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Friday was a busy day in the Minnesota Twins minor leagues. There were several transactions. There were seven games, and we’ve got all the action below. There were three extra-innings games, and two game-winners. Saturday presents another full slate of games. Continue on to read everything that happened in a busy day in the Minnesota Twins farm system.TRANSACTIONS Very early on Friday morning, Darrin Wolfson tweeted that Aaron Hicks was on his way to Kansas City. To make room for him, Shane Robinson was again placed on the Family Emergency List. Earlier in the day, the Twins announced the infielder Doug Bernier had been removed from the 40-man roster. He cleared waivers and stayed with Rochester. Following the Twins game, Alex Meyer was optioned to Rochester. A corresponding move will be announced on Saturday, but we know that Ervin Santana needs to be activated from the suspended list. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 5 (16 innings) Box Score Fans in Lehigh Valley got a lot of extra, free baseball action on Friday night. They also got to see the 2015 AAA debut of JO Berrios. The 21-year-old right-hander was charged with five runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out four. Mark Hamburger came on and gave up a hit in one inning. Ryan O’Rourke got the final out of the seventh inning. Then some bullpen arms got some extended work. Michael Tonkin struck out eight in three perfect innings (read that sentence again). AJ Achter threw two scoreless innings, though he gave up a hit and walked three. He struck out four. Logan Darnell worked four scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out six to get the win. In the top of the 16th inning, Eric Farris singled, and James Beresford advanced him to second with a bunt. Nate Hanson came up and came through with an RBI with a game-winning single. In 16 innings, the Red Wings had just eight hits. Oswaldo Arcia hit his third home run. Eric Fryer walked and added his first homer. He will leave the team now to join Team USA for the Pan-Am Games. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 19th double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 3 Game 1 - Box Score The Lookouts had not played in four days, so they played two games on Friday. The team had a scheduled day off which was followed by two rainouts. The bats cooled off with the delay (and the Miguel Sano promotion possibly, too). In Game 1, the team had just five hits. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 and drove in the lone run. Stephen Wickens walked twice. Kennys Vargas batted third and went 1-3. David Hurlbut started the first game. The southpaw gave up three runs on six hits and four walks in five innings to take the loss. He struck out three. Alex Muren made his AA debut and threw two perfect innings. He struck out one. Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 6 Game 2 - Box Score Game 2 wasn’t any better for the Lookouts. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 in the second game too. He hit his 14th double. Max Kepler struck out three times, but he added his 14th double. Mike Gonzales doubled for the 10th time this year. Kennys Vargas walked twice. Alex Wimmers started game two. He gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three. Jake Reed gave up one run in his innings. JT Chargois gave up a run on a hit in his inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Palm Beach 4 (10 innings) Box Score Yet another extra innings game for the Miracle. Unfortunately, they ended up on the losing side of this one. Ryan Eades started and was only able to complete four innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Corey Williams came on and gave up one run over two innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out one. Matt Summers gave up two hits over three shutout innings. He struck out one. After getting one out, Todd Van Steensel gave up a first-pitch home run to Luke Voit. Voit went 3-5 in the game with two doubles before the walk-off homer. Jason Kanzler (The Muscles and Mustache Man) led the offense. He went 2-5 with his sixth double and his sixth home run. Bryan Haar and Aderlin Mejia also had two hits. Mitch Garver went 1-3 with a walk and his 13th double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 4 Box Score The Cedar Rapids offense continues to struggle. In this game, they had just five hits. TJ White was 1-3 with a walk. Brett Doe hit his eighth double. Nick Gordon had a single and the lone RBI. Jared Wilson had his first rough start of the year. In just 1.2 innings, he gave up three runs on three hits and four walks. Luke Bard gave up three hits over 3.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two without a walk. Cameron Booser was charged with an unearned run over three innings of relief. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three. E-TWINS E-NOTES Greeneville @ Elizabethton Box Score The game was postponed due to rain.. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 3 (13 innings) Box Score Another extra innings game, but a walk-off win for the GCL Twins on Friday. With two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning, Jorge Andrade walked. Lean Marrero singled, and then Luis Arraez singled him in to end the game. Arraez went 3-6 in the game. So did Jermaine Palacios. Lewin Diaz went 1-3 with two walks. Travis Blankenhorn added his third double. With the extra innings, pretty much everybody got a chance to pitch (slight exaggeration). Luis Hernandez started and gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two without a strikeout. After that, 11 shutout innings from the bullpen. Miguel Gonzalez struck out four batters in three perfect innings. Callan Pearce gave up a hit and a walk and recorded two outs. Max Cordy walked two and hit a batter, but he got two outs before allowing any runs. Hector Lujan struck out one in a scoreless inning. Chris Mazza returned to the mound and threw two shutout innings. He walked one and struck one out. Yorman Landa rehabbed as well. He gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. Brandon Poulson worked the final inning. He gave up a hit and walked two, but he struck out two and gave up no runs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Michael Tonkin, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jorge Polanco, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05 CST) – LHP Brett Lee St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – LHP Mat Batts Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) – RHP Zach Tillery Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) – LHP Brandon Easton GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

Another Monday means that each minor league level announces their player of the week honors. Twins-affiliated players have been littering the awards so far this season and that trend continued on Monday. Left-handed pitcher Tommy Milone was named the International League Pitcher of the Week. He only made one start over the last week but he tossed eight shutout innings while allowing three hits, all singles, striking out 12 without issuing a walk. To start the game, he struck out five straight batters. No batters reached scoring position against him and he faced the minimum in six of his eight innings of work. Top prospect Jose Berrios was also honored on Monday. The right-handed pitcher was honored as the Southern League's Pitcher of the Week. He tossed a nine innings complete game shutout for his fourth win of the season. He struck out eight and walked two while limiting the opposition to two hits, both singles. Both pitchers were scheduled to be on the mound today so let's see how they fared.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Durham 0 Box Score Tommy Milone is sick of being in the minor leagues and he is making that pretty clear with his performance since being demoted. On 115 pitches, Milone tossed a complete game shutout. He scattered six hits but used 13 strikeouts to get out of any jams. In three starts since being demoted, he has yet to allow a run and he has struck out 33 batters in 23.1 innings. (As Seth writes today, Tommy Milone Is Making A Statement.) Josmil Pinto provided the most important hit when he cranked a two-run home run with two outs in the sixth inning. Eric Farris reached base three times, scored a pair of runs and stole a base. James Beresford drove in a run and collected a double. Wilkin Ramirez hit his second double of the season. With the win, Rochester improved to 21-16 ahead of their double header with Durham tomorrow. The team has won three of their last four games and they haven't lost a series since May 8-9 against Louisville. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Montgomery 4 Box Score Jose Berrios couldn't follow up his memorable performance from last week. He was limited to five innings in this game as he allowed three runs on five hits while striking out five and walking one. Some of the outs he gave up were long fly balls so the results look better than they could have been. Even with the rough day, Berrios still has an ERA under 2.90 for the season. The bullpen trio of Nick Burdi, Zack Jones, and DJ Johnson combined to pitch four perfect innings. Burdi struck out three in two innings of work and Jones struck out the side in the eighth. Dallas Gallant gave up a run on a couple of hits without recording an out. The Lookouts didn't have many opportunities on the offensive side of the ball as the team went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Jorge Polanco picked up a couple of hits to raise his average to .314. Max Kepler had the only other hit in the game, a two-run home run. It was his first of the season. With the loss, Chattanooga drops to 23-15 on the season. It was their second consecutive loss after winning five games in a row. The Lookouts had not lost two game in a row this month until today. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Bradenton 5 Box Score The fireworks were out in Fort Myers on Monday evening as the club pounded out 12 hits and 11 runs including two three-run innings. Chad Christensen went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run. Jason Kanzler scored three times, drove in three runs, and both his hits were for extra-bases. Engelb Vielma hit his second double, scored two runs and stole his tenth base. Niko Goodrum also crossed the plate twice. The offensive explosion meant the Miracle were able to dance around three fielding errors. Vielma had a throwing error, his sixth of the season. Goodrum was charged with a fielding error, his eight of the season. Logan Wade was the only starter not to reach base and he had his sixth error. Aaron Slegers started and didn't allow an earned run over five innings of work. He struck out two and walked two. Alex Muren pitched two perfect innings while striking out one. Todd Van Steensel got beat up a little in his two innings of work as he allowed three runs on five hits but he did strike out three. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Peoria 3 Box Score Completion from 5/14 In a game started last Thursday when the first four innings were played, Cedar Rapids found themselves in an early hole after Stephen Gonsalves surrendered two runs in the top of the first inning but the Kernels offense came pouring back. Over the next two innings, Cedar Rapids plated six runs to take the lead for good. The only thing that slowed the offense down was rain and a wet playing surface that suspended play before the fifth inning. Trey Vavra had a good game at the plate with two hits including his fourth home run and his eighth double. He knocked in three of the team's runs and all of his RBIs came with two outs. Tanner English reached base three times via a triple, single and walk as he scored two runs. Nick Gordon drove in a run and scored two runs. After the rough top of the first, Gonsalves calmed down before the rain started to fall. He pitched four innings while allowing two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Keaton Steele started the game today in his Kernels debut and earned his first victory. He pitched five innings, allowed one earned run and had six strikeouts. Cedar Rapids 0, Peoria 1 (7 innings) Box Score Regularly Scheduled Game The Kernels bats cooled off for the second game of the night. In fact, the team was one Zack Larson single away from being part of a seven inning no-hitter. Nick Gordon had the only opportunity to bat with a runner in scoring position after Tanner English had stolen second base with two outs. This is the closest the Kernels came to scoring a run. Matt Batts took the loss after pitching all six innings but he put together some impressive numbers. He only allowed one earned run and he struck out 12 including multiple strikeouts in five of his six frames. It was the first time all season he struck out more than seven and it was his first loss of the month. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tommy Milone, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Durham (10:05 am CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu (Triple-A Debut) Rochester vs. Durham (6:05 CST) – RHP Alex Meyer Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (6:15 CST)- RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers vs. Bradenton (6:05 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (11:00 am CST) - RHP John Curtiss Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games. Click here to view the article

On Thursday in the Minnesota Twins minor league system, there were some really strong offensive performances. The pitching wasn’t on par with Wednesday when three starting pitchers threw at least six innings of shutout baseball. However, one starter looks like he could be turning his season around in a positive way.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 6 (11 innings) Box Score Alex Meyer was back on the mound. Though the results weren’t great, it was certainly a step in the right direction, an improvement. The right-hander gave up five runs (just three earned) on seven hits. He walked two and struck out four. His fourth strikeout was the first out in the seventh inning. He walked the next batter and was removed from the game. Logan Darnell came in and gave up a single. Mark Hamburger replaced him and gave up two hits, one allowing a run, the other resulted in a runner thrown out at the plate. Tim Stauffer continued his rehab. He threw two quick, scoreless innings and struck out one. Caleb Thielbar pitched a scoreless tenth inning, but the takes the loss after giving up one in the 11th. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-5 with his third home run. Jose Martinez was also 2-5 with his first home run. Eric Farris went 2-5. Josmil Pinto hit his fourth double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 1 Box Score Greg Peavey’s season couldn’t have started much worse. Through his first five starts (22.1 innings) he had 10.48 ERA and opponents had a 1.048 OPS off of him. In his last start, he gave up just one run over five innings. On Thursday night, he continued that positive trend. He gave up just one run on four hits over seven innings. He walked none and struck out three. Zack Jones finished things up with two scoreless innings in relief. He struck out two. Max Kepler continued to rake. He went 2-4 with his seventh and eighth doubles. Travis Harrison went 2-3 with a walk and his league-leading 11th double. Mike Gonzales went 2-3 with a walk. Adam Brett Walker hit his first triple of the season. One To Watch: In his last 12 games, Kepler is hitting .422/.447/.622 (1.069) with seven doubles and a triple. In his current six-game hitting streak – during which he has four multi-hit games – he is hitting .522/.522/.826 (1.348) with seven doubles. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Dunedin 6 Box Score Ryan Eades has been very good this season, but he had a clunker on Thursday night. He gave up six runs in the game’s first two innings. He did settle down and gave up only those six over five innings. He gave up ten hits, walked three and struck out two. Alex Muren came on and struck out three in two scoreless innings. Todd Van Steensel then struck out two more over the final two innings. The Miracle bats came to play. They had 11 hits and walked four times. However, they were only able to muster three runs in the game. Jason Kanzler went 2-5 and hit his third home run of the season. Zach Granite went 2-4 with a walk and his first FSL double. Alex Swim’s 16-game hitting streak came to an end on Wednesday, but he started a new one. He went 2-5 in this one. Mitch Garver went 2-3 with a walk. Logan Wade was 2-4 with his sixth double. One To Watch: Earlier this week, the Minnesota Twins named Zach Granite their minor league hitter of the month for April. In 19 games with Cedar Rapids in April, he hit .358/.463/.463 (.925) with five doubles and a triple. He also walked 12 times while striking out just six times. When the calendar changed to May, he was promoted to Ft. Myers. He had just one hit in his first 14 at bats (three games) with the Miracle, but since then, he has been terrific. In ten games since, he is hitting .425/.500/.525 (1.025) with a double and his first professional home run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids, Peoria (Game Suspended in fourth inning) Box Score There was rain at Perfect Game Field at Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids most of the day. The tarp was removed from the field about thirty minutes before game time. They were able to get through three innings, but in the top of the fourth, the rains came and the game was suspended. It will continue where it left off next Monday in Peoria before their regularly-scheduled game. Stephen Gonsalves started and gave up two first-inning runs. Through four innings, he gave up just those two runs on four hits. He walked none and struck out four. Trey Vavra gave the Kernels a lead in the second inning when he launched his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot. Tanner English had a triple and a walk in the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Greg Peavey, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Reynaldo Rodriguez, Rochester Red Wings; Jose Martinez, Rochester Red Wings; Jason Kanzler, Ft. Myers Miracle FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 CST) – RHP DJ Baxendale Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST) – LHP Brett Lee Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Michael Cederoth LEADERBOARD Be sure to check back on Saturday morning to see who is leading the Twins organization in many of the statistical categories. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games. Click here to view the article

There were a couple of really rough starting pitching performances on this night, but there was one that was very good. One of the prolific power hitters in the Twins farm system went deep a couple of times. On Saturday, there were five Twins minor league games. In a bit of a riddle, all four affiliates lost on Saturday, although they went 1-4 on the day. Read below for the scores and highlights from today’s action.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Pawtucket 13 Box Score It was a rough game for the Red Wings on Saturday afternoon in Rhode Island. Baseball America ranked Pawtucket team as the most talented minor league team in baseball. On this day, they were certainly very good. Mark Hamburger made the start for the Red Wings. He gave up three runs through the first four innings. He began the fifth with two runners on base before he was replaced by Stephen Pryor. The reliever allowed both of his inherited runners to score on a three-run homer. Pryor began the sixth inning by allowing a walk and another home run. After a walk and a single, Pryor gave up a third home run and the game was well out of reach. Lester Oliveros got the team out of the sixth inning. Ryan O’Rourke came on for the seventh. He issued a leadoff walk but got the next two batters out. Two runs scored on back-to-back doubles. The Red Wings got creative in the eighth inning, bringing in first baseman Brock Peterson to pitch. He got a strikeout and a walk before giving up a single and a walk. However, he got a ground ball back to himself to end the inning. The Red Wings managed just six hits in the game. Eric Fryer had two of them. Jose Martinez had an extra base hit, his second double. Brock Peterson hit his second home run of the season. Infielder Nate Hanson was activated from the disabled list and got two at-bats in his season debut. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Game 1 – Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 11 Box Score Not the way that the Lookouts wanted to start their doubleheader. Minor league Rule 5 pick Greg Peavey made his second start of the season. It didn’t go well. He was charged with 11 runs (10 earned) on 13 hits in just 2.2 innings. He was replaced by Adrian Salcedo who was able to restore order. Salcedo went the next 3.1 innings without allowing any more runs. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. Dallas Gallant pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Adam Brett Walker had a big game. He went 2-4 and hit his third and fourth home runs of the season. Miguel Sano went 2-2 with two walks. Travis Harrison went 2-4 with two doubles. He now has four doubles on the season. Game 2 – Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 0 Box Score The Lookouts took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning of Game 2. Jorge Polanco and Dalton Hicks singled, and with two outs Travis Harrison singled in Polanco to give the Lookouts a 1-0 lead. That was all the run support that DJ Baxendale would need. The right-hander gave up just three hits over six shutout innings. He walked three, but he also struck out eight. He left a 1-0 lead to Zack Jones who gave up a leadoff single, but then retired the next three batters, two of them on strikeouts, to record his second save. Baxendale improved to 2-0 and maintained his 0.00 ERA. He now has 12 strikeouts in 12.1 scoreless innings. Dalton Hicks went 2-4, half of the Lookouts hits in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, St. Lucie 7 Box Score Ethan Mildren made the start for the Miracle. He was charged with five runs (4 earned) on six hits in 4.1 innings. He left the game having allowed three runs. However, he left the game in the fifth inning with two runners on. Alex Muren came on and served up a three-run homer. He retired the next five batters that he faced. Brian Gilbert gave up a run on two hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out two. Madison Boer struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning. Max Kepler went 2-4 with a walk and a double. Alex Swim went 2-4 with a walk. Marcus Knecht went 1-2 with three walks. For the second straight game, Jason Kanzler homered. The Miracle are now 4-6 on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Burlington 4 Box Score After six games at home, the Kernels made the first of three commuter trips to Burlington. It was a close game throughout, but the Kernels fell 4-3. Michael Cederoth was charged with four runs on six hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out six. He struggled early, giving up three runs in the first two innings, but he settled down well after that. Randy LeBlanc came on and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out one. The Kernels had six hits in the game, two of them were off the bat of T.J. White. Tanner Vavra hit his second double and the Kernels cut the Bees lead to 3-2 in the third inning when he hit a two-run single. Tanner English drove in the other run with a sacrifice fly. The Kernels are now 7-3 this year. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – DJ Baxendale, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Brett Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (12:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean Birmingham @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (3:05 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (2:00 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

The 2014 Ft. Myers Miracle won the team’s first Florida State League championship. The loaded roster now primarily is in Chattanooga. Some return, and manager Jeff Smith also adds some players from a playoff team in Cedar Rapids a year ago. Like the rest of minor league baseball, the Miracle season will begin on Thursday. Kohl Stewart headlines the Miracle roster in 2015, but there are a lot of players worth watching. Who else will be on the Miracle roster on Opening Day? Check below for the complete list.Here is a look at the Opening Day roster of the Miracle in some detail: Starting Pitchers: Ryan Eades, Chih-Wei Hu, Brett Lee (LHP), Ethan Mildren, Aaron Slegers, Kohl Stewart Brett Lee had a strong first half last year with the Miracle and was named to the Florida State League All-Star team. He didn’t pitch there, and pitched only sporadically in the second half due to shoulder issues. Ryan Eades had a frustrating 2014 season in Cedar Rapids, but the former second-round pick advances to the Miracle and has the stuff to be successful. He just needs to be consistent. Chih-Wei Hu began last season in extended spring training, but after a couple of starts for Elizabethton, he became arguably the Kernels best starter down the stretch. Mildren also began at EST, but he was quickly called up to Cedar Rapids. After a dozen starts, he moved up to the Miracle and was part of the championship rotation. The lanky Slegers was the Kernels top starter early in the season. After some struggles, he figured things out again and made a few starts for the Miracle late. Kohl Stewart is a great athlete and has huge potential. Some were concerned about his lack of strikeouts in Cedar Rapids in 2014. Others said that the contact off of him was very weak. More concerning, he ended his second straight season with shoulder issues. He’s at 100% this spring which could mean big things for the Twins first-round pick from 2013. Relief Pitchers: Madison Boer, JT Chargois, Alex Muren, Brandon Peterson, Tim Shibuya, Todd Van Steensel, Luke Westphal (LHP) Boer is a former second-round pick who was moved to the bullpen full-time just last year. He returns to the Miracle. JT Chargois was also a second- round pick, but he hasn’t pitched in two years due to an elbow injury that eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery. Twins Daily readers have heard numerous times here that he was clocked at 99 at Instructional League last fall. Alex Muren quietly puts up solid numbers. Particularly, he is a ground ball machine. Brandon Peterson was our choice for Twins minor league relief pitcher of the year in 2014. He spent a month in Cedar Rapids before advancing to the Miracle where he struck out 65 in 45 innings. Tim Shibuya is healthy again after another injury-plagued 2014 season. Australian Van Steensel is back with the Twins and last year climbed from EST to Cedar Rapids and ended up pitching for the Miracle in the playoffs. Luke Westphal, a left-hander from LaCrosse, had to go to Australia this winter to get signed by the Twins. Catchers: Mitch Garver, Michael Quesada, Alex Swim Mitch Garver was my choice for Twins minor league hitter of the year when he put up strong numbers in Cedar Rapids. He was invited to Twins spring training this year and has moved up prospect rankings quickly. Swim came up to the Kernels last year and hit almost instantly. In fact, he hit so well that Jake Mauer played him in right field just to keep his bat in the lineup. Quesada is a defense-first catcher, though he occasionally will show some good pop in his bat. Infielders: Niko Goodrum, Bryan Haar, Aderling Mejia, Tanner Vavra, Engelb Vielma Niko Goodrum returns to the Miracle to play third base, though he will likely play multiple positions. I personally think this is the best thing for his development, to repeat the level and put up some good numbers to regain his confidence. Bryan Haar put up big power numbers in Cedar Rapids last year, playing third base. He finished the season with the Miracle. Mejia began 2014 in New Britain but returned to the Miracle. Here, he will play both middle infield positions. Vavra played second base with the Kernels a year ago and does a good job with the glove. Vielma impressed last year in Cedar Rapids with his glove work at shortstop. He was named the Twins minor league defensive infielder of the year last year. Outfielders: Chad Christensen, Jason Kanzler, Marcus Knecht, Logan Wade Christensen played for his hometown Kernels last year and put up numbers across the board, some power and 35 stolen bases. He will move to the outfield after playing mostly first base for Cedar Rapids. Jason Kanzler quietly put up big numbers last year. He is another great athlete with speed and power. He also plays tremendous center field defense. His 11th inning home run in the final game of 2014 gave the Miracle the Florida State League championship. Marcus Knecht signed with the Twins just last week after the Canadian was released by the Blue Jays. He has spent the last two years playing in the Florida State League for Dunedin. Logan Wade is an Australian infielder who is being moved to the outfield for depth. He will likely also play in the infield. Disabled List: Brandon Bixler (LHP), Brian Gilbert, Steven Gruver, Chris Mazza, Ryan Walker, Corey Williams (LHP – Tommy John) Manager/Coaching Staff: Jeff Smith (MGR), Jim Dwyer (Hitting Coach), Ivan Arteaga (Pitching Coach). Jeff Smith returns to the Miracle after spending the past five seasons with the Rock Cats in New Britain. Before that, the Naples native managed the Miracle in 2008 and 2009. He also managed Beloit for two years. Jim Dwyer begins his 10th season as the Miracle’s hitting coach. Ivan Arteaga was the pitching coach in Cedar Rapids last year after being the Miracle pitching coach in 2013. WHO ARE THE TOP PROSPECTS? Twins Daily Prospects: #4 Kohl Stewart, Seth: #5 Kohl Stewart, #17 Chih-Wei Hu, #26 Mitch Garver, #27 Niko Goodrum Cody: #3 Kohl Stewart, #21 Chih-Wei Hu, #23 Niko Goodrum, #26 Engelb Vielma, #30 Brett Lee Jeremy: #4 Kohl Stewart, #19 Chih-Wei Hu, #22 Mitch Garver, #26 Engelb Vielma *** If you didn’t get your copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015, be sure to order yours today. You can order a hardcopy or order an electronic copy for immediate download. Click here to view the article

For the next month, Twins Daily will be in Ft. Myers, filing daily reports from The Fort. Seth made the trek to southwest Florida. On Monday, he arrived at Hammond Stadium. Despite few players being at the stadium, we were able to see a lot of baseball action and talk to a few players. Below you will find a quick report from Day 1.TWO TEAMS ON THE ROAD The Twins played two games in Bradenton on Monday. The regularly-scheduled game ended in a 1-1 tie, the Twins lone run coming on a long home run off the bat of Miguel Sano. The teams also played a “B” game earlier in the day and the Twins won that game 2-1. That game was for some of the guys in camp who don’t play as much, or needed to get innings. Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey and Jason Wheeler each pitched. They are in big league camp, but they need to be stretched out so that they can be ready to start when the minor league games start next month. The players who headed north left early, so I got there just after the bus left. So, it was a little quieter around Hammond Stadium. However, Torii Hunter and Joe Mauer remained back and worked. There were a lot of pitchers who stayed back as well. Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey threw bullpens. Glen Perkins was going to throw a bullpen, but he continued to experience pain in his right side. According to the Star-Tribune, he is going to see the Twins physicians on Tuesday. Other pitchers worked on Tom Kelly Field, with Tom Kelly and Doug Mientkiewicz, on more pitcher fielding ractice. Mauer fed them ground balls from first base. When the pitchers were done, they went to the bullpen and worked on bunting with Rod Carew. It was kind of interesting to see relievers working on bunting, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for anything. HANSON HELPS THE BIG LEAGUE CLUB Because of the lack of numbers for the big league workout today, Nate Hanson was called over to Hammond Stadium to help out. Hanson was the Twins 28th round pick in 2008 out of the University of Minnesota. He became a minor league free agent for the first time this last offseason, but after weighing his options, he chose to return to the Twins. During PFP’s, he played at 3B and caught the throws from the pitchers after the bunts. After the first “bunt” thrown by Tom Kelly, the pitcher threw to Hanson. It was a perfect throw, chest high, and Hanson caught it. He tossed it back to the pitcher and readied himself for the next throw. Before that happened, Kelly yelled “Great play, Nate!” He chuckled, and after most throws from the pitchers throughout the rest of the drills, they would say, “Great play, Nate!” as he tossed them back the ball. He took batting practice, and at one point, he hit two, long home runs over the left field wall that were hit further than others on the day. It will be an interesting year for Hanson. He has spent time in Rochester each of the last two seasons, though most of those seasons were spent in New Britain. In his professional career, he has played first base, second base, third base, left field and right field. He is usually the third hitter on his team and teammates describe him as “professional.” The former Gopher told me he was at the Gophers/Twins game last Wednesday night. He is still friends with some of the Gophers players, coaches and other personnel. MINOR LEAGUE CAMP Tuesday marks the official report day for Twins minor leaguers. However, in talking with Tommy Watkins, he said that there were 93 minor leaguers there on Monday to work out. When their first full workout takes place on Thursday, there will be as many as 145 on the four back fields. I had to ask if he thought that having the new Twins academy so conveniently close was the reason. He nodded and said that it definitely helps. The players are able to get three meals and live there for very little. The players there are fed three meals a day. There are nutritionists as well, so they do not have options that are not healthy. There are not “bad” options such as pop for the players. Understandably, the Twins invest money in these players and in their development. Nutrition is a part that had not been a focus. It was talked about, but having the academy allows them to push it even further. After spending time stretching and running, hitters took batting practice. Several pitchers threw live batting practice to the hitters. Pat Dean, Stephen Gonsalves, Ethan Mildren and Aaron Slegers were among pitchers who threw to hitters from the mound. HARRISON HOPES FOR A BIG YEAR 2011 Twins supplemental first-round pick Travis Harrison came over and spent a few minutes with me after the day’s workout. He spent the 2014 season in Ft. Myers where he hit .269/.361/.365 (.726) with 33 doubles, a triple and three home runs. He was also playing the outfield for the first time as a professional. Asked how he felt about his progression in the field went, he said, “It wasn’t bad at all. I played outfield in high school, including centerfield, so it wasn’t a problem.” He said that he is expecting to have a big year. He said, “I learned a lot about hitting last year from Doug (Mientkiewicz).” Despite the lack of home runs, he has no question that he can hit a lot of home runs. He has always had tremendous strength, but he said that he is stronger than he has ever been. For the first time, he spent the offseason in Ft. Myers. He worked out with Kyle Gibson and Twins Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Erik Beiser. He says he can’t control where he starts the season but really believes that he’ll start in Chattanooga. THE RETURN OF DINKELMAN The Twins have several new coaches in the minor leagues in 2015. JP Martinez and Virgil Vazquez will be pitching coaches for the GCL Twins. Javier Valentin will be a coach in the GCL. Twins fans will also be interested to know that Brian Dinkelman will be a hitting coach in the GCL. I had a chance to talk to him at the end of the workouts on Monday. He arrived in Ft. Myers last Tuesday and has been working with the players who are there. Asked if he was always planning on coaching, he said, “It has always been something I knew I’d want to do. I spent last year coaching high school baseball, and then this opportunity came up.” THE RETURN OF THE MUSTACHE One of the most interesting stories of the 2014 season was the mustache of Jason Kanzler. It was one of those things that needed updated pictures throughout the season. The mustache is back, though on Monday, there was some beard that went along with it. After posting the above picture of the current mustache situation, Kanzler assures his fans (or the fans of his mustache) that he will “clean it up tonight. Me and the 'stache are coming out hot tomorrow.” Twins Daily is making an effort to get the first photo of the 2015 Mustache. If you like the six photos in this article, be sure to “Like” Twins Daily on Facebook and follow Twins Daily on Twitter. You can also follow Seth on Twitter as he will be tweeting from the stadium often. There were over 75 photos posted to the Facebook page, and more will be there throughout the week. There is so much going on between the seven fields that it is impossible to catch it all. However, my goal will be to see as much as I can and report it here again tomorrow. Click here to view the article

Since the end of minor league season, we have handed out some minor league awards. On Monday, the Twins announced that Kennys Vargas and JO Berrios were named their choices for Twins minor league hitter and pitcher of the year in the minor leagues. Today I’m going to start a preliminary Top 50 Twins prospects list and welcome your feedback. Today, I’ll post Part 1: Prospects 41-50. Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2015. 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 2015, I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 41-50 #50 – Lewin Diaz - 17 – 1B – Dominican Summer League The 17-year-old was the Twins bonus baby when he signed for over $1 million in 2013. In 2014, he made his professional debut in the DSL. In 43 games, he hit .257/.385/.451 (.836) with 13 doubles and five homers. He walked 26 times and struck out 24 times. Still young, he has immense power potential. He should make his debut next season in the States, likely in the GCL. #49 – Ryan Eades - 22 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins second round pick in 2013 out of powerhouse LSU, Eades spent his entire first full season in Cedar Rapids. It was a disappointing season for the 22-year-old right-hander. He went 10-11 with a 5.14 ERA in 25 starts. In 133 innings, he gave up 147 hits, walked 50 and struck out just 98. Eades has three solid pitches. He just really struggles with consistency, not only from game-to-game but often from inning-to-inning. #48 – Tanner English - 21 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels English was the Twins 11th round pick this June after three seasons at the University of South Carolina. He had previously been a 13th round pick out of high school in 2011. He signed late and then missed some time with a shoulder injury. However, at Elizabethton, the 21-year-old hit .316/.439/.474 (.913) with 10 extra base hits in 32 games. He was then promoted to Cedar Rapids for their second round playoff series. He is a good combination of power, speed and defense. #47 – Jonatan Hinojosa - 22 – IF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Elizabethton Twins Hinojosa is all about speed and defense. The infielder has a good glove at all three spots. He is 5-11 and just over 150 pounds. He served a 50-game PED suspension early in the season and came back to play in Elizabethton. He was promoted back to Cedar Rapids where he finished with 20 strong games. He hit .341/.378/.494 (.872) in 92 plate appearances. Combined, he stole 23 bases in 27 attempts. #46 – Max Murphy - 21 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels Murphy is from Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and the Twins drafted him in the ninth round this year out of Bradley. Murphy is just shy of 6-0 and compactly built. He has good power and it was on display at Elizabethton. He was named the Appalachian League hitter of the year when he hit .378/.483/.723 (1.206) with seven doubles, two triples and 10 homers in 35 games. He was then promoted to Cedar Rapids where he came down to earth, though he did hit seven doubles and four homers in 32 games. #45 – Dalton Hicks - 24 – 1B – Ft. Myers Miracle Hicks was the Twins 17th round pick in 2012 out of Central Florida. He has been a big run producer since signing with the Twins. His grand slam in extra innings gave the E-Twins and Appalachian League championship in 2012. Hicks led minor league baseball in RBI in 2013 with 110. He spent 2014 in Ft. Myers where he hit .262/.344/.407 (.751) with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 76 RBI. At 6-5 and about 250 pounds, Hicks is lumbering, but he has tremendous power. #44 – Jason Kanzler - 24 – OF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle The 24-year-old spent four years at the University of Buffalo where he won two college Gold Glove awards. Kanzler’s can play above-average defense at all three outfield positions. He strikes out a lot, but he packs a lot of power. In 84 games at Cedar Rapids, he hit .286/.334/.448 (.782) with eight doubles, eight triples and nine home runs. He moved up to Ft. Myers where in 27 games he hit .267/.476/.430 (.906). His two-run homer in the tenth inning of the FSL championship series Game 4 gave the Miracle their first championship with the Twins. Overall, he had 32 extra base hits. He also stole 27 bats in 34 attempts combined. And, of course, we must Feat the Stache! #43 – Rainis Silva - 18 – C – GCL Twins After a year in the DSL in which he hit just .223 (.539 OPS), Silva came to the States right away in spring training. At 18 in the GCL, he hit .270/.294/.342 (.636) with nine doubles. He ended the season quite strong though. He is known more for his defense. He has good size and a strong arm. He threw out 39% of would-be base stealers in 2014. He also spent 10 games at first base and had just one error. #42 – Felix Jorge - 20 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Elizabethton Twins It was an interesting season for Felix Jorge. He began the season at Cedar Rapids but struggled immensely, posting a 2-5 record with a 9.00 ERA in 39 innings (12 games). He was sent back to Elizabethton where he was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. He went 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA. He is 6-2 and lanky. As he grows, he should add more velocity. 2015 will be a big year for Jorge as he attempts to show he can get Midwest League hitters out. #41 – Brett Lee - 24 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011 out of St. Petersburg College. He was a Florida State League All-Star in 2014 when he went 10-5 with a 2.45 ERA. He has good stuff and good control. However, his strikeout rate has dropped quickly. He struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings in 2012 at Elizabethton. In 2013 in Cedar Rapids, he struck out 6.9 per nine innings. In 2014, he struck out just 4.6 per nine. He has good stuff, so I suspect the numbers will continue to be solid and his strikeout rate will come up some. So, what do you think of Part 1, Prospects 41-50? Next up will be prospects 31-40. Click here to view the article

Earlier in the week at Twins Daily, we announced the Minor league Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year for the Twins. Today, it’s time to point out the hitters who performed very well in the Twins minor league system.There were a lot of solid performances and performers that did not make the top six for various reasons, be it injury, big league time or simply playing in a short-season league. Here are some honorable mentions that I think will illustrate just how good the top 6 are! Honorable Mention Josmil Pinto – Rochester Red Wings – 77-208 - .279/.376/.457 (.833) – 17-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 35-RBILevi Michael – Ft. Myers Miracle – 76-243 - .313/.389/.387 (.776) – 11-2B, 2-3B, 1-HR, 24-RBITravis Harrison – Ft. Myers Miracle – 123-458 - .269/.361/.365 (.726) – 33-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 59-RBIBryan Haar – Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – 114-432 - .264/.318/.438 (.755) – 23-2B, 5-3B, 14-HR, 68-RBIDeibinson Romero – Rochester Red Wings – 111-419 - .265/.364/.406 (.770) – 31-2B, 2-3B, 8-HR, 45-RBIDalton Hicks – Ft. Myers Miracle – 111-423 - .262/.344/.407 (.751) – 24-2B, 2-3B, 11-HR, 76-RBIMike Gonzales – Ft. Myers/New Britain – 105-387 - .271/.348/.439 (.878) – 29-2B, 0-3B, 12-HR, 71-RBIAlex Swim - Ft. Myers/Cedar Rapids - 74-238 - .311/.352/.349 (.700) - 9-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 41 RBIJorge Polanco – Ft. Myers/New Britain – 124-505 - .288/.353/.395 (.748) – 23-2B, 6-3B, 7-HR, 61-RBIHitter of the Year #6 – Adam Walker – Ft. Myers Miracle (124-505 - .246/.307/.436 (.743), with 19 doubles, 1 triple, 24 HR, 94 RBI) At 6-4 and 225 pounds, Walker is an intimidating presence in the batter’s box. Fortunately for the Twins, he’s fit the part of powerful, athletic run producer ever since he joined the Twins organization after being selected as the team’s third round draft pick in 2012. In short-season Elizabethton, Walker hit 14 homers and drove in 45 runs in 58 games. Last year in Cedar Rapids, he hit 31 doubles, seven triples and 27 home runs while driving in 109 runs, which was second only to Dalton Hicks in all of minor league baseball. He moved up to the pitcher-friendly Florida State League in 2014 and struggled early. He rarely was able to get his batting average over .250, but he walked eight percent of the time, an improvement. He still has strike zone and contact issues, but there is still so much potential in this 22-year-old. #5 – Max Murphy – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels (75-243 - .309/.403/.556 (.958), with 14 doubles, 2 triples, 14 HR, 41 RBI) Again, these are full-season awards, but Max Murphy put up such incredible numbers in his debut in the Appalachian League that he was named the league’s hitter of the year. That’s despite getting promoted to Cedar Rapids with three weeks left in the Appy League season. In 35 games at E-Town, he hit .378/.483/.723, with seven doubles, two triples and ten home runs. He struggled some when he got to Cedar Rapids, but he still hit seven doubles and four homers in 32 games with the Kernels. A Robbinsdale, Minnesota native, Murphy was the ninth round pick of the Twins in June out of Bradley University. #4 – Jason Kanzler – Cedar Rapids Kernels / Ft. Myers Miracle (113-401 - .282/.344/.444 (.788), with 11 doubles, 9 triple, 12 HR, 59 RBI) A Rochester, N.Y. native, the Twins made Kanzler their 20th round pick in 2013 after four years at the University of Buffalo. Almost inexplicably, he began the 2014 season at extended spring training, but about two days later he was summoned to Cedar Rapids. There, he hit .286/.334/.448 with eight doubles, eight triples and nine home runs. He finished the season with 27 games in Ft. Myers where his plate discipline greatly improved. Always known for his defense, he won two Gold Gloves in college and provided great leadership in the outfield. He came through big time for the Miracle in the playoffs. In one game, he had a double, a home run and drove in six runs. In the final game, his two-run, 11th inning homer gave the Miracle their first championship. #FearTheStache #3 – Reynaldo Rodriguez – New Britain Rock Cats (.278/.337/.495 (.832), with 37 doubles, 2 triples, 22 HR, 70 RBI) Rodriguez was a powerful force in the middle of the Rock Cats lineup throughout most of the 2014 season. He provided leadership for young Latin players such as Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario. And, he was an extra base machine. He hit 36 doubles and 21 home runs for the Rock Cats. He got to play ten games with Rochester as well and added one homer and one double. At 27-years old, he is a veteran who has been in professional baseball since signing with the Yankees in 2006. In 2014, he moved to the outfield after primarily playing first base in previous seasons. #2 – Kennys Vargas – New Britain Rock Cats (100-356 - .281/.360/.472 (788), with 17 doubles, 0 triples, 17 HR, 63 RBI) I think it’s safe to say that Kennys Vargas has made a pretty strong first impression with Twins fans who just got to know him in the second half of this season. For those who have followed him since he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2009 out of Puerto Rico, his production throughout 2014 has been a pleasant surprise. Vargas is a large man and carries a big bat. His numbers through the first two months of the minor league season were incredible. He put up the above numbers despite the fact that in his final 29 games in AA this season, he hit just .173/.271/.298 with seven extra base hits. The overall numbers still look pretty good because in his first 68 games with the Rock Cats,he hit .325/.397/.544 with 27 extra base hits. It is going to be interesting to see how Vargas progresses and adjusts in the big leagues going forward, but he has made a great impression this year! Hitter of the Year – Mitch Garver – Cedar Rapids Kernels (128-430 - .298/.399/.481 (.880), with 29 doubles, 1 triple, 16 HR, 79 RBI) Mitch Garver was drafted by the Twins in the ninth round of the 2013 draft as a fourth-year senior out of the University of New Mexico. Many teams like to draft fourth-year seniors in the second half of the first ten rounds because they can sign them for well below slot and go over slot on others. Whatever the reason for drafting Garver in the ninth round, the Twins got a very good baseball player who showed his potential in 2014 in Cedar Rapids. Garver started the season strong by hitting .321 (1.041) with 13 extra base hits in April and was our hitter of the month. He slowed down in May, but he posted an OPS over .870 in each of the final three months. Garver put up the offensive numbers that he did while playing the most grueling position on the field, catcher. On June 24, he took a foul tip off of his face mask that cut his chin and put him on the 7-day concussion DL. He returned and continued to hit. He also did a nice job behind the plate. He blocks the ball in the dirt pretty well. He has a strong arm that is usually quite accurate. He threw out 32% of would-be base stealers. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, Garver has a strong, powerful swing that fits well in the middle of a lineup. He is a line drive hitter who puts together quality at bats with his very good plate discipline. He will advance to Ft. Myers to start 2015, but he could be a guy who moves up to New Britain at some point next season as well. So there you have it. There were some really terrific offensively performances by Twins minor leaguers in 2014. Please feel free to discuss, Click here to view the article

Game 4 had to wait one extra day due to rain in Daytona on Sunday night, but on Monday the Miracle and Cubs were back in action. What a game it was, as extra innings were needed to determine a winner! The Miracle won their first Florida State League title. Keep reading to find out which players were able to play the role of hero in such a big game.MIRACLE MATTERS Game 4 – Ft. Myers 4, Daytona 2 (11 innings) Box Score For the first time in team history, the Ft. Myers Miracle are the champions of the Florida State League. It did not come easily as the team had to work a little overtime to accomplish the feat! In the top of the first inning, Aderlin Mejia led off and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Niko Goodrum. He moved up to third base on a wild pitch. Travis Harrison hit a sacrifice fly to give the Miracle a 1-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Stuart Turner led off with a single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and then to third on an infield single by Max Kepler. Tyler Grimes came up and hit a double down the left field line to give the Miracle a 2-0 lead. DJ Baxendale started and did not allow a run in the first three innings. However, the Daytona Cubs scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth and another unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at two. That is where the score remained until the 11th inning. Adam Walker led off with an opposite field double. After Tyler Grimes popped up a bunt attempt, Jason Kanzler came to the plate and unloaded a long home run over the left field wall. The blast gave the Miracle a 4-2 lead. It was a lead that would be held by Zack Jones in the bottom of the 11th frame. Jason Kanzler photo by Linwood Ferguson, Ft. Myers Miracle Baxendale started and gave up only the two unearned runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out seven. Brandon Peterson came on and got out of the sixth and worked a 1-2-3 seventh. Nick Burdi got out all six batters he faced, four of them on strikeouts. DJ Johnson was hitting 95 when he pitched the 10th inning. He gave up one hit and struck out two. With the lead, Zack Jones was brought in for the 11th and pitched a 1-2-3 inning for the save, wrapping up the championship. Aderlin Mejia did a great job as a leadoff man. He went 2-3 with two walks. Tyler Grimes also had two hits including his RBI double. Max Kepler went 2-4. But the offensive hero on this night was Jason Kanzler. He was just 1-5 in the game and struck out twice, but there was no bigger hit than his 11th inning home run that gave the Miracle the lead. Several of these Miracle players were on the Appalachian League championship team in 2012 as well as being a part of the terrific team in Cedar Rapids a year ago. This team has a culture of winning. Congratulations to Doug Mientkiewicz, pitching coach Gary Lucas, hitting coach Jim Dwyer, all the players and any of the players who spent time with the Miracle in 2014. That was a pretty impressive, talented group of players. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Nick Burdi, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jason Kanzler, Ft. Myers Miracle Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Miracle game and season. Click here to view the article

Three of the Twins affiliates are in the midst of a run for their respective league titles. This is a growing trend in the Twins system over the last couple seasons as the organization stockpiles younger players. Hopefully these winning ways will start to translate to the major league level over the next couple seasons but for now the focus is on the task at hand.The Miracle kicked off their Florida State League playoff series on Tuesday night. Fort Myers has been strong the last two years but they were swept out of the first round last season. This year their eyes are on a higher prize. The E-Twins suffered a one-run loss in a game on Monday that, if they had won, would have put them in the Appalachian League championship round. The loss led them to hand the ball to Felix Jorge, one of the Twins best pitching prospects, in a decisive third game on Tuesday night. They were looking to win the Apply League crown for the second time in three years. MIRACLE MATTERS/ FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Fort Myers 8, Bradenton 7 Box Score Pre-Game Notes: On Tuesday it was announced that a pair of Miracle players had been given awards. The Florida State League gave Stuart Turner the Hitter of the Week award and Ethan Mildren was named the Pitcher of the Week. Turner went 8-for-18 during the week with two homers and eight RBI. Mildren pitched a complete game shutout, pitching seven innings and allowing only three hits. Game Recap: After two innings in Tuesday night's game, the Miracle found themselves in a hole. Anderlin Mejia made a fielding error with two outs in the frame. Bradenton took advantage of this extra out by scoring seven unearned runs, all to the account of Miracle starter Brett Lee. By the end of the inning, Fort Myers was down 7-3. In the top of the fourth inning, the first three batters of the inning reached base via walk. This brought Jason Kanzler to the plate to face a new pitcher out of the bullpen. He crushed a grand slam to right field to tie the game. It was his second extra-base hit of the night and he wound up driving in six runs. Max Kepler had the only other extra-base hit, a double that drove in a run. The second biggest hit of the night came in the sixth inning after a rain delay. Following a Niko Goodrum strikeout, Travis Harrison got things started with a double to left. Dalton Hicks wasted little time and drove a single to right that scored Harrison from second as the Miracle took the lead. The Miracle bullpen was outstanding as they shut out the Marauders over the last 7.1 frames. During that stretch, there were only four base runners. Todd Van Steensel earned the win after he threw one inning and struck out one. Nick Burdi needed a helpful double play to get out of the eighth but he did earn a hold. Zack Jones saved the game with a perfect ninth, with two strikeouts. E-TWINS E-NOTES/ APPY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Elizabethton 4, Johnson City 5 Box Score Pre-game Notes: There was unfortunate news that came out affecting the E-Twins. Nick Gordon, the Twins first round pick this year, is out for the season after breaking a bone in his left index finger. He is done for the season and will likely miss all of the Instructional League with the injury. Game Recap: The E-Twins took an early lead in this one after a two-run home run by Tyler Kuresa. Tanner English had started the bottom of the first with a single. The next two batters were retired but Kuresa made sure Elizabethton wouldn't leave the frame empty-handed. Johnson City responded quickly with three runs of their own in the top of the second to take the lead. In the bottom of the third, the Twins used a trio of singles and a throwing error to push across two runs and retake the lead. Blake Schmit, Trey Vavra and Tyler Kuresa all collected hits with one out in the inning. The Johnson City shortstop tried to turn a quick double play to end the inning but the ball got by the first baseman and Vavra was able to score all the way from second. Johnson City scored a run in the sixth off of starter Felix Jorge to tie the game. Jorge finished with 5.2 innings pitched as he gave up four earned runs on eight hits. He struck out six and walked none. C.K. Irby gave up the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh. There was a lengthy rain delay before the bottom of the ninth inning but the E-Twins didn't have enough in the tank to continue their season. They lost by one run for the second straight night to be eliminated. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day: Zack Jones, Fort Myers Miracle Hitter of the Day: Jason Kanzler, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 CST)- TBA (Listen) Miracle lead 1-0 - DJ Baxendale Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- TBA (Listen) Game 1 - Chih-Wei Hu Click here to view the article

Earlier in the week, we looked at the long lists of Starting Pitchers and Relief Pitchers in the Minnesota Twins farm system who had strong July performances. Fortunately, there were also a lot of hitters who were up for consideration for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month in July. It’s fun to review July because it’s the first time that short-season players, many drafted in June, spend their first full month in professional baseball. So, these lists can contain players who are in AAA and been in pro ball for many years or players who have been in pro ball for one month. Let’s get to it. Here are July’s top hitters:Let's start with a few players who are outside of the Top 5, but certainly warrant mention. Honorable Mention Rochester Doug Bernier 31-103 (.301/.376/.447 – .823), 8-2B, 2-3B, 1-HR, 13-RBINB/Rochester Reynaldo Rodriguez 27-93 (.290/.382/.419 - .801) 9-2B, 0-3B, 1-HR, 12-RBINew Britain Mike Kvasnicka 34-111 (.306/.345/.505 – 849), 7-2B, 0-3B, 5-HR, 20 RBIFt. Myers Travis Harrison 31-102 (.304/.393/.402 - .795), 7-2B, 0-3B, 1-HR, 10-RBICedar Rapids Alex Swim 34-95 (.358/.402/.411 - .812), 5-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 12-RBICedar Rapids Mitch Garver 25-91 (.275/.333/.538 – .872), 3-2B, 0-3B, 7-HR, 19-RBICedar Rapids Bryan Haar 23-83 (.277/.344/.446 - .790), 4-2B, 2-3B, 2-HR, 10-RBIElizabethton Tyler Kuresa 28-96 (.292/.349/.510 - .859), 9-2B, 0-3B, 4-HR, 23-RBIAnd now this month's Top 5 Hitters: #5 – Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers - Jason Kanzler, 29-92 (.315/.402/.489 - .891), 3-2B, 2-3B, 3-HR, 13-RBI Kanzler was the Twins 20th round pick in 2013 out of the University of Buffalo where he won a couple of college Gold Glove awards. Though he began the season in extended spring, he was called up to Cedar Rapids quickly. With the Kernels, he took over centerfield and showed the tools that made him an intriguing draft pick. He’s got extra base power that he showed with eight doubles, eight triples and nine home runs in 84 games with the Kernels. He also stole 15 bases. Late in July, he received the promotion to Ft. Myers that he was ready for. He homered in his first at bat. Kanzler is definitely much more than the mustache. He’s got legit athleticism, talent and baseball acumen to continue to rise. #4 – Ft. Myers - Dalton Hicks, 30-107 (.280/.344/.561 – 0.905), 7-2B, 1-3B, 7-HR, 23-RBI As you recall, Hicks led all of baseball in RBI in 2013. This year it’s been more of a struggle for the 6-5, 250 pound first baseman. His OPS' by month since April have been .720, .696, .616, but he increased that to .913 in July. For the month, his 15 extra base hits were more than the three previous months combined. He has missed time with injury throughout the year, but he is now back to being the run producer in the middle of the Miracle lineup that was expected. #3 – Ft. Myers – Mike Gonzales 29-76 (.382/.442/.684 – 1.126), 11-2B, 0-3B, 4-HR, 20-RBI Gonzales was the Twins ninth round pick in 2009 out of Diablo Valley College. At 6-6 and 260 pounds, he had a long swing. A second year in Beloit was very beneficial for him. His career has been slowed, in part, by a medical condition that makes it difficult for him to play full games in Ft. Myers, or in back-to-back games. However, things certainly clicked for him with the Miracle in July. He carried a 19-game hitting streak right up until the day he was promoted to New Britain (July 27). In his second game with the Rock Cats, he was 2-4 with a home run. Gonzales and Hicks combined for a dominant 1B/DH team with the Miracle. Both have tremendous power and profile very similarly. #2 – Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids – Max Murphy 33-98 (.337/.433/.622 – 1.056), 4-2B, 0-3B, 8-HR, 17-RBI Murphy was the Twins ninth round pick this year out of Bradley University. He is from Robbinsdale, Minnesota. He signed quite quickly after the draft and reported to Elizabethton where he started to hit immediately. Like Kanzler, Murphy is a good combination of skills, though none of them jump out as great. He is a solid baseball player who has few weaknesses. Before the end of July, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids. The July Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... New Britain Rock Cats – OF Aaron Hicks (35-101) .347/.427/.554 (0.982) with 10-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 18 RBI After starting the second straight season as the Minnesota Twins starting centerfielder, and then struggling for two or more months, the Twins decided to option Aaron Hicks to AA New Britain. As expected, he started out quite slowly, but once the calendar turned to July, Aaron Hicks started putting up numbers. He went back to switch-hitting and likely relaxed and found it again. He hit for average, got on base and showed some extra base power. He was playing all three outfield positions and put himself in position for a promotion. On Monday, he was promoted to the Rochester Red Wings where he will attempt to continue doing what he was in New Britain. Hopefully he can put up another terrific month in August in Rochester and spend September in the big leagues. There you have it. The top five hitters in the Twins system for the month of July. Now it’s time to debate. What do you think? Please feel free to discuss. ---- Twins win last night and you do today. Order a large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com using the promo code TWINSWIN and get it for 50% off. Click here to view the article

Thursday, the Twins organization made the catcher shuffle. Josmil Pinto was promoted to Rochester with Kyle Knudson moving up to New Britain and Jairo Rodriguez moving back up to Ft. Myers. We also learned that Wilkin Ramirez will continue his rehab in New Britain while Darin Mastroianni will stay in Ft. Myers and play some games with the Miracle. The big news Thursday is that Aaron Hicks and Scott Diamond have been sent to Rochester with Oswaldo Arcia heading back to the Twins. The Twins will also need a starting pitcher by Tuesday, with speculation leading toward Andrew Albers. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Here is more about that and other minor league topics on last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly. Travis was joined by Jim Crikket and they discussed in great detail many of the players who have spent time in Cedar Rapids this season. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Thursday: Rochester 2, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score Logan Darnell started for the Red Wings. The lefty went the first 5.2 innings and gave up three runs on 11 hits. He walked two and struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came on and went 1.2 scoreless innings. Cody Eppley gave up one hit and got one strikeout. Ibarra Update - Edgar Ibarra has now pitched 24.1 innings in 19 appearances without allowing a run. The Red Wings managed just six hits. Jermaine Mitchell went 2-3 with a walk and his 15th double. Chris Parmelee went 1-2 with a walk. Josmil Pinto made his AAA debut and went 0-4, grounding into two double plays. New Britain 9, Akron 5 Box Score The Rock Cats bats showed up, and DJ Baxendale was the beneficiary. The right hander gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk in 6.1 innings. He struck out three. Jose Gonzalez got the next five outs, two of them on strikeouts. Dakota Watts gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. Danny Ortiz remained hot. He went 3-4 with his 11th home run and drove in three runs. Evan Bigley went 2-3 with a walk, his fourth double and his first home run. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 13th and 14th home runs and drove in five runs. Ft. Myers, Daytona This game was cancelled due to inclement weather. Cedar Rapids 3, Burlington 2 Box Score David Hurlbut returned to the Kernels' starting rotation. The left-hander went the first 3.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out five. Brandon Bixler came on and gave up one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out one in 1.2 innings. Madison Boer then walked one and struck out four in 1.2 innings. Brian Gilbert finished the game with two strikeouts in two innings. The Kernels had just six hits. Travis Harrison went 2-3 with a walk and his 26th double. He also stole his first base of the season. Niko Goodrum hit his second home run, of the inside-the-park variety. Elizabethton 2, Bluefield 4 Box Score The E-Twins fell back under .500 with this loss. It’s unusual to see the Twins struggling so much, especially with the bats. On this night, Zach Granite had a single and a walk. Ryan Walker walked twice. Hein Robb started and gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out five; he did hit one batter. Austin Malinowski came on and gave up one run on four hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out four. Andrew Ferreira walked two and struck out five in two shutout innings. GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 2 Box Score Jason Kanzler went 2-4 with his first double, and later, his first walk-off hit as the GCL Twins won a one-run game. Zach Larson went 2-4. Brian Navarreto hit his fifth double. Darin Mastroianni went 0-2 with a walk and stole a base. Jared Wilson started and gave up two runs (1 earned) on six hits and a walk in three innings; he struck out three. Chih-Wei Hu struck out five over three, one-hit, scoreless innings. Tyler Stirewalt gave up two hits, also over three innings. He struck out three. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article

This afternoon, the Twins Gulf Coast League team will be playing its first game of the season. As is typical, this is a group with players from all around the world. It is a group of players from the Dominican, Venezuela, Germany, Taiwan, and Australia getting an opportunity. There are several players on this roster who have spent time in the Dominican Summer League. There are young players drafted the last year or two. There are some college picks who are more raw and there just isn’t room for on the Elizabethton roster. It is a mixed bag that manager Ramon Borrego will work with. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Right now, there are just a couple of names to know, to pay special attention to. Amaurys Minier and Kohl Stewart are the big names. However, over the course of the season, we’ll get to know more about several other players and most likely there will be a few more players that we will be excited about. PITCHERS (18) The first six pitchers will begin the season as the starters. Lewis Thorpe – Thorpe is a left-handed pitcher signed by the Twins last July. Still just 17 years old, Thorpe has a fastball in the upper 80s that touches 91-92. Sam Gibbons – The 19-year-old right-hander was signed out of Australia in July of 2011. Last year with the GCL Twins, he was 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA. In 35.1 innings, he walked eight and struck out 22. Fernando Romero – Romero signed out of the Dominican Republic in November of 2011. The 18-year-old went 1-4 with a 4.65 ERA last year in the Dominican Summer League. In 31 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 28. Damian Defrank – Another Dominican right-hander, Defrank signed in April of 2012. He went 0-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 14 starts in the DSL last year. In 53 innings, he walked 16 and struck out 27. He is still 18 years old. Leonel Zazueta – Zazueta signed last August from Mexico. He is an 18 year old who already throws in the mid-90s. This is definitely one prospect to watch. Kohl Stewart – Stewart, as you know, just signed a contract that came with a $4.5+ million bonus. He throws hard and has (at least) four pitches. His future is remarkably bright, but the work starts now. Brandon Easton – The Twins 24th round pick this month out of Lakeland Community College, he also played first base in school. But, at 6-6 with a big fastball, he struck out 78 in 59.2 innings this spring. Stephen Gonsalves – Like Stewart, Gonsalves was the Twins 4th round pick and signed for an over-slot value this week. The long lefty throws in the upper 80s and is very projectable. He’s got a long ways to go, but he has big potential. Derrick Penilla – The 21 year old lefty was the Twins 15th round pick this year out of Mount San Antonio College where he struck out more than a batter per inning. Reyson Zoquiel – The 19-year-old lefty signed with the Twins in July of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year in the DSL, he went 0-3 with a 6.34 Era in 32.2 innings over 23 games. He struck out 37, but he walked 35. The year before, he walked 15 and struck out 11 in 18 innings. Jose Abreu – Signed from the Dominican Republic in September of 2010, the 20-year-old right-hander went 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA last year in the DSL. In 40 innings, he walked nine and struck out 23. A year earlier, he was 3-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 41.2 innings. He had walked 12 and struck out 29. Miguel Gonzalez – An 18-year-old right-hander from the Dominican, he signed in July of 2011. Last year in the DSL, he went 1-4 with a 2.01 ERA. In 44.2 innings, he walked 20 and struck out 35. Josh Guyer – The Twins signed Guyer from Australia last August. He is a hard-throwing 19-year-old who will debut this week. Zach Hayden – The 21-year-old is a right-hander from the University of South Carolina in Aiken. He was the 23rd round pick of the Twins this month after striking out 43 batters in 21 innings. Of course, he also walked 23 batters. Chih-Wei Hu – Signed from Taiwan last August for $220,000, the 19-year-old righty is 6-1 and 210 pounds. He throws in the low-90s already. Markus Solbach – Solbach signed with the Twins out of Germany in February of 2011. This will be his third season with the GCL Twins. In 2011, he went 3-3 with a 1.91 ERA in 15 games in relief. Last year, he was 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA in 11 games, though he walked just one and struck out 14 in 17 innings. He is 6-5 and 195 pounds. Tyler Stirewalt – The Twins 21st round pick this month out of Fresno State, Stirewalt is the definition of a project. He is 22 and 2012 was his first year of baseball in college. He played football at the college before switching to baseball. He is a great athlete and has been clocked at 94 mph. Jared Wilson – The Twins drafted Wilson a year earlier, but he went back to UC Santa Barbara for his senior season. He was their 19th round pick this year. He has very good velocity on his fastball and a good curveball, he just has poor control. He’s also already 23. CATCHERS (4) Jorge Fernandez – Fernandez was the Twins 7th round pick a year ago out of Puerto Rico. He played 30 games for the GCL Twins last year and hit .263/.288/.283 with two doubles. He is 6-3 and 190 pounds, a switch hitter and does have a high ceiling. Joel Polanco – The 20-year-old signed out of the Dominican in December of 2010. In 44 DSL games in 2011, he hit .205/.366/.283 with eight doubles. Last year, in 39 games, he hit .254/.369/.381 with 15 doubles. Brian Navaretto – The Twins 6th round pick this year out of high school in Florida. He is 6-3 and 220 pounds already. However, he’s a very good athlete but very raw, as you would expect from an 18-year-old. Alex Swim – The Twins 22nd round pick this year, Swim is 22 years old. He caught all 46 games this spring for Elon University. INFIELDERS (5) Jonatan Ynojosa – Signed by the Twins in 2009, the 20 year old has played 119 games in the DSL over the past three seasons. Combined, he has hit .171/.297/.217. Will Hurt – The Twins 16th round pick last year from Lexington Catholic (Ben Revere’s alma mater), he got off to a slow start last year. He hit just .141/.221/.141 in 27 games. He is very fast. Nelson Molina – The 18-year-old was the Twins 11th round pick this year from Puerto Rico. He is already 6-3 and 170 pounds, so he’s got some room to grow. Scouts believe that he can stick at shortstop. Engelb Vielma – Vielma will turn 19 tomorrow. Last year in the DSL, he hit .268/.354/.331 in 44 DSL games. He added four doubles and three triples. Amaurys Minier – Minier is the player to watch on this roster. Signed last July for $1.4 million, he is already moving to third base in the GCL. He is 6-2 and 200 pounds, but he has great strength and bat speed. OUTFIELDERS (6) Chad Christensen – The Twins 25th round pick this month out of the University of Nebraska, he was the Huskers shortstop his first two years and played in the outfield the last two years. Jason Kanzler – The fifth-year senior has a very nice power-speed combination. The 22-year-old was the Twins 20th round pick this year out of Buffalo. Zack Larson – The Twins drafted Larson last year in the 20th round out of high school in Florida. The Twins had some bonus money to use and were able to use it to sign this talented player. He is 6-2 and 185 pounds. Lsat year in 15 GCL games, he hit .250/.318/.325 with a double, a triple and three stolen bases. Adonis Pacheco – Last year in the DSL, Pacheco hit .322/.408/.536 with nine doubles, 12 triples, four homers and 34 RBI. He also stole 18 bases in 23 attempts. He was signed by the Twins in September of 2009, and last year was the 21 year old’s third season in the DSL. Rick Schwarz – The Twins signed the 18 year old in May of 2012 from Australia. He was an infielder there, but is a great athlete and has some upside. Ryan Tufts – Tufts was signed recently out of a tryout camp in Florida. The last he played was at Palm Beach State Junior College. He is a very good athlete that the organization thought was worth signing and giving an opportunity. There is the roster. Let the games begin! It’ll be fun to get to know more about these players. View full article