burned down. SS: What were some of the better memories of your youth and high school baseball career in Puerto Rico? Did you play other sports or were you involved in other activities too? JR: My youth baseball career never took a break ever since I turned eight. Every summer, some team would want me to play for them in tournaments in the US. It was fun getting to travel every summer, and get to face great teams. In high school, I also played volleyball. I think volleyball is a very intense sport and very personal against your competition. For some reason, I still like it tons. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and what was it about State College of Florida-Manatee that made it the right choice for you? JR: Recruitment out of high school wasn’t much. I had committed to Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona. But I had to come with money out of pocket to pay for school. Then, Manatee came along with a full ride. They showed lots of interest, gave me a full scholarship and welcomed me with open arms. I will be forever grateful to Coach Hill Sr., or Seven as we called him, his son Hill Jr (21), Coach Barry (17), Al Corlbeil and Matt Ennis for the great opportunity and adjustment period I went thru when I first got to college. Thanks to them, I was able to get adjusted to baseball in the state quicker and learn the fundamentals the right way. SS: What were a couple of your highlights from your time in college? JR: Highlights from my Juco days... Aside from going 4-5 with a double, two home runs and five RBIs while being sick, most of the highlights were taken by Jonathan Griffin, a former Diamondbacks player that hit 20 something home runs that year. I hit behind him most of the time, so usually I was just looking at all the bombs he would hit. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? JR: I really never talked to any scouts, except Charlie Gonzalez, the Cardinals scout. This guy really pushed for me, drafting me even when he knew I had a torn labrum. Very grateful of the opportunity he offered me. SS: The Cardinals took you in the 17th round. How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy was your phone at that moment? JR: The summer in 2009 my phone wasn’t busy that much. Out of nowhere, I got a call from the White Sox and Texas, I think. The Cardinals where the team calling me the most. I found out I got drafted sitting in my living room watching the Discovery Channel when Charlie called me congratulating me because the Cardinals had drafted me. A lot of joy rushed through my body because a lot of hard word had paid off. My mom’s reaction was priceless, and I was going to get the chance to meet my favorite player... Albert Pujols. SS: What has the adjustment like for you, from the college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? Specifically, how big of a challenge was the language barrier? JR: Language barrier wasn’t an issue. When I went to college, I knew English, so it was a matter of polishing it, learning slangs and that kind of stuff. Communication wasn’t an issue. On the field, the aluminum-wood bat transition was critical. Getting jammed at 95+ with wood was very different from aluminum bats, hahaha. At Manatee, we had a winning culture, so paying attention to detail was second nature. When I got out of Manatee, I was a professional baseball player waiting for a contract. That program is top notch getting student-athletes ready for pro ball. SS: You became a free agent after the 2016 season and signed with the Twins. What was it about the Twins organization that made it the right organization for you to sign with? JR: Last year, I felt like I had decent numbers to get a couple of calls during free agency. That wasn’t the case. The Twins were one of the few teams that called me and, to be honest, free agency is becoming tougher and tougher. You see guys with big league time, starting in Indy ball because the game is getting younger and younger. So, I’m really grateful that the Twins took a chance with me during the offseason and gave me an opportunity not many teams would have. SS: What was the key to your success really throughout the 2017 season? How much fun was it to play for such a great team in Chattanooga, under a great manager in Jake Mauer? JR: There are a couple of factors to my success this season. First, having my wife in town made a huge difference. It's really hard to play for 6 months away from family. My mom and brother have been able to see me play in the States only one time, so having that family presence every home game was key. Second, trusting in my abilities and what makes me a good player was huge. I was able to make a midseason adjustment, which was a huge gamble for me, but I had nothing to lose, and that was having a more “fly ball approach”. Trying to hit the ball hard in the air made me drive the ball more consistently, which is very important in my offensive game. Playing under Jake is a breeze, man! Jake laid out the rules at the beginning of the season, and we just went out there and had fun! The whole coaching staff was fun, and that just makes you enjoy more the time you are at the field. SS: I have to ask… take us back to the Southern League co-championship game. The Lookouts are down 2-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. A runner gets on base. What is going through your mind as you’re walking to the plate? Were you thinking walk-off the whole time? JR: At the moment I stepped to the plate, I wasn’t thinking of trying to hit a home run. Like I said in the interview to MiLB, in the top of the seventh, after striking out, I saw myself hitting a home run and turning to our dugout getting my hands across my jersey where it says ‘Nooga. When Wade got on, after a very competitive at-bat against Gibaut, one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the league, I had no thoughts of a home run. I just went looking for a belt high fastball to drive and stay away from a double play. SS: And from the video, it was pretty clear you knew it was gone and your team was getting rings… What was going through your mind as you were running around the bases? JR: OMG, man, as soon as I hit it, I flipped my bat and got my hands up like Manny Ramirez, I for sure knew it was gone. Walking to first while watching the ball, I was thinking “I really ended this game with a home run” and running around the bases it was surreal. I was thinking of all the hard work that I’ve put into this game, my family, my wife and wishing they were able to see it live. My wife had to fly back before the season ended, so she wasn’t there to see it. It was, by far, the highlight of my career! SS: What do you have planned for the offseason? Will you play winter ball again? JR: So far the plan is to play winter ball. Now that Maria hit Puerto Rico, the winter ball here is uncertain. Stadiums are destroyed, so it would be hard to get them ready in time. Hopefully some team from the Dominican Republic calls me, that would be a dream come true since my parents are from Dominican Republic and it would be an honor to play in front of my family back in the Dominican Republic. SS: What are some of the things that you enjoy doing when you’re not playing baseball? JR: I really enjoy and invest lots of time playing this video game called Destiny. It's a Sci-Fi shooter and is very interesting and overall a time-consuming game. Thankfully, a lot of the guys in the Twins like Stephen (Gonsalves), (Mitch) Garver, (Jason) Wheeler, Dereck Rodriguez, Ryan Walker, Ryan Strausborger and a lot of other guys play it too, so we will be spending a lot of time playing together, at least I will get back on the sticks when power and internet get back to Puerto Rico, which might take months. SS: You can become a free agent again this offseason. What will be some of the factors that will go into a decision for where you’ll play in 2018? JR: That's a good question and it's something me and my agent need to sit down and discuss the plan for next year. Right now, priority is to help my people here as much as I can to recover from this disaster, and then, we will discuss all the possibilities for my future. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? JR: My parents have been a cornerstone to everything I am today. Although they have no baseball background, their support has always been there since day one. My brothers and my wife’s support have helped me be hungry to become the best version of myself on a baseball field. All the coaches, in one form or another, have contributed in my development as a player on the field, but also a good citizen off the field. And to God, he has blessed me with great people around me and has given me health and strength to go through all the challenges thrown at me. SS: Favorite Baseball movie? JR: Hahaha! To me it has to be, Bad News Bears. I find it hilarious. A big Thank You to Jonathan Rodriguez for taking time to respond to our questions. It’s a busy time for him as he’s helping out Puerto Rico after the impact of Hurricane Maria. Most of the country doesn’t have power. He made a comment that he only has internet access at night, but he took some of that time to respond. Again, if you are able, consider donating to the relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

The last twelve months have been a bit of a whirlwind for Nick Gordon as well. He finished his 2016 season at Ft. Myers. He went to the Arizona Fall League where he played quite well. He worked out with Hall of Famer Barry Larkin as well as All- Stars like his brother Dee Gordon, Francisco Liriano, and Carlos Gonzalez near his home in Orlando again. He attended Twins Fest in late January, and he earned an invitation to major league spring training where he presented himself well to the team and the coaching staff. When Gordon was sent back to minor league camp, Twins manager Paul Molitor was complimentary. “Nick Gordon may be one of our best hitting prospects that we have, if you ask me. It was good to see him play. He didn't get a lot of chances, but I think he absorbed a lot. Got the chance to play some at short and second.” Just as important, Nick Gordon got off to a nice start this year at Double-A Chattanooga. He’s been able to play well, and play consistently well, throughout the season. In April, he hit .322 with an .818 OPS. In May, he hit .294 with a .906 OPS. In June, he hit .313 with an .846 OPS. He was named to the Southern League All-Star team, and then to the USA team in the Futures Game. Recently, we were able to catch up with the Twins shortstop prospect to discuss his season, his success, his future and more. While he has been kept busy and his life has been quite hectic the last week, he said, “Yeah, but it was fun though.” The Futures Game has become a huge event of its own. Prospect hounds around the country and around the world love it. Fans love it, but according to Gordon, it’s something that players want to be a part of as well. “I think it was a goal for me, in general, going into minor league baseball. You see so much about it. I think everyone who goes into minor league baseball wants to play in the Futures Game one day. For me, definitely. Seeing it, I always wanted to be there and actually being able to take part in that game was definitely fun for me. However, it was also exciting for Gordon that the game was played in Miami. His family lives in Orlando so several were able to make it down for the game. Also, his older brother Dee plays for the Marlins. Obviously the team was out of a town on Sunday and an extra-innings game meant that Dee wasn’t able to get back in time to watch, but the Gordon name is known well down in South Florida. “It was definitely nice being close to home. A lot of my family got to come. They were able to drive down to see the game. That was good. Just the fact that my brother plays in Miami, it made it that much better.” Gordon was the USA team’s starting shortstop and leadoff batter. He had a single in three at-bats before exiting the game. He also made the plays at shortstop. https://twitter.com/wsaunders92/status/884161139776663554 He really enjoyed it, and he enjoyed having the opportunity to play with and against other top prospects, many of whom he’s been on the field with before. “I actually played with and against a lot of those guys in the minor leagues. It was just good to see them all again, see how they’re doing, and see how much better everyone gets each year.” Immediately following the Futures Game, the celebrity softball game was played. That provided some pretty exciting moments for Gordon. “I got to meet a couple of celebrities. I think Christina Milian was my favorite. I took a picture with her. That was pretty cool.” https://twitter.com/FlashGThe3rd/status/884643665301340160 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ About ten days before the end of spring training, Gordon was at his locker, packing up his things after being told he was being sent from big league camp to minor league camp. He had a smile on his face, and he told me that he has gained so much confidence. He used that confidence, along with the work he put on in the offseason between the Arizona Fall League and big league camp, in his every game work. How did gaining the confidence translate onto the field? Gordon got off to a fast start and has been able to carry it consistently through the first three months of the season. “Just being confident, knowing I can go out and play with anyone. I think that’s what made me be successful in the first half; knowing that I can just go out and be athletic and play my game. I know the work that I put in in the offseason and at big league camp and such. I just know that I have to trust it, and I think that was the biggest thing for me.” As Gordon told us in January, he spent the offseason with a Who’s Who of All-Star Ballplayer, and the work they put in with him has paid off. “We worked on driving more balls and things of that sort which definitely has played a part for me.” The last two seasons, Gordon has hit 23 doubles. In approximately two-thirds of this season, he already has 22 doubles. He has reached six triples for the third straight year already. In his previous three years of professional baseball (approximately 1,260 plate appearances, he had a total of five home runs. He already has six homers in the Southern League this year (360 plate appearances). His Isolated Power has gone from .083 to .095 the previous two seasons to .162 in 2017. Not only has he added power, his approach and plate discipline has improved. In 2016, he walked just 4.7% of his plate appearances. To this point in the 2017 season, he is walking at a 9.7% rate. “It’s more at-bats, more plate appearances. The more you hit, the better you get at it. I wouldn't say anything about my approach. If anything, it’s more about me staying true to what I do.” Gordon described the process he’s worked on to improve his plate approach which has also believes has led to power. “It’s definitely the process. Just working. That all comes with seeing pitches better and swinging at pitches you want to swing at. All that plays a part. Just knowing you can hit. I think that’s the first thing. Then it goes to pitch selection. It’s definitely about ending an at bat on a pitch you want to end it on.” But if there are questions about Gordon, it remains whether or not he’ll be able to stick at shortstop. While he has a good arm, some have questioned his range. It is another thing that he worked on with Larkin and Lindor and others in the offseason. Whether or not the statistics show it, Gordon feels good that the process and how he feels on defense has greatly improved. “But mostly, we worked a lot defensively. Not so much looking at the numbers, but just knowing how you feel. I felt so much better defensively (in the first half). I felt like I moved through more balls. I felt I made more plays and there were more balls I was able to get to, and widen my range. I definitely feel like the work that we put in during the offseason on the defensive side of my game, it definitely started to work for me and starting to pay off. Just got to keep working and keep going with it.” At the start of the season, Engelb Vielma was also in Chattanooga. Manager Jake Mauer had a plan in which Gordon played shortstop for a week, with Vielma at second base. The next week, the two would flip-flop roles. That system lasted about a month when Vielma was promoted to Rochester. Since then, Vielma and Gordon have both been playing shortstop nearly every day. Fortunately, Gordon and Vielma both went into the situation with the right attitude, knowing they were gaining value by playing both positions. “It’s always valuable to be able to play different positions. It’s definitely tough. It’s a grind, but it’s what I signed up for. I signed up to be challenged, and that’s what it was. It was a challenge. No matter what you do or where you’re playing at, you have to go out and give your all. That’s what I did, and that’s what I will continue to do.” He also doesn’t feel that the time spent at second base hurt his development as a shortstop either. “You can still do that (improve) when you’re moving around. It just comes to your work ethic and the person and doing more. You have to be up for early work at second or at short. You have to take ground balls at both positions. I feel like regardless of if I’m only playing shortstop or playing both second and shortstop, I can get better.“ The Chattanooga Lookouts have been playing incredible baseball for the last month. Since June 7th, the Lookouts are 26-6. The players have played well. The pitchers have pitched well. And many, including Gordon, give quite a bit of credit to their manager, Jake Mauer. Of course, many of the players on the Lookouts roster played for Mauer in Cedar Rapids in recent years. “Jake is a great guy, a great manager. He helps us in every aspect of the game as well, as much as he can. I think playing for Jake, guys are more confident. You can go out and have fun. Jake understands. He was a player. He knows how it is. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but he expects us to play aggressive. He wants us to hustle and play everyday. I feel a lot of us are comfortable with Jake. I feel that team chemistry is a big thing for us as well.” But Gordon should get some of the credit for team’s success too. While he’s just one of nine players in the lineup on a given day, we know that he’s lauded for his leadership abilities. In May, I talked to his high school teammate and very close friend Juan Hillman who is a pitcher in the Cleveland organization (Hillman, Gordon Share Bond of Brotherhood). Instead of talking about his tremendous baseball skills, Hillman talked about his leadership abilities as what helps make him successful. So what does being a leader entail to Gordon? “I feel like a leader always leads, no matter what the situation is. I feel like if anything was to happen, I could take responsibility for what I chose to decide. Definitely with off the field stuff. On the field, guys like to follow a guy who likes to be in the tough situation, the challenge. I know that I love a challenge, and love having my back against the wall.” So the question asked often in regard to Gordon is when can we expect to see him in the big leagues. How close is he to being ready? It’s a tough question for those of us who follow the Twins minor league system, and it’s probably an impossible question to ask Gordon. But I did it anyway, and his response was good. It was honest, and it was fair. “Honestly, I wouldn't say I’m ready or not ready. Being in the big leagues, there are things you have to be consistent in doing. To be honest, I wouldn’t know if I’m ready or not ready. I think the Twins do a good job of scouting their own players and knowing when their players are ready. For me, it’s whatever they need, whenever they need me. Whatever I bring to the game, when they know that they need that, that’s when I’ll be ready and when my turn comes. But for now, there’s so much more to learn everyday. Even in the big leagues, there’s so much to learn in the game. My dad has told me that. So wherever I am, I want to continue to learn and continue to develop as a baseball player.” It’s been a very successful first half of the 2017 season for Gordon, following an exciting, eventful offseason. But he fully understands that there is a lot of season left. So what are his goals the rest of the way? “Staying healthy is definitely the big one. We all want to stay healthy and get through the season together. Make each other better. We all have a goal in life, and it starts here in Double-A as well. I think for us, to become better ballplayers and better professional athletes.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Three years ago, Nick Gordon had just signed with the Twins after being the fifth overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. When he arrived in Ft. Myers, he had a lot to learn about baseball, the organization, being a professional and more. He found a guy in Ft. Myers at that time who had been in his shoes just three years earlier. “I actually talked to Buck (Byron Buxton) when I first got drafted. He was down there rehabbing. He came over and introduced himself and made me feel comfortable. Me and Buck are pretty cool. It was warm for him to introduce himself. I’d definitely heard a lot about him and how great of a player he was and is. It was comforting. I feel the same thing as me being here three years, if I was there, I’d definitely do it the same was as Buck did because if definitely made me feel like I was welcomed. Now, it’s Gordon that’s been in the organization for three years. Last month, the Twins selected another highly touted, high ceiling, exciting high school player in Royce Lewis with the number one overall pick. What would Gordon tell or advise Lewis? “I feel the same thing as me being here three years, if I was there, I’d definitely do it the same was as Buck did because if definitely made me feel like I was welcomed. “ He continued, “Just enjoy it and have fun. The Twins are a great organization, and I think they do it the right way. They surround you with great players and great staff members and coaches and such. So for me, it’s about just enjoying it. When I first got drafted, I was nervous like every kid. The more days I was there, the more I went through, you learn how great some of the guys in the organization are, and how much fun the organization is. So you enjoy it. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime thing, and it’s definitely a blessing to be drafted by the Minnesota Twins.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are likely to hear all kinds of rumors over the next few weeks. The Twins need pitching, and the types of trades that they would, at least in theory, like to make would involve pitchers the team would have in the organization for multiple years. That will require some high-end prospect talent in return. While I think it is highly unlikely that Gordon would be traded, don’t be surprised if you hear his name mentioned in several rumors. As Nick Nelson pondered in his most recent trade deadline primer article, Should Nick Gordon be on the table? You can answer that for yourself, and obviously it’s a question that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine will likely be asked by other teams a lot in coming weeks.

Today we look at the Chattanooga Lookouts players and coaching staff. We try to figure out a solid everyday lineup, and discuss the top prospects. Feel free to share any thoughts you may have on the team or roster, and ask as many questions as you would like. COACHING STAFF Doug Mientkiewicz managed the Lookouts the last two seasons. He led the team to a 151-126 record and that 2015 championship. He returns to Ft. Myers, and Jake Mauer takes over the Lookouts as manager. Mauer has experienced a lot of success. This will be his tenth season as a manager in the Twins minor league system. His overall record is 504-441. He managed in the GCL and at Ft. Myers before taking over the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2013. In his four seasons there, he went 308-248 and led the team to the playoffs all four seasons. Ivan Arteaga begins his second season as the Lookouts pitching coach. He began his coaching career with the Twins in 2001 for the Venezuelan Winter League. He’s been a pitching coach at nearly every level of the minor leagues. Javier Valentin takes over for Tommy Watkins as the hitting coach of the Lookouts. Valentin has been a coach in the GCL the last two years after spending ten seasons in the big leagues, three with the Twins. ROSTER 15 of the 2 players mentioned below in the roster spent at least some time with the Lookouts in 2017. Three players are on the 40-man roster (Engelb Vielma, Felix Jorge and Fernando Romero). One player has spent some time in the big leagues. Paul Clemens has spent time in the big leagues three of the last four season (2013-14 with the Astros, 2016 with the Padres). He signed with the Twins last week and will get some innings for the Lookouts before moving up to the Red Wings. HITTERS C: Dan Rohlfing, Jose Gonzalez IF: Jonathan Rodriguez, Nick Gordon, Levi Michael, Engelb Vielma, Ryan Walker, Dan Gamache, TJ White OF: Edgar Corcino, Tanner English, Travis Harrison, LaMonte Wade PITCHERS SP: Felix Jorge, Fernando Romero, Kohl Stewart, Matt Tracy, Nik Turley, Stephen Gonsalves (DL) RP: Luke Bard, Nick Burdi, Paul Clemens, John Curtiss, Ryan Eades, Raul Fernandez, Mason Melotakis, Tyler Jay (DL), POTENTIAL LINEUP LF - LaMonte Wade CF - Tanner English SS - Nick Gordon DH - Travis Harrison 1B - Jonathan Rodriguez RF - Edgar Corcino C - Dan Rohlfing 2B - Engelb VIelma 3B - Ryan Walker TOP PROSPECTS Fernando Romero - Has perhaps the best stuff, a 98 mph fastball and a slider near 90. Stephen Gonsalves - Most polished pitching prospect with a solid, four-pitch mix. Good showing in big league camp until shoulder soreness. Working in Ft. Myers to stretch out. Nick Gordon - Strong showing in the Arizona Fall League last year earned him an invite to big league camp. Continues to grow. Will play shortstop and second base. Tyler Jay - Moved to the bullpen this spring, where his stuff will play up, and he could move quickly. Out early with biceps tendinitis. Kohl Stewart - Former top pick, Stewart has good stuff, has put up strong numbers, but needs to find a way to miss more bats (rather than just get weak contact). Felix Jorge - Most consistent starting pitcher the last three seasons, Jorge has progressed by attacking the strike zone with three good pitches, and a fastball at 91-94. LaMonte Wade - One of the best plate approaches in the system, Wade should start developing some power if he can stay healthy in 2017. Engelb Vielma - The top defensive infielder in the Twins system, he will likely spend time at shortstop and second base. He has little power but has hit for average. STORIES TO WATCH Nick Gordon and Engelb Vielma are both starting the season here. It will be interesting to see how Jake Mauer allocates the playing time between the two, at shortstop and second. Paul Molitor would like to see Gordon get more time at second base this year, obviously, it makes him a possible call up in two spots. Most admit that Vielma is the better defensive player, and Molitor called Gordon one of the better hitting prospects. Will be fun to follow. Twins Daily’s #1 and #2 prospects, Fernando Romero and Stephen Gonsalves, will be pitching on this staff. But Kohl Stewart and Felix Jorge will want to keep their names in the prospect circles too. All four can be big league pitchers, so how will each fare? Tyler Jay made the move to the bullpen. He will begin the season on the Disabled List with biceps tendinitis which will likely have him out a few weeks. Levi Michael and Travis Harrison were first round picks of the Twins in 2011, Michael out of college and Harrison out of high school. They can become free agents at the end of the season, so it will be interesting to see how they progress this year. Dan Rohlfing and Jose Gonzalez are minor league veterans. Both are considered very good behind the plate. They will be tasked with working with this talented pitching staff, yet each of them still have big league aspirations. That bullpen is full of very, very hard throwers, headlined by Nick Burdi. The Louisville product would like to move past an injury-plagues 2016 and could advance quickly. But Bard, Curtiss, Jay, and Melotakis all sit in the mid-90s as well. Please feel free to discuss this roster. Ask lots of questions and check back often. What stories will you be following?

Let’s let Kernels manager Jake Mauer tell the story of the game. “Pitching duel, back and forth. They had chances, we had chances. They caught the ball, we caught the ball. Comes down to the ball finds a hole and the young man puts a good swing on it and that’s it. It’s a tough one. It’s sad that our season had to end on that last game like that.” Mauer was, nonetheless, very proud of his team’s performance this season. “One hundred percent. Those kids battled and competed, gave themselves a chance. It just comes down to one run here or there and that’s just kind of how baseball goes.” Four Kernels pitchers held Clinton scoreless through 10 2/3 innings, but Ricky Eusebio’s line shot to left-center drove in Logan Taylor for the winning – and only – run of the game in the home half of the 11th inning. Sean Poppen got the start for the Kernels and worked five shutout innings, surrendering just three hits without walking a batter, before turning the game over to Michael Cederoth to begin the bottom of the sixth inning. While Poppen struck out three Clinton batters in his five innings, Cederoth matched that total in his first stanza on the mound. Before his night was over the 6 foot 6 inch righthander sent five batters back to the dugout in two innings of shutout relief work. Tom Hackimer relieved Cederoth to begin the eighth inning and gave up just one hit, striking out a pair, in 2 1/3 innings. With a pair of lefties coming up with one out in Clinton’s 10th inning, Lefty reliever Anthony McIver relieved Hackimer and retired both left-handers to end the stanza. McIver was tagged with the loss, however, giving up three singles, including the game-winner, in the 11th. The Kernels had plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the game, despite notching only four hits on the night. Travis Blankenhorn led off the visitors’ fifth inning with a soft line drive double down the left field line and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Clinton shortstop Rayder Ascanio nearly single-handedly squelched that threat, however, making a diving stop on a sharp ground ball by J.J. Fernandez and snaring a line drive off the bat of Nelson Molina. Jaylin Davis struck out to end the inning, stranding Blankenhorn at third base. In the Kernels’ eighth inning, Fernandez led off with a single, was bunted to second, moved to third on a ground out to the first baseman, but was left there when Kevin Garcia grounded out to end the inning. In the ninth, Casey Scoggins singled to start the inning with a single to right field and, after a fly out, Arraez walked. Matt Walker entered to pitch for Clinton and threw his first pitch to the backstop, allowing both Cedar Rapids runners to advance. Walker then intentionally walked Blankenhorn to load the bases, but Fernandez popped up to shallow right centerfield to end that threat. The Kernels failed to record a hit in extra frames, however, and now they’ll pack their bags and head home for the winter.

If you’re looking for a silver lining for the Kernels, you won’t find much here. Kernels batters were virtually shut down by Clinton starting pitcher Kevin Gadea, who struck out 11 Cedar Rapids batters in six innings while giving up just four hits and one walk. In total, Kernels batters were sent back to the dugout on strikeouts 17 times. Kernels manager Jake Mauer summed the game up succinctly. “It’s tough to win baseball games when you don’t put a ball in play,” he said. “We can’t hit and run, we can’t move guys over. Just is not much you can do.” The manager was disappointed that his hitters didn’t do more against Gadea. “He just overpowered us with very average stuff, I thought,” Mauer said. “He slowed it down and threw it over. For whatever reason, we couldn’t do anything.” Cedar Rapids scored their only run off Gadea in the fourth inning and even that required a bit of a fluke to accomplish. After Luis Arraez’s two-out single to right field, Zander Wiel hit a squibber to the left side of the infield where Clinton’s third baseman and shortstop apparently each thought the other was going to try to bare-hand the ball. Neither did, however, and the ball rolled into shallow left field, allowing Arraez to advance to third base. A pitch later, Arraez crossed the plate on a wild pitch. The Kernels fared no better against Gadea’s mound replacement, Reginald Dominguez, who struck out four in two relief innings. Wiel was the only Kernels player with multiple hits, adding a single up the middle in the seventh inning to his fourth inning infield hit. Arraez, JJ Fernandez and Nelson Molina each had one hit for Cedar Rapids, all singles. Williams Ramirez relieved Gibbons to begin the fifth inning and held Clinton scoreless, striking out five (so there’s your silver lining, I suppose). Colton Davis struck out one in working a scoreless eighth inning. Mauer had not announced a game 3 starting pitcher prior to the game, but afterward said that he will send Sean Poppen to the mound for the deciding game Monday night in Clinton. Game time is 6:30.

With the score knotted at 3-3, Andrew Vasquez, who hadn’t pitched in a game since facing Clinton six days earlier, took the mound for Cedar Rapids to begin the fourth inning and shut down the Lumber Kings for four shutout innings, surrendering just one hit while striking out six. Kernels manager Jake Mauer was appreciative of Vasquez’s work. “He (Vasquez) calmed the game down pretty quick,” Mauer said afterward. “Anderson wasn’t his best and had a hard time putting people away. Andrew had a bunch of rest and he was ready to throw. They had a hard time with his breaking ball.” By the time Vasquez gave way to Max Cordy in the eighth inning, the Kernels offense had plated six more runs, half of them powered by Christian Ibarra’s fifth inning 3-run home run. Ibarra also had a second inning double, driving in Kevin Garcia with the Kernels’ first run of the night. In addition to Ibarra, Luis Arraez, Casey Scoggins, Jaylin Davis and Garcia each also chipped in two hits for Cedar Rapids. Travis Blankenhorn went his teammates one better, however, contributing three hits to the Kernels offense, all singles, and lifting his postseason batting average to an even .500 (6-for-12 in three games). He also drove in a run and scored once. Blankenhorn is one of three Kernels hitting .500 or better in the postseason. Zander Wiel is also at .500 and Arraez is stroking at .692. Blankenhorn didn’t play his first game for the Kernels until August 9, but he has adjusted to Midwest League pitching quickly. “I’m adjusted here,” Blankenhorn, the Twins’ third-round draft pick in 2015, said. “I’ve been playing with these guys a little while now. I think we’re all getting comfortable and starting to hit as a team. We hit very well as a team tonight. “We had some guys that came up with some big hits with runners on base, got a couple RBIs and scored a couple runs.” Cordy contributed a perfect inning of relief work in the eighth inning and Patrick McGuff worked himself into – and out of – a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning to cap off the win for Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids will travel to Clinton for game 2 of the series on Sunday, with game time scheduled for 6:35. If a game 3 is necessary, it will be played Monday evening, also in Clinton.

RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Syracuse 3 Box Score Rochester took an early lead in the first inning, thanks to a solo home run from Daniel Palka, his seventh with the Red Wings and twenty-eighth of the season. After that, it was a pitcher’s duel until the seventh inning. Red Wings starter Nick Greenwood went those first seven innings. Through the sixth, he had scattered just five hits in keeping the Chiefs off the board. Logan Schafer added a solo home run of his own in the top of the seventh for a 2-0 lead, but in the bottom frame the Syracuse lineup finally got to Greenwood. A single, double, and two-run single tied the game before Greenwood induced a double play ball to end the inning and his night. All told, he pitched seven innings, with two earned runs allowed on eight hits while striking out four. He factored into the decision as in the top of the eighth Byron Buxton led off with a single and later scored after some small ball to put Rochester back out front 3-2. Sean Burnett came on and pitched a scoreless eighth, “retiring” all four hitters he faced as his lone strikeout ended up with the runner on first. He was credited with his ninth hold. The Red Wings pushed their lead to 5-2 in the top of the ninth thanks to an RBI double from Mitch Garver and RBI single from Leonardo Reginatto. Twins organization newcomer, Pat Light came on for the ninth and picked up his ninth International League save of the year and second with the Red Wings. Hopefully that was a good enough consolation prize, as he perhaps was supposed to be on his way to Minnesota earlier in the day. He allowed three hits and one run two score in the ninth, but also recorded all of his outs via strikeout. Rochester got multi-hit efforts from Palka (2-5, R, HR, RBI), Reynaldo Rodriguez (2-4, RBI), and Schafer (3-5, 2 R’s, HR, RBI) to lead their offense and improve to 66-53 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 1 Box Score The Lookouts got a dominating starting performance out of lefty phenom Stephen Gonsalves in this one, who finished it for his first nine inning complete game of his career. Interesting enough, it was also the first time he had ever finished more than seven innings in a game. He allowed just one unearned run in the second inning thanks to a Heiker Meneses error that put a runner on second to start the inning. The rest of the game he allowed just two hits and two walks, and racked up eight strikeouts. From the third through the end of the ninth he faced the minimum, picking up three double-play balls to assist along the way. He improved his record with the Lookouts to 5-1, and lowered his ERA to 2.01. In support of Gonsalves catcher Stuart Turner had a big game, going 3-4 with a double and two RBIs. Travis Harrison scored two runs and added a double. Edgar Corcino had two hits including an RBI triple. They scored four of their seven runs in the fourth inning, and added a single run in the sixth and two in the eight for the final score. Zach Granite stole his 40th base of the year. Is it too early to discuss Gonsalves to AAA?! Outside of one short appearance on July 6th in which he allowed six runs, Gonsalves has allowed just two, zero, zero, one, two, one, and zero runs in each of his other starts with Chattanooga not including today’s gem. He is striking out 10.6/9 IP in AA. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 0, Fort Myers 1 Box score Not to be outdone by Gonsalves, the Miracle also got a fantastic outing from Cody Stashak in his second game in the Florida State League. He went the first seven innings, holding the Stone Crabs to just four hits and one walk. He struck out two and improves to 2-0 with Fort Myers. The Miracle’s lone run came in the seventh inning to break the stalemate, as Tanner Witt led off with a double and scored on a double play ground out off the bat of Alex Perez. Fort Myers got two hits on the game from Nick Gordon and Witt. Both of Witt’s hits were doubles to give him nine on the season. Randy Rosario finished the game’s final two innings, and picked up his first FSL save of the season in the process. He allowed no hits, walked one, and struck out two. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Kane County 0 Box Score Like their high-A friends, the Kernels also blanked their opponent on this night. Eduardo Del Rosario went the first five innings in this one and scattered five hits and a walk. He ran his pitch count a little high, at ninety-four four five innings, but went deep into several counts that mostly ended with strikeouts. He had eight for the game. The Kernels scored both their runs in the second inning, after Travis Blankenhorn led off the frame with his first Midwest League double. Later with the bases loaded and two outs, an error on a Luis Arreaz fly ball to left field scored both runs. Nelson Molina and Blankenhorn each had two hits on the game to lead the lineup. Cedar Rapids got two scoreless innings of relief from both Williams Ramirez (2.0IP, H, BB, 2 K’s) and Anthony McIver (2.0IP, H, 3 K’s). Ramirez got his fourth hold, and McIver his seventh save. The victory was manager Jake Mauer’s 300th with the Kernels, and they improved their record to 62-53 on the season and at 26-20 in the second half currently reside in second place in the Western division. E-TWINS E-NOTES Kingsport 2, Elizabethton 5 Box Score In keeping with the day’s theme, the E-Twins also got a strong effort from their starting pitcher on Thursday night. In this one, it was right-hander Alex Schick. Kingsport took a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks in part to an errant pickoff throw from Schick, but he settled in after that, scattering for hits and two walks in his six innings. He struck out five and improves to 4-1 with Elizabethton. He got plenty of offensive support, as Elizabethton scored two runs in the second, and three in the third to take the lead for good. The big blow was a two-run home run of the bat off Mitchell Kranson, his second of the year. Manuel Guzman added two hits, including a double. The bottom third of the order consisting of Trey Cabbage, Caleb Hamilton and Robert Molina each added an RBI. Quin Grogan pitched into the ninth inning, but was lifted after allowing two runners on and uncorking a few ill-timed wild pitches. His final line included 2.1 innings pitched and one run allowed on one hit and one walk, while striking out one. Hector Lujan finished the ninth for his second Appalachian League save. He retired both men he faced on groundouts, but the first of those scored the run credited to Grogan. Elizabethton improves to 25-22 on the short season, and are 1.5 games back of Johnson City for the West Division lead. GCL TWINS TAKES Twins 4, Orioles 3 Box Score It was a team effort on the pitching front for the GCL Twins in this one, as they used five pitchers on the night, with all of them recording a win, hold or save in their stats. Justin Fox got the Wwn as the starter. He went five innings, allowing just one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out three. Daniel Martinez, Garrett Kelly, and Callan Pearce all picked up holds for their efforts. Martinez pitched a scoreless sixth, Kelly a scoreless seventh and eighth, and although he was charged with two runs (one earned) Pearce also was credited with a ‘H’ after Zach Strecker came on with the tying runner on first in the ninth. Strecker got the save by striking out the first batter he faced, and getting a fly out to end the game. The Twins scored single runs in each of the third, fourth, seventh, and ninth innings to give themselves enough cushion. No hitter had more than one hit, but Gorge Munoz, Brian Olson, and Lean Marrero each had doubles, and Aaron Whitefield slugged his second home run of the season to lead the offense. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga Lookouts (CG-W, 9.0IP, 0 ER’s, 3 H’s, 2 BB, 8 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Logan Schafer, Rochester Red Wings (3-4, 2 R’s, HR, RBI) Also a special shout-out to the DSL Twins centerfielder, Humberto Muldanado, who was 3-5 with three runs scored, two doubles, a triple, and three RBI’s to lead the DSL Twins to a 12-8 victory against the DSL Orioles2. FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler (9-3, 2.97 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:055PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (8-6, 3.59 ERA) Charlotte @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (3-2, 2.79 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30PM PM CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren (3-61, 3.16 ERA) Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (2-3, 3.34 ERA) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday’s games.

While winning takes a back seat to player development in modern minor league baseball, the local fans definitely like to follow a winner and Mauer has given the locals plenty of success, beginning with a squad that was loaded with top prospects in the inaugural season of the Twins/Kernels relationship. That team made winning look easy – at least a lot easier than it has looked in the two-and-a-half seasons since. 2016 has, perhaps, been the most challenging of Mauer’s four years of wearing number 12 for the Kernels. This year’s group is short on players you would find among “top prospect” lists published by the likes of Baseball America, MLB.com or any other group in the business of tracking minor leaguers’ paths to the big leagues. Nonetheless, in an interview late last week, Mauer was unwilling to say that the lack of blue chippers on his team makes this season his most challenging. “Each year is different,” Mauer said. “If you have a lot of high-end (prospects), you’re expected to win and if you don’t have a lot of high-end guys, you’ve got to find ways to win. It’s all part of development, it’s all part of the process. “The second year (2014), I thought we had a lot of challenges, they were comparing the ’13 team to the ’14 team and that wasn’t fair to that ’14 team.” Winning is obviously a lot easier when you’ve got a lot of those high draft choices and big money international free agents. Several of them, including first-round draft choice Byron Buxton and six-figure bonus international signee Max Kepler (both now playing the outfield for the Twins) spent much of their 2013 seasons in Cedar Rapids uniforms. “You get blessed with years like ’13 where you have seven of them, eight of them. They’re all panning out at different speeds,” reflected Mauer. “You know, some of the clubs I had at Fort Myers I don’t think we had one. So it just depends on what you have.” When you’ve got a team of projected stars, a manager in Mauer’s position will generally stick with a pretty consistent lineup. “Obviously, guys that are higher end guys as a player," he said, "you’ve got to find out what they can and can’t do, that’s the nature of the beast.” Not so this season. “I wonder how many different lineups we’ve used,” Mauer pondered. “It’s probably been fifty or sixty of them, would be my guess. “Clubs like this, some of these guys that aren’t necessarily Baseball America guys get an opportunity to kind of put themselves on the map. As you can see, there’s no way to get buried on our bench here. Everybody plays. “Pitching’s a little bit different,” he conceded. “They earn (consistent playing time) a little bit more. They’re all going to get an opportunity, it’s just a matter of what they’re going to do with it. “It’s all getting these guys to understand themselves, first, in order for us to do anything - in order for them to have any impact down the road. This is the league where we start to shake out the guys that aren’t as mentally tough as others. Find out who can play every day, find out who can do what it takes. So, they’re going to get tested, they’re going to get innings, they’re going to get at-bats, get all that stuff. Then we’ll kind of look back in September at how everything unfolded.” http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MartinezMauerDinkelman900.jpg (L-R) Cedar Rapids Kernels pitching coach JP Martinez, manager Jake Mauer and hitting coach Brian Dinkelman (behind screen) (Photo: SD Buhr) Throughout most of the first half of the season, it looked like the Kernels would easily clinch an early playoff spot by finishing in one of the top two spots in the Western Division’s first-half race, but they faltered badly during the final couple of weeks before the midpoint and ended up in third place. “You hate to say it,” Mauer commented on his squad’s late first half implosion, “but we scored the same amount of runs, but we lost two guys in the back end of the bullpen and lost probably the best starter in the league. “We weren’t necessarily blowing the doors off of anybody in the first half. It takes you a while to figure out who can step up and take those roles.” Mauer is starting to see some guys stepping up. Last week, the Kernels went on one a six-game road trip over into the MWL Eastern Division territory and came away with a perfect 6-0 record against Lake County and Fort Wayne. “We swung the bats really well,” he said of their Eastern sweep. “We rode (Luis) Arraez, (Zander) Wiel and (Jaylin) Davis, really. Other guys chipped in here and there, but those guys had a monster week. You’re scoring 6, 7, 8 runs a night, it gives you a pretty good chance to win. “(Wiel) can carry a team, which he did the last week. Jaylin Davis is probably in the same boat, he can carry a team. Arraez has been pretty consistent, but we kind of go where those three guys go. When the three of them are having a pretty good week, we’ve got a pretty good chance. If they’re not, it will be more difficult for us.” Finding pitchers to fill the holes left following promotions has been more challenging for Mauer and pitching coach J.P. Martinez. “Pitching is still kind of up in the air who we’ve got,” the manager said. “It’s so different,” Mauer said, of the Kernels’ bullpen situation. “We’re not as pitching-deep as we were last year. If we had a lead going into the fifth inning, we pretty much knew we were going to win last year. That’s not the case this year. You’ve got some guys that need to step up and take control. I’d say (Anthony) McIver has, to a point. We’ve got to find out about (Tom) Hackimer. But we still have several guys you don’t quite know what you’re going to get in given situations. We’ve got to find out.” Mauer’s clearly also looking for some improvement among his starting rotation. “(Cody) Stashak’s probably our number one (starting pitcher). (Lachlan) Wells has been good. Those two guys have been pretty good. If we can just get some of these (other) guys to take that next step, it would make the process better.” http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/WellsSenzelSilva900.jpg Kernels pitcher Lachlan Wells strikes out Reds first-round draft choice (2nd overall) Nick Senzel July 25. Catching is Rainis Silva. (Photo SD Buhr) The season’s second half is shaping up to be at least a four-team dogfight with the Kernels, Burlington Bees, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Quad Cities River Bandits playing leapfrog with one another in the standings on virtually a daily basis as they jockey for one of the coveted second-half playoff spots. “That’s our division,” said Mauer. “There really isn’t a team that’s head and shoulders above anybody. Anybody can beat anybody on a given night and I think you’re going to see that kind of as we go through. Things change, obviously, as these draftee guys (from the 2016 draft) starting to come and some of these first full season guys that tend to hit a wall a little bit.” Mauer’s working with a pair of coaches, in his fourth season with the Kernels, that he hasn’t been teamed with before. Martinez and hitting coach Brian Dinkelman are in their first seasons by Mauer’s side after coaching with the Twins’ Gulf Coast League team, where games are played on back fields at the organization’s spring training complex in front of few, if any, fans. But the manager says things are going, “good,” on that count. “(Martinez and Dinkelman) have been real good. Their first ‘real baseball’ compared to that ‘complex ball’ that’s a lot different. They’ve done a good job. For them, their first year, this is unusual to have so many different guys coming through.” Forty-nine players have already worn a Kernels jersey in 2016. It’s not unusual for fewer players than that to suit up for Cedar Rapids in an entire season. “What’s nice is that these guys know most of the kids that have come up,” Mauer added. “They’ve had them, they know what makes them tick, the things to do with them, what they need to work on.” High roster turnover, few top prospects, new assistant coaches. Those things, on their own, might make a manager’s job challenging, but last week the Twins added a little something extra to the load that Mauer and his staff have to carry. Long-time General Manager Terry Ryan was fired by the Twins ownership. “It’s unfortunate,” Mauer said of Ryan’s dismissal. “Obviously, he’s a great baseball man. He’s all I’ve ever known as a GM, other than Bill Smith, but Terry wasn’t far away (during Smith's tenure as GM). I think it came as a shock, the timing of it, to everybody. He’s done so much for us and for our organization and whoever comes in after him is going to have big shoes to fill.” As a result, Mauer and his coaches now are essentially lame ducks, uncertain whether the new GM will choose to retain them going forward. How’s that for adding a little anxiety to the manager’s life? But, as Mauer observed, the anxiety goes well beyond just he and his coaches. “It could be for scouts, all the way down to the athletic training guys and strength guys. You don’t know what’s going to happen, we don’t know who is the next guy, if they have somebody in mind, if they don’t. So, we’ll see. I’m sure they’ve got a game plan up there for what they’re going to do. “But, if you’re confident in what you’re doing and you do a good job, you can’t control that,” Mauer concluded. “This is just like we tell the players, if they look at what’s going on ahead of them or who’s doing what behind them, they can’t control that. Same with us, (we can’t) worry about who’s coming in and fret about it, and not do the task at hand. We’ve got to do the task at hand first of all and see what shakes out.” The “task at hand” for the manager and his charges is to finish the final six weeks of the season strong. How does Mauer see the remainder of the season shaping up? “We’ll see. I wish I could answer that, honestly. I have no idea. We look like a million bucks for three or four days, then we have a tough time for three or four days. It’s just kind of how it is. We talk extensively about, we need leaders to step up and to lead and to be our guys so you kind of know what you’re going to get day in and day out. “They’ll keep playing hard and they’ll keep competing and we’ll just see how it ends up.” (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com)

After being drafted, Molina went to the Gulf Coast League where he struggled with the bat, hitting just .110. He returned to the GCL in 2014 and hit .243. Last season, Molina moved up to Elizabethton where he hit .207. Having seen Molina in spring training the last three years he was very intriguing. At 6-3 and lean Molina looks the part of a shortstop prospect. With the glove he is smoooth and has a strong arm. At the plate, he has a good stance with a good swing. He has a good approach at the plate. For some reason, the numbers just didn’t show up during games in the rookie leagues.And he knows it, so his goals for 2016 were clear. “My goal every season is to have a good year and help the team every time I can. Mostly this year I was trying to get a better average. I wanted to help my team offensively, hitting more. I’m doing good now, and I’m really excited about it.” In 36 games since his promotion to the Cedar Rapids Kernels in late April, Molina has hit .291 with a .380 on-base percentage. In the last couple of weeks, he has been batting fifth for the Kernels and on Tuesday, he came through with a big two-run single in their 2-1 win. “I was doing really good in extended (spring training), thank God. I was trying to increase my career, working hard every day to be a better player. I was trying to get here as soon as possible. It was what I had in mind. I think I earned it. Now I’m here and enjoying the moment.” What did he credit for his success in his start with the Kernels? He said it was a combination of his years of experience, but also credits some mechanical changes. “It’s a little bit of both. I think I’ve been getting a lot of experience during the years and that’s helped me a lot. It’s another Nelson Molina in the batter’s box now. I’m thinking, I’m going with another plan with another view of the game. Also, it’s a lot of work. I’ve been working a lot on my hitting mechanics since Puerto Rico. When I got to spring training, I started to work with the coaches down there and they helped me a lot. Everything is going really good now. I’m really excited about it. Very happy about it.” It is always fun hearing about a player’s draft-day experience, and when I asked Molina about the draft, his eyes brightened and his smile increased. “That was, I can say, one of the best moments of my life, for real. I was expecting to be (drafted higher), but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t a special moment. I was in my house with my family. They were following the draft on the computer. I really didn’t want to follow. I was just sitting on the couch. I remember that I had a bat in my hands. In the 11th round they usually have the pick first on the computer and then they announce it. That pick they didn’t put in the computer. I asked my dad, ‘what is going on?’ He said ‘Man, nothing’s coming. They haven’t put anything yet.’ Then the speaker started, and I just heard, ‘Nelson Molina.’ What? My dad started laughing, and I said, ‘That’s me?’ ‘Yeah that’s you that’s you, that’s you’. I just started jumping all over the house. It was a great moment. My dad was really proud. I think that was the proudest moment of my life. Seeing my family’s faces.” It’s such a big moment for these kids because it is something they have worked for all of their still-young lives. “All my life, I started playing at three years old. Since I Was 15, I was working really hard to be a pro player. That was a good feeling, for real.” Molina went to Antonio Luchetti school in Puerto Rico. It is a public school and not one of baseball academies in Puerto Rico. “In Puerto Rico, we have three baseball academies right now. My high school was just a normal high school. It was an academic school. I got into a routine. I went to school 8:00 to 3:00 and right when I got out of school, I trained until 7 or 8 p.m. I played with two teams there, and the league is all around the year.” Nelson Molina speaks English nearly fluently and credits his school for that, as well as what the Twins are doing for the Latin American players. Jake Mauer said that English classes are mandatory in the Twins Academy in Ft. Myers, but players in Cedar Rapids are also required to take English classes in Cedar Rapids. When the new academy in the Dominican Republic is complete, they will have better facilities and classrooms for their classes as well. “In Puerto Rico, they give you English classes since kindergarten. I started speaking it regularly in high school. When I got here, it was pretty easy. I started taking the classes with the Twins. I tried to speak to other guys, and they would say you need to say this instead of this. That was a good way to learn. I learned really fast that way.” Molina is not the only player in the Twins organization who attended Antonio Luchetti. Current Twins backup catcher Juan Centeno also went to the school and was drafted six years before Molina. Molina noted that Centeno was a guy who returned to his hometown and school and that was motivation for students and baseball players there. “Yeah, of course. He’s from the same city as me. I remember when I was playing back in Puerto Rico in the leagues at 15, 16 years old. Centeno was with the Mets at the time. He gave us batting gloves and bats all the time and would say ‘Hey, keep working hard and you can do the same thing as me.’ He’s a great guy. He’s a good player too. We know each other well. I know his family. He’s a really good guy.” There is a real pride in Puerto Rico for its baseball players. It’s real, and the players are very happy when others get to the big leagues. “When (Jose) Berrios, (Kennys) Vargas and (Eddie) Rosario were up, it was real exciting for us. For me, it was a good moment because I got real excited for them. I know how they have to work to get there. Berrios played with me back in Puerto Rico. He was a year older than me, but he we faced him. To see a guy like that get to the big leagues is very nice. I was really proud of Puerto Rico.” Molina played this winter for Indios de Mayaguez in the Puerto Rico Winter League. “That was a great experience. It’s a big reason for what I’m doing right now. You get a lot of experience. You meet a lot of big leaguers, a lot of great guys.” He credited former big leaguer Ruben Gotay for really helping him out, talking to him about hitting, defense, situations and the mental part of the game. He is a natural shortstop, but he has played all over the field in his four seasons in the organization. He says he feels comfortable on the left side of the infield. “For real, I feel comfortable at all three (infield positions). I played shortstop all my life. But third base, I’ve been playing every day now and I feel very comfortable. I think it’s easier to go from shortstop to third base than the other way.” For now, Molina is working hard every day with one goal in mind for the rest of the season. Well, he has a couple of goals, but it is clear in talking to him that one goal trumps the rest. “Main goal is win the ring. Work hard every day, and have good numbers at the end of the season, help win that ring and bring it home.”

However, things weren’t looking real good early in the season. On May 2nd, the 21-year-old infielder was hitting just .171/.188/.237 (.424) through the first 19 games with the Kernels. Not exactly numbers that earn a player a promotion, but when Nick Gordon went on the 7-Day disabled list in Ft. Myers, Miller was called up. In his week with the Miracle, Miller played in four games and hit just .125 (2-16). Gordon came off the DL, and Miller was shipped back to Cedar Rapids. Ironically, some of his baggage arrived in Ft. Myers after Miller returned to Iowa.. Back in Cedar Rapids, things changed. Miller got back to work and the results started showing immediately. “When I got back, I really started to get to work with Jake (Mauer) and Dink (hitting coach Brian Dinkelman), and they’ve really helped me turn things around. Once I started consistently doing it, it just took off for me. Once you get hot and get confident, it’s kind of hard to go back to... crap, which is what I was doing.” In 27 games since returning to the Kernels, Miller has hit an impressive.368/.372/.496 (.868) with nine doubles and three triples. In that time, he has hits in 25 of the 27 games, and he’s been on base in all but one game. Because of it, he finds himself hitting at the top of the Kernels lineup. Drafted in large part due to his ability to play shortstop, he has played all over the diamond for the Kernels already this season. “I’ve gotten used to playing third and second. I’ve played a lot at third this year. This is the first time I’ve ever played there, but I've learned a lot from Jake over there. He’s taught me and showed me different things.” Miller continued regarding the differences between shortstop and the hot corner, “Maybe the spin on the ball. Balls that are smoked and maybe top-spun, you just have to react. You don’t have time. At short, I have time to move my feet. At third it’s taking different angles and getting used to it.” Just one year ago, Miller had completed his junior season at USC-Aiken. He was back home with his family. He assumed he wouldn’t be drafted on Day 1, but he figured there was a really good chance he would be taken sometime on Day 2. “I was expecting to go in the Top 10 (rounds) somewhere, I just didn’t know where, I had no idea.” The draft is always unpredictable. Players may hear all kinds of opinions on where they might be selected. They talk to scouts, but even that doesn’t give them a whole lot of clues. “I met with one Twins scout, one time, in Charlotte, NC, and that’s the only time I talked to them. I got a couple of calls before the tenth (round), but nothing really worked out and all of a sudden I got that call, and it was awesome.” You’ll find that players hoping to be drafted will try to find anything to keep from following the draft too closely (while at the same time fully understanding what’s going on). His advisor was keeping him updated through much of the day, so Miller spent the morning golfing. However, he was at home during much of the draft. “I was playing golf, and then I went home sitting on the couch watching TV. My dad had it (the draft) on in the other room. I was done. I was over it. But then he called me into the room, and I said ‘Wow, I’m glad you called me in here.’” It was appropriate that he was able to share the draft day experience with his father, Steve. When asked who in his life helped him get to where he is today (playing pro ball and finding success), Miller answered very quickly. “I would say my dad. He played pro ball for several years. He’s been around. He knows more than me. He’s helped me prepare for it, to know to expect or not to expect. The highs and lows of playing. He coached me for two years in HS, freshman and sophomore years, and then he was done.” It was time for him just to enjoy watching his son play ball. Steve Miller was San Francisco’s 13th-round pick in 1983 and spent five years in the Giants organization. He spent a couple of years in AAA but fell just short of the big leagues. He was known for his glove and for his defense primarily. Some of the best advice the son has been given by his father? “Don’t get too low, or don’t get to high. If you go 0-20, don’t go out and stay out all night. Still have to treat it like you’re 10-20 or something.” Sean has an older brother who pitched for four years in college. While Sean is listed at about 5-11, his brother stands 6-7. So what were Miller’s goals heading into this season? “I moved up quick last year. I wanted to come in here and do that again, maybe move up at some point. Mainly I just want to get comfortable and show my skills at the plate. I know I can hit. I want to show everyone that I can hit, and I’m starting to. After a rough start, I’m starting to show that I can hit a little bit.” Though he hasn’t walked a lot through his hot stretch, Miller knows that getting on base will be a key skill for him. “For me I’ve got to get on base and run, use my speed. See more pitches. I mean, I can hit a lot of pitches, but hitting pitches that are in my zone is just going to help me so much. I’ll be successful.” But that doesn’t mean he he isn’t continuing to work hard on his defensive skills. “I’m definitely a defensive guy, but I want to show that I can swing the bat too. I’m not just a guy who’s going to get infield singles or bloop balls. I’ve got a little pop.” Miller is talked about as a leader on the team, a real team player on and off of it. He has been active in the Cedar Rapids community already, recently spending time meeting and playing games with elderly. Following each Sunday home game, the Kernels spend a half-hour in the outfield, giving autographs and taking pictures. It’s neat to see how the kids kind of gravitate to Miller. https://twitter.com/twinsdaily/status/737312318518743040 On the field, Miller continues to improve, and it is possible that at some point he could find himself in Ft. Myers for more than just one week.

“Pitching and defense is what you preach and try to be the most consistent at,” explained Kernels manager Jake Mauer this week, adding, “hitting tends to be more volatile.” http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Mauer2015a-600x400.jpg Jake Mauer Mauer, who will notch his 250th win as Kernels manager with the next Cedar Rapids victory, doesn't have to reach any further for an example of what he's referring to than the team’s recent weekend series in Clinton. After being rained out on Thursday night, the Kernels dropped a 3-1 game on Friday, mustering just five hits. On Saturday, the two clubs had a pair of seven-inning games scheduled to make up for the rainout, but game one ran 18 innings, with the Kernels falling 2-1. They were then shut out 3-0 in game two. On Sunday, the bats woke up and the Kernels put a 9-0 thumping on the Lumberkings to salvage their lone win in the series, despite outscoring Clinton 11-10 across the four games (and 43 innings). Consistent pitching and defense, volatile hitting. “We haven’t clicked very well offensively,” Mauer admitted. “We had the big outburst opening night (12 runs on 15 hits against Quad Cities) and we scored nine the last day in Clinton, but really in between that, we really haven’t done too much.” Ah, but the pitching, that’s a different story. The Kernels opened the season with 15 players on their roster who saw time in Cedar Rapids last season and some of those guys are playing key roles on the mound. Returning pitchers Randy LeBlanc and Sam Clay have led the rotation. LeBlanc has a 1.50 ERA and a WHIP of 0.83 through his four starts, while Clay’s put up a 0.53 ERA in his three starts. He has struck out 19 batters in 17 innings pitched. Cody Stashak, who was promoted to Cedar Rapids a couple weeks ago, has made two starts, winning both games and notching a 1.13 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. The bullpen has been stellar, as well. John Curtiss and CK Irby have each made six appearances this season and neither has allowed an earned run. Irby has struck out 10 in 9 2/3 innings of work, while Curtiss has averaged more than two strikeouts in every inning he’s worked, amassing 17 Ks in 8 innings. Nick Anderson has also struck out more than one hitter per inning out of the pen. “LaBlanc’s a guy returning and Curtiss is a guy returning, they’ve both been outstanding,” Mauer observed. “We’ve gotten big innings from Irby. Anderson has done fine. Clay has been really good. He looks like a different animal than he was last year.” Like LeBlanc, Curtiss, Anderson and Irby, Clay put in time with the Kernels in 2016. He posted a 0-3 record and allowed 1.86 runners to reach base for each inning he pitched for Cedar Rapids, resulting in a trip back to the Twins’ rookie-level club in Elizabethton. “It’s a testament to what (Elizabethton pitching coach) Luis Ramirez did down there at Etown and that staff,” Mauer said, referring to Clay’s significant improvement. “It was the same with Felix Jorge a year ago. “For whatever reason they didn’t do so well here, they went down there and got right, came back and now they’re on their way.” Curtiss spent time in the Kernels’ rotation last season, but suffered some shoulder issues. He was a reliever at the University of Texas and his return to the bullpen now appears to be permanent and Mauer thinks that could help the right-hander move quickly up the organizational ladder. “I think that’s the right call, keep him in the bullpen,” Mauer said. “He’s got a chance to be a pretty fast mover, I think. It can happen pretty fast for those college relief guys. “(Irby) is another one that could move quick. Anderson, same situation. There’s three guys right there that, if they’re rested and we can set the game up the way we want, we like our chances with the lead going with those three guys.” Of course, that involves a couple of pretty big “ifs.” It assumes you can generate enough offense to get an early lead and also that those arms will stay in Kernels uniforms for at least a while longer. The parent Minnesota Twins have had some pitching issues already during the first month of their season, both in terms of injuries and ineffectiveness. That could lead to some early adjustments to pitching assignments, not only at the big league level, but also all the way through the system. “We’re three weeks in, I’m sure there’s going to be some movement here, probably sooner than later,” Mauer said. He can’t do anything about it if Twins Farm Director Brad Steil decides his pitchers should be promoted, so the manager’s focus is on getting wins any way he can. “Pitching has been really our key and now we’re starting to play better infield defense, getting a little more settled in the infield. Hopefully we don’t have any more of those 18-inning games. “We played 18 innings (in game 1 Saturday), then played seven more (in game 2), and only scored one run. That’s pretty frustrating, especially with all the opportunities we had, including runners at third with nobody out and one out. Guys let the moment get too big and try to do too much instead of just doing what they can. We’ve been a little better at that starting Sunday.” Outfielder LaMonte Wade has been the most consistent offensive contributor, hitting .344 with six doubles, two triples and a home run. Unfortunately, Wade has been on the shelf for a few games while nursing a sore hamstring. Chris Paul was batting .346 when he was promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle and infielder Luis Arraez has come on to hit .395 and put up an OPS of 1.083 in 11 games, doing most of his damage after Paul’s departure (he’s hit .483 in his last eight games). “Arraez has been a shot in the arm for us,” his manager said. “He played in the big leagues down there in Venezuela in their winter league, so he’s not intimidated by anything that’s going on here, that’s for sure. He’s a hitter, really, He knows where the barrel is, works counts, not a strikeout guy, just puts together good at-bats.” On the other end of the spectrum, the Kernels have seven players who currently are batting below the .200 mark. “Really, it’s been LaMonte and Chris Paul, before he left, and Arraez that have been our only offense,” Mauer confirmed. “(Zander) Wiel looks like he’s starting to come around a bit, which is good. Get him going and then (Jermaine) Palacios had a better week last week, he’s hitting the ball better. We need to get some of these guys to get going here so we don’t have to rely on the pitchers.” In the meantime, Mauer looks for things he can do to put his team in the best position to win a game, even when the crucial hits aren’t coming. “We’re struggling a little bit when we’re in scoring position and we’ve got to get better at it,” he explained. “That’s why we played the infield in (Tuesday) in the fourth inning with nobody out. Runs are hard to come by for us. Same thing with Arraez trying to score (from third base) on a 180-foot fly ball. Kid made a good throw - we were kind of hoping that he would throw it away or something - try to force the issue a little bit. We’ve got to do things like that to try to create something. We don’t get many opportunities.” Wade is expected to return to the Kernels lineup within the next day or two and the manager is hoping his return, along with some improvement among the others in his lineup, will help put a few more runs on the board. If not, the manager is mindful that changes can be made. “We left a couple college guys that are down there (in extended spring training) that could probably help us. Sometimes you just need a break or a movement situation." (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com)