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The Twins added quite the haul of prospects to the farm system at last year’s trade deadline. Devin Smeltzer was not among the names to receive the most attention at the time, but he’s off to as good a start as anybody in the entire system. Come check out what Smeltzer did, as well as everything else that happened across the minors Friday.TRANSACTIONS Yunior Severino was placed on the injured list with a left thumb fracture. Taking his spot on the Cedar Rapids roster is infielder Yeltsin Encarnacion. Also, Tanner English was activated from the Pensacola Injured List and RHP Jeff Ames was placed on the IL. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 3, Rochester 0 Box Score Zack Littell: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 61.6% strikes (53 of 86 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: None I put Littell’s line above, but it was actually Mike Morin who was the opener tonight. He pitched a clean inning before Littell took over. Tyler Duffey struck out five batters in his two innings of relief and Jake Reed also pitched a shutout inning, but none of that matters much when you can’t score any runs. The Red Wings mustered just two hits, a John Andreoli double and a single from LaMonte Wade. Their best scoring chance came in the seventh inning. After Wade’s single, Luke Raley drew a walk, putting a runner in scoring position with one out. Unfortunately, Wynston Sawyer grounded into an inning-ending double play. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 2, Jacksonville 0 Box Score Devin Smeltzer: 8.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 76.5% strikes (65 of 85 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: None Wow. Devin Smeltzer carried a shutout into the ninth inning tonight in an outing that followed an impressive 2019 season debut for Smeltzer. He’s now pitched 14 scoreless innings, has 17 strikeouts and has allowed just five hits and two walks. DaShawn Keirsey was removed from this game after the second inning. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Devin Smeltzer, Pensacola Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Jean Carlos Arias, Cedar Rapids TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 0-for-3, 2 BB, RBI, SB (5), 2 K 6. Brent Rooker (ROC): 0-for-4, 2 K 10. Akil Baddoo (FM):0-for-6, 4 K 14. Ben Rortvedt (FM): 1-for-5, 2B, R 16. Gilberto Celestino (CR): 1-for-3, 2 BB, R, 2 SB (3), 2 K 17. Zack Littell (ROC): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 61.6% strikes (53 of 86 pitches) 18. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 1-for-3, BB 20. Jose Miranda (FM): 0-for-4, BB, RBI, K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley, 12:05 pm CT (Chase De Jong) Pensacola vs. Jacksonville, 6:05 pm CT (Griffin Jax) Fort Myers at Clearwater, 5:30 pm CT (Bailey Ober) Cedar Rapids vs. Burlington, 5:05 pm CT (Josh Winder) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

Miguel Sano played his first game since being called up to Rochester. Fernando Romero and Blayne Enlow were on the bump. Brent Rooker and Zander Wiel stared for Chattanooga, Alex Kirilloff and Ben Rortvedt did damage for Fort Myers and (of course) Ryan Jeffers and Chris Williams continued to be the bash brothers for E-Town. However, it was a Cedar Rapids outfielder who tallied the most total bases on the evening (and probably not the one you’d assume). Come check out what happened across the minors Saturday.RED WINGS REPORT Norfolk 5, Rochester 3 Box Score SP: Fernando Romero (7.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Gregorio Petit, Jordan Pacheco Fernando Romero got off to a terrible start, opening this game by walking the first two batters he faced. He then gave up a single to load the bases with nobody out. The Tides tallied three runs in the first, but Romero was able to recover and pitching into the eighth inning. Miguel Sano, in his first game since being promoted from Fort Myers, started at third base and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He drove in a run on a ground out. Rochester’s lineup is in desperate need of a boost. Over their past six games, they’ve managed to scratch across just five runs. This was their sixth-straight loss and the Red Wings are 3-12 in their last 15 games. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 12, Mobile 10 (11 innings) Box Score W: Tyler Jay (2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) SP: Dietrich Enns (5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Zander Wiel, Brent Rooker, Mitchell Kranson, Jaylin Davis, Jimmy Kerrigan Lookouts manager Tommy Watkins has seen a couple of his better leadoff options promoted up to Rochester, but he may have found his new tablesetter tonight. First baseman Zander Wiel hit first for Chattanooga tonight and was 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles, a walk and scored all four times he was on base. Brent Rooker, who hit directly behind Wiel was also 3-for-6 with two doubles and a walk. He also drove in three runs. That’s a nice one-two punch right there. This was a crazy game. Mobile led 6-1 after the first three innings but Chattanooga managed to storm back and tie the game at 7-7 in the eighth inning. This one went into extras, and while the Lookouts were able to score in the top of the 10th, the BayBears answered with a run of their own to send this game into the 11th. Chattanooga responded with a four-run inning. That surely would be enough, right? Yes, but Mobile didn’t go down quietly. They managed to score twice before the game finally ended. Some of the numbers are just silly. The Lookouts were 9-for-27 with runners in scoring position. They had 17 hits and drew nine walks, so there was just constantly traffic on the bases. Jordan Gore made the jump all the way up from Cedar Rapids earlier this month, but he’s fitting right in. Tonight he hit a triple, drove in three runs and drew three walks. As you’d imagine by the score, there was a lot of bad pitching, but Andrew Vasquez kept rolling along. He was the first man out of the bullpen for Chattanooga and struck out five of the seven batters he faced. Sam Clay struck out three batters in his two innings of scoreless work. MIRACLE MATTERS Lakeland 8, Fort Myers 2 Box Score SP: Andro Cutura (3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) HR: Ben Rortvedt (3) Multi-hit games: Alex Kirilloff Starter Andro Cutura ran into trouble in the fourth inning and the Ryan Mason, who’s been having an excellent year, got knocked around in the fifth, putting the Miracle behind 8-0 after five innings. The Fort Myers lineup wasn’t able to dig out of that hole, but there were a couple strong performances. Ben Rortvedt hit a two-run home run, his third already with the Miracle in just 28 games. Rortvedt only had five home runs in 161 pro games prior to being promoted to Fort Myers. Alex Kirilloff was 3-for-4 and scored a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Lansing 5 Box Score W: Blayne Enlow (6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) HR: Jean Carlos Arias (5) Multi-hit games: Robby Rinn, Jean Carlos Arias, Jared Akins Blayne Enlow was in control and the Kernels put up a six spot in the fifth inning of this one. Jean Carlos Arias got Cedar Rapids on the board with a solo homer in the second inning and then capped off the big rally in the fifth with a run-scoring triple. Enlow completed six innings for the third-straight start and has never had to eclipse 80 pitches over that stretch. The only runs he gave up were unearned, so Enlow’s ERA sits at 3.16 on the season. Arais was hands down the offensive star of the game, but Robby Rinn had two hits and drove in a pair of runs and Jared Akins also had two hits. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Princeton 6 Box Score W: Pedro Garcia (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K SV: Seth Pinkerton (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) SP: Josh Winder (4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) HR: Chris Williams (9), Ricky De La Torre (2), Micheal Helman (1) Multi-hit games: Ryan Jeffers, Ricky De La Torre, Michael Helman Michael Helman, a member of the 2018 draft class, hit his first professional home run and it was extra sweet because it put the E-Twins up for good. A second baseman out of Texas A&M, Helman also had a single. Ryan Jeffers was 3-for-4 with a double and scored twice, of course, because that’s what he does. Jeffers is now hitting .422 with an 1.121 OPS. Chris Williams hit a home run, because that’s what he does. The Clemson product now has nine dingers for E-Town. Shortstop Ricky De La Torre hit his second homer of the season. Josh Winder had a rough start, giving up six runs on eight hits over four innings, but Pedro Garcia bailed him out with four frames of one-hit ball and the bats mounted a comeback. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Red Sox 7, GCL Twins 6 (10 innings) Box Score SP: Andriu Martin (4.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: LaRon Smith, Yeison Perez The Twins held a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth but the Red Sox managed to tie it up and then won this one in extras. Victor Tademo and Kidany Salva each drove in two runs, LaRon Smith had three singles and Yeison Perez was 2-for-3 with a double. It’s actually a little crazy that the Red Sox scored only seven runs. Five Twins pitchers combined to surrender 17 hits, they walked four batters and the defense committed four errors. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Blayne Enlow, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Jean Carlos Arias, Cedar Rapids TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. Please note that this Prospect Summary has been updated. 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 0-for-4, K 2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): 3-for-4, R 3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not pitch. 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 1-for-4, RBI, K 5. Stephen Gonsalves (ROC): Did not pitch. 6. Trevor Larnach (ET): 1-for-4, K 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 3-for-6, 2 2B, BB 3 RBI, R, K 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 1-for-5, R, 2 K 9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season 10. Zack Littell (ROC): Did not pitch. 11. Blayne Enlow (CR): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 0-for-4, K 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 0-for-4, 3 K 14. Lewis Thorpe (CHAT): Did not pitch. 15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R 16. Yunior Severino (ET): Did not play. 17. Lewin Diaz (FM): 1-for-3, BB, 2 K 18. Ryan Jeffers (ET): 3-for-4, 2B, 2 R 19. Jacob Pearson (CR): Was used as a late sub, only pinch ran and played left field. 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 1-for-2, R SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Norfolk, 12:05 pm CT: Zack Littell Chattanooga at Mobile, 5:05 pm CT: Lewis Thorpe Fort Myers: Off Cedar Rapids at Lansing, 12:05 pm CT: Jordan Balazovic Elizabethton vs. Princeton, 5:00 pm CT: TBD GCL Twins: Off Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

Saturday’s three most upper-level starting pitchers each put together quality starts. Alex Kirilloff continued to rake. With news that Jorge Polanco’s rehab will begin on Sunday and he’ll spend a few games with the Miracle, is it possible we now have our timeline for Royce Lewis to join Kirilloff in Ft. Myers? Maybe. It was another 19-year-old who had the big hits for the Kernels on this day, and another 19-year-old picked up his first career save. So much in Saturday’s report, so check it out below.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Following the Twins Saturday loss to Texas, the team announced that RHP Fernando Romero had been optioned to Rochester. A corresponding move will be announced on Sunday morning. (Reports are that Alan Busenitz will get the call.)Jim Callis tweeted that the Twins have signed fifth-round draft pick, RHP Cole Sands, from Florida State. He got $600,000 (slot $340,000). Callis later updated his tweet to point out that he has “agreed to terms” and not yet signed. But, that will happen.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 4 Box Score Aaron Slegers put together another quality start, but it wasn’t enough on this night. Slegers gave up three runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. Luke Bard gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two. Gabriel Moya struck out one in a 1-2-3 inning. Nick Gordon led the offense with a 3-for-4 game. Willians Astudillo went 2-for-4 with his 11th double. Kennys Vargas had a single and a walk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Biloxi 5 Box Score The Lookouts got a quality start from right-hander Sean Poppen. He was charged with three unearned runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Ryne Harper came on and gave up two runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck two out. Paco Rodriguez struck out one in a perfect inning. Andy WIlkins led the offense. He was 2-for-4 with his second and third doubles. Brent Rooker knocked his 11th home run of the season MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Bradenton 3 Box Score Alex Kirilloff kept things going on Saturday night. The 2016 first-round pick went 3-for-5 with his first FSL double. Luis Arraez went 2-for-5 with his 13th double. Travis Blankenhorn and Ben Rortvedt each went 2-for-5 in the game. Brandon Lopez was 2-for-2 with a walk. Griffin Jax provided the Miracle with a quality start. The right-hander gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits over seven innings. He walked on and struck out one. Ryan Mason finished the final two innings. He gave up three hits, but no runs. He struck out two without issuing a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 3 Box Score Jean Carlos Arias provided the big hit in this one. Following a Jacob Pearson RBI double, Arias drilled a three-run homer. Arias went 3-for-4 with his fourth double and third triple. Pearson went 2-for-4. The double was his sixth since joining the Kernels in late May. Jordan Gore went 2-for-3. Jordan Balazovic gave up three runs on ten hits over five innings. He struck out nine without a walk. Blayne Enlow came on and recorded his first career save with four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out four. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 0, Bristol 4 Box Score Well, the E-Twins weren’t going to win every game, and they weren’t going to score in double digits every game either. To see them get shut out is a little surprising though. A night after scoring 19 runs against the Pirates affiliate, the Twins managed just three hits and were shut out. Lean Marrero had two of the team’s hits. Brian Rapp made his first professional start after a strong career at Boston College. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out five. Moises Gomez came on and gave up three runs on four hits over the next 2 1/3 innings. He struck out four. Juan Gamez struck out four over the final two innings. He gave up no runs on one hit and two walks. GCL TWINS TALK GCL Twins 1, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The GCL Twins lost for the first time this season on Saturday, but there were still a few highlights. Steven Cruz made his first start and threw four scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one and struck out six. Michael Montero made his season debut and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits over three innings. He struck out two and didn’t walk a batter. Frandy Torres gave up one run on two hits and a walk and recorded just one out (on a strikeout). Tanner Howell came on and got the final two outs without further issues. The Twins had just three hits in the game. Yeison Perez had the lone extra base hit, a double. Victor Tademo went 1-for-3 with a walk. Agustin Marte walked twice and stole a base. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Jean Carlos Arias, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-4, 3B(4), HR(3), 3 RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Blayne Enlow,, Cedar Rapids Kernels (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, first career save) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, RBI #2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - Did not pitch, optioned to Rochester #3 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 3-4, R #4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 3-5, 2B(1), R, RBI, K #6 - Wander Javier - out of for the season #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4, R, RBI, HR(11), K #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (Save #1) #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #11 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Did not pitch #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, BB, R #14 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-4, K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, R, RBI, K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 2-5 #18 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) - 0-3 #19 - Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) - Did not pitch #20 - Felix Jorge (Chattanooga) - Disabled List, began rehab on June 19. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (12:05 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (5-6, 5.31 ERA) Biloxi @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi (0-4, 8.10 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (12:00 CST) - RHP Andro Cutura (3-2, 3.72 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol (2-2, 2.48 ERA) Elizabethton @ Bristol (5:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions about Saturday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

CEDAR RAPIDS - This report comes to you directly from Cedar Rapids where I will be the next few days. Tomorrow will be a busy day with some interviews and a double header, but it will be a fun day. On this night, Kennys Vargas and newcomer Chris Carter provided some power for the Red Wings. Chattanooga got a strong start, and so did the Kernels. There was a near cycle in Cedar Rapids too.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS RHP Logan Lombana reinstated from the DL for Ft. Myers.LHP Paco Rodriguez promoted to Chattanooga.For Chattanooga, LHP Casey Crosby was placed on the DL with a left elbow impingement.The Lookouts also placed RHP Kohl Stewart on the temporary inactive list.IF Sean Miller was sent to Chattanooga from Rochester.The Red Wings added OF Jake Cave back to their roster.1B Chris Carter reported to Rochester.1B Brock Stassi was released by the organization.RED WINGS REPORTGame 1 - Rochester 8, Buffalo 9 Box Score He was due for a rough one, and on Friday night, Aaron Slegers had a rough one. He came into the game with a shiny 1.97 ERA through his first eight starts. After giving up nine runs on 11 hits over just 4 2/3 innings on Friday night, his season ERA jumped to 3.27. Jake Reed and Gabriel Moya got the final four outs which gave the Red Wings a chance to come back. The Red Wings had plenty of offense. Kennys Vargas went 2-for-4 with two, three-run home runs. He’s got five on the season now. Newcomer Chris Carter went 2-for-3 with a walk and a home run in his first game for the Red Wings. Zack Granite went 2-for-4 with his second double of the year. Jake Cave went 3-for-4 and added his second home run. He also made a couple of nice plays on defense. Game 2 - Rochester 1, Buffalo 2 Box Score Game 2 was much more of a pitcher’s game. Miles Jaye started and gave up two runs on just two hits. He did walk four and struck out three. Luke Bard worked a scoreless seventh inning. Nick Gordon went 2-for-3 and, and Leonardo Reginnato hit his first home run of the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 1 Box Score The Lookouts got strong pitching and enough hitting to come up with a nice win on this night. Omar Bencomo improved to 4-0 with seven strong innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out seven. Todd Van Steensel picked up his fourth save with two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out tree. Tanner English led the offense. He went 2-for-2 with two walks and stole his ninth base. Chris Paul was 1-for-3 with a walk and his 13th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers , Charlotte Box Score Rain in for Ft. Myers postponed this game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Clinton 2 Box Score Bryan Sammons came into this game without a win despite a solid 2.91 ERA in his first seven starts of the season. On this night, he pitched his best game of the season, and his offense provided him with plenty of run support. The 23-year-old lefty gave up just a solo home run over his six innings. He gave up a total of three hits, walked none and struck out eight. Nick Brown came on and recorded his first save with three innings of work. He gave up only a solo home run and struck out two. The two Clinton home runs were hit by first baseman Ryan Costello, who had three of the LumberKings’ five hits. The Kernels scored nine runs on 13 hits. They were led by Jean Carlos Arias who was a home run shy of the cycle. He hit his third double and second triple of the season. Ben Rortvedt also had a strong night at the plate. The catcher went 3-for-3 with a walk and his second triple. Shane Carrier crushed his fourth and fifth doubles of the season. Royce Lewis had his fifth double and drove in three runs. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Kennys Vargas, Rochester Red Wings (2-6, 2 home runs, 6 RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Bryan Sammons, Cedar Rapids Kernels (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B(5), 3 RBI, K #2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - Pitching late on Friday night. #3 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 2-7, 2 K #4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, R #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4, K #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - Disabled List #11 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Did Not Pitch #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - Disabled List #15 - Mitch Garver (Minnesota) - Late Game #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 3-3, BB, 3B(2), R #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out #19 - Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) - Did Not Pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (2-0, 2 6.03 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi (0-2, 6.04 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (DH @ 3:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells (3-2, 3.09 ERA), TBD Cltinton @ Cedar Rapids (DH @ 5:05 CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol (2-0, 0.93 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

After standing in a line of about 20 people for a few minutes, a couple of guys finally got the autograph they wanted during the Cedar Rapids Kernels regular Sunday post-game autograph session. They had secured the autograph of Royce Lewis, the Minnesota Twins first-round pick in the 2017 MLB amateur draft and the first pick overall. They stood for a moment and looked out at the area of right field where Lewis’ team mates were spread out, some standing by themselves and some in groups of two or three players, all signing autographs for a handful of fans that had gathered around them. One of the guys asked the other, “Where’s the other first rounder?”That’s right, the Kernels don’t have a first round pick on the field this season – they are in the enviable and rare position of having TWO of the Twins’ recent first round picks and both have been beating up on Midwest League pitchers through the first several weeks of the season. Lewis has been everything you’d hope for as a Twins fan. He has put up a .373 batting average and .849 OPS in 83 at-bats through Tuesday’s game at Dayton., He carries a six-game hitting streak into Wednesday’s game. He has also hit safely in 16 of his 20 games. That’s the kind of start that has a lot of people wondering how soon the first overall pick in the 2017 draft will be promoted to Class High-A Fort Myers. Alex Kirilloff, the “other” first rounder the autograph hounds were looking for, was selected by the Twins in the first round (15th overall) of the 2016 draft and, while Lewis has rightfully been getting a lot of publicity, Kirilloff has also been making a strong case that his time in Cedar Rapids should not be an extended stay, either. Kirilloff’s OPS of .851 is almost identical to that of Lewis, but they’ve taken different paths to establishing that number. OPS is the sum of two other statistics, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and Lewis’ .OPS is composed of nearly equal on-base and slugging percentages. Kirilloff, on the other hand, is reaching base at a .327 clip, but his slugging percentage is a robust .524. His batting average has climbed to within shouting distance of .300, and over half of his hits this season have been of the extra-base variety. Kirilloff has 12 doubles (second most in the Midwest League) and four home runs among his 30 hits. He is also taking a nine-game hitting streak into Wednesday night’s game. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Kirilloff0506d-400x600.jpg Alex Kirilloff (Photo by SD Buhr) Having first-round picks on the field is nothing new for the Kernels. Since they began their affiliation with the Twins in the 2013 season, fans in Cedar Rapids have watched outfielder Byron Buxton (in 2013) and shortstop Nick Gordon (in 2015), as well as pitcher Kohl Stewart (in 2014). Of course, Lewis suited up for the Kernels for the final couple of weeks of the 2017 season, as well. Buxton, Gordon and Lewis, as everyday position players, generated a lot of buzz at the ballpark, as befits a first-round pick, and Lewis continues to see a lengthy line of autograph seekers during the Kernels’ Sunday afternoon autograph sessions. Any other year, you know Kirilloff would be getting that focus from fans and media. But this is no ordinary year in Cedar Rapids. Kirilloff bats third in a lineup that not only includes Lewis and himself, the two first round picks, but also typically includes a second-rounder (C Ben Rortvedt), two Compensation “B” round picks (IF Jose Miranda and OF Akil Baddoo), a fourth round pick (OF/1B Trey Cabbage), a Twins fifth rounder (3B Andrew Bechtold), a Mariners fifth round pick (C David Banuelos, obtained in a trade) and an eighth round pick (OF Shane Carrier). On top of those “slot pick” players, outfielder Jean Carlos Arias was an international free agent that signed with the Twins for a mid-six-figure bonus. And that list doesn’t even include the pitching prospects. He certainly gets his share of autograph requests, but there’s no doubt that sharing a field with Lewis and the other high-priced talent on the Kernels roster has resulted in Kirilloff playing in a broad shadow during the early part of the 2018 season, despite having one of the cleanest, most consistent and most productive swings you’re ever likely to see from a 20-year-old. Spend a few minutes talking to the 20-year-old from Pittsburgh, though, and you can tell he is not the least bit bothered by his circumstances. Quite the contrary. “It is a lot of fun,” Kirilloff responded, over the weekend, when asked his feelings about being a part of a lineup that is pretty much loaded with highly regarded position prospects. “We all have to still show up and do our jobs, but it’s a great group of guys that are even better people, as well. They’re fun to be around and an exciting team.” http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Kirilloff0506b-400x600.jpg Alex Kirilloff (Photo by SD Buhr) At this point, you can understand if Kirilloff is just happy to be back taking meaningful swings at the plate after missing all of the 2017 season following Tommy John surgery. It would also be understandable if he had started off this spring a bit rusty, but there’s no rust in his swing. “I had known it was not going to be easy, at first, taking a year and a half off from live at-bats,” he said. “I was expecting to take it one step at a time, to be honest. I learned a lot from spring training and kind of built on that and just continued to plug away this year. Hopefully, I can continue to build off of our start and my start, as well.” Best of all, perhaps, there have been no lingering effects from his injury. “The arm’s great. No problems. It’s been a blessing,” he confirmed. It hasn’t all been easy, though. Cedar Rapids played several games in near freezing temperatures and occasional snow flurries during April and even had to sit through a six-day layoff caused by cold temperatures and snow. It’s not that they didn’t notice, he and his teammates just treated the inclement weather as one more part of learning to be professional ballplayers. “It was just really cold here at the beginning of the year,” he recalled. “But, all of us were expecting that, being in Iowa.” You might think that Kirilloff is anxious to quickly make up for the development time he lost by sitting out last season, but that’s not really at the forefront of his mind this spring. “Just kind of maintaining for 140 games is the biggest key for this year,” Kirilloff said, adding, “and keeping my body healthy. Staying on an even keel throughout that whole stretch is going to be big. It’s a long season.” http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Kirilloff0506e-600x400.jpgAlex Kirilloff signing autographs during a Sunday post-game autograph session (Photo by SD Buhr) Still, with such a hot start, you couldn’t blame Kirilloff if he got a bit antsy about whether his hot start might be earning an early promotion to Fort Myers. If that’s the case, you’d never know it. “I’m content where I am,” he said. “Wherever that takes me, I’m going to play as hard as I can, whether I’m here or wherever else.” That kind of level-headed approach to his baseball life probably wouldn’t come as a huge surprise to those who know the young man who married his wife, Jordan, just a few months after he was drafted by the Twins in 2016 and was home-schooled – not only with regard to the typical educational curriculum, but where baseball is concerned, as well. “Yeah, my dad’s been a hitting instructor and a coach my whole life,” he said, smiling. “He’s always had his own hitting facility back in Pittsburgh, so I was raised in that environment as a kid. I’d go to work with him and be around that stuff all day long. So, he’s been a pretty integral part in my career and my life. Teaching me and developing me. “He tells the story sometimes that the day I could stand up and walk, he put a bat in my hands. I kind of get a chuckle out of that.” That might certainly explain that sweet swing. Click here to view the article

Saturday had a little bit of everything. A big win. A big loss. A close loss. Some big home runs by power-hitting prospects, including a grand slam. Some big errors. Good pitching, and some really bad pitching. Such is life in the minor leagues. You see the good, and you see the bad. The Kernels made a fun stop on their way to Wisconsin. In case you missed any of them you can read the Twins Daily July minor league hitter and pitchers of the month here: Hitter of the Month: Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga LookoutsStarting Pitcher of the Month: Aaron Slegers, Rochester Red WingsRelief Pitcher of the Month: Nick Anderson, Chattanooga LookoutsFind out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday. Let’s start with the transaction of the day: As you know, Kyle Gibson was added back to the Twins roster. It was Zack Granite returning to the Red Wings.Shane Carrier is returning to Cedar Rapids. The outfielder who received strong consideration for July Minor League Hitter of the Month began the season with the Kernels. He returned to Elizabethton where he has raked.For the GCL Twins, Edgar Herrera was activated from the disabled list. He had been out with a broken hamate.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 4, Syracuse 9 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. However, they gave up five in the bottom of the inning and were unable to come back. David Hurlbut made the start. The southpaw gave up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits. He struck out four and walked none. Hurlbut pitched to three batters in the fourth, but he was unable to record an out. DJ Baxendale came on to replace him. He allowed one inherited runner to score and one more. He was charged with one run on one hit and one walk over three innings. He struck out four. Mason Melotakis came in and worked the final two innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He struck out four without walking anyone. Mitch Garver got things going right in the first inning when he knocked his 16th home run. Garver went 3-5 in the game. Kennys Vargas was 2-4 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Niko Goodrum was also 2-4. Byungho Park, Daniel Palka and Engelb VIelma each had a double in the game. Zack Granite was 0-5 in his return to the Wings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 14 Box Score Kohl Stewart was on the mound, and he actually pitched fairly well. Unfortunately, the Lookouts bullpen - which has been so strong all season - had a hiccup, a really big hiccup. The offense had plenty of base runners. While they had just five hits, they also walked seven times. Stewart gave up just one run on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out five. When he left the game, the Lookouts had a 2-1 lead. However, Raul Fernandez came on for the seventh. He got two outs and was charged with four runs (three earned) on four hits. He walked two and struck one out. Randy Rosario was charged with seven runs on four hits and three walks in 0.2 innings. Luke Bard got the final two outs of the eighth inning and the three ninth inning outs. He was charged with two runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out three. Max Murphy, Ryan Walker, Carlos Paulino and Travis Harrison each had one hit and walked once. Harrison hit his 20th double. Andy Wilkins walked twice. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 10, Jupiter 4 Box Score The Miracle had a much-needed offensive outburst. Jaylin Davis went 3-4 with three runs scored. He also threw out a runner at the plate. Nelson Molina went 2-3 with a walk and his seventh double. Mitchell Kranson drove in two runs. Brent Rooker had the big hit, though. The 2017 pick hit a grand slam. It was his third homer with the Miracle, and his tenth as a pro. Randy LeBlanc made the start for the Miracle. He went three innings and gave up just one run on three hits and three walks. He struck out two. Anthony McIver was tasked with the next three innings. He gave up five hits, but no runs, and struck out two. Keaton Steele gave up three hits but no runs in his two innings. Alex Robinson got the ninth. He gave up three runs on two hits and two walks, though he did strike out two. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 6 Box Score The Kernels made the road trip from Cedar Rapids to Appleton, Wisconsin. On their way, the team stopped by Dyersville, Iowa, to check out the Field of Dreams movie site. It’s a must-see for baseball fans, a bucket list item, if you will. Anthony Marzi was on the mound for the Kernels. The lefty gave up two run (one earned) on six hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out six. Max Cordy came in and was charged with three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out two. Hector Lujan pitched an inning and gave up a solo home run. Not much offense for the Kernels on this night. Hank Morrison hit his sixth double. Joe Cronin went 1-2 with a walk. The big hit came off the bat of the newest Kernel, Jordan Gore. The shortstop hit his first Kernels homer, a two-run shot. He had one homer in Elizabethton shortly before being called up to the Midwest League. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Burlington 4 Box Score The E-Twins have been the comeback team through the year, but on this night, they took the one-run loss. Akil Baddoo led the offense. He went 3-5 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Carson Crites went 3-4 with his eighth double. Kolton Kendrick was 1-3 with a walk and his fourth double. Bailey Ober made the start for the Twins. He gave up one run on two hits over four innings. He walked one and struck out six. Blair Lakso came on and threw two scoreless innings despite giving up a hit and walking two. He struck out two. Rickey Ramirez gave up one run on two hits and a walk over his two innings. Jose Martinez threw the ninth and gave up one run on one hit. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 12, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score This was a strong all-around game for the Twins, a good way to end their work week. They got offense and solid pitching on their way to a big win. Jean Carlos Arias led the offensive attack. He went 3-3 with a walk, his fourth double and his third home run. He drove in two runs, and he is now hitting .330 on the season. After a slow start, he’s really come on. In his last 16 games, he’s hit .386. Alex Robles went 2-2 with a walk and two runs driven in. He is hitting .342 on the year. Edgar Herrera made his first appearance in the States. After three years in the Dominican Summer League, he came to the States. Unfortunately, he broke his hamate bone and missed two months. He went 1-2 with two RBI in his first game. Taylor Grzelakowski made his Twins debut. He was signed last week from the USPBL. In this game, he DHd and batted sixth. He went 1-4 with a walk and two RBI. Michael Kohn made another rehab appearance. He gave up one hit over a scoreless first inning. He struck out one. Landon Leach came on for his second pro appearance. He worked three innings and gave up one run on four hits. He struck out three without issuing a walk. He was happy with the performance. “It felt great! Better than the last outing. Felt a lot more comfortable and had a good pace. I haven't thrown this amount of innings in a while, so it was good to see how I did, and it went really well. Can't wait to get back out there again.” Next up was recently-signed Kevin Marnon. He was charged with three unearned runs on three hits and a walk over two innings. He struck out two. Derek Molina recorded a save. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three over three innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kohl Stewart, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jean Carlos Arias, GCL Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (12:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Jackson @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) - RHP Zack Littell Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (10:05am CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (1:05 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes Burlington @ Elizabethton (5:05 CST) - TBD GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

A couple of affiliates have already claimed playoff spots. A couple more still have a chance including the GCL Twins. The Rochester Red Wings had a tremendous last-inning comeback to keep their slim playoff choices alive. It was the return to the Red Wings’ mound for Jose Berrios. How did he do?There were seven games played by the six Twins affiliates on Wednesday. Enjoy today’s Twins Minor League Report. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Syracuse 3 Box Score Jose Berrios made his first start since returning to the Red Wings last week. It didn’t start out well. He gave up two runs in the first inning. Both came on a home run. Then in the sixth frame, he gave up a solo homer. All told, in eight innings, Berrios gave up three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out 14 batters, including three in that eighth inning. 71 of his 100 pitches were strikes. Alan Busenitz worked a perfect ninth inning. The Red Wings offense didn’t do a lot. They didn’t have a run until the 7th inning when they got a single run. Down 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Red Wings were not ready to give in. Following singles from James Beresford and Kennys Vargas, Adam Brett Walker hit a two-run double to tie the game at three. Daniel Palka walked and Mitch Garver lined a single to center to load the bases. John Ryan Murphy played hero with a game-winning single to end it. In the 6th inning, Reynaldo Rodriguez pinch hit for Byron Buxton. There was no injury so the assumption is that he’s heading back to Minnesota to join the Twins. I’m certain we’ll find out more soon. UPDATE - per multiple sources, Buxton has indeed been called back up to the Twins. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Mississippi 6 Box Score Big innings are great when they happen for your team, less so when they happen to your team. Unfortunately, the Lookouts gave up a four-run second inning and were unable to complete the comeback. Felix Jorge gave up the four, second-inning runs, but then he threw five shutout innings after that. He came back out for the eighth inning but two batters in, he gave up a two-run homer to stretch the deficit. In all, Jorge was charged with six runs on 14 hits over the first seven innings. He walked none and struck out three. Brandon Peterson came on to get the final six outs. He gave up one hit and hit one, but gave up no runs over the final two innings. Engelb Vielma led the offense with his three-hit game. Edgar Corcino went 2-3 with a walk and his sixth double, which drove in a run. Niko Goodrum went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI triple. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 2, Palm Beach 5 Box Score Miles Nordgren started for the Miracle in the first of two games on Wednesday. In four innings, he gave up four runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit batter. He struck out two. He had given up just one run in the first four innings. However, the first three batters of the fifth reached. One of the runs had already scored when John Curtiss entered. He allowed both inherited runners to score and one more of his own before getting the inning’s three outs. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning. The Miracle had just four hits in the game. Brian Olson was 1-2 with a walk and an RBI double, his second of the Miracle season. Brian Navarreto went 1-2 with a walk and his eighth double. Joe Maloney was 1-2 with a walk. Trey Vavra went 1-3 with a walk. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 1, Palm Beach 0 Box Score The two teams completed the game they had started a day before. On Tuesday, Cody Stashak started and threw 3.2 scoreless innings before the rains came. Those innings dropped his Miracle ERA to just 0.54. When they resumed play on Wednesday night, Michael Theofanopoulos entered. He got five outs and gave up only a walk. He struck out two.Nick Anderson picked up the final five outs to record his ninth save. He struck out two. As you can tell from the score, there wasn’t much offense. The lone run came when Christian Ibarra hit his fourth Miracle double to score Sean MIller who also had hit his fourth Miracle double. Alex Perez went 1-1 with two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 3 Box Score Sean Poppen made the start in Appleton for the Kernels. The right-hander went five innings and gave up three runs on four hits. He struck out seven without issuing a walk. Andrew Vasquez went the next 2.1 innings and didn’t allow a run. He gave up one hit, walked three and struck out three. Tom Hackimer came on and struck out the two batters he faced. Luis Arraez and Kevin Garcia each went 2-4. JJ Fernandez hit his eighth home run. Jaylin Davis drove in Arraez for the team’s first run. The loss ended the Kernels eight-game winning streak. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 2, Greeneville 6 Box Score The E-Twins fell behind early. Domenick Carlini gave up five runs on nine hits over five innings. He struck out four. Johan Quezada threw the next three innings. The only base runner he allowed was a hit batter. He struck out two. Hector Lujan gave up a run on two hits in the ninth inning. Ariel Montesino led the offense. He went 2-4. Lewin Diaz added his 15th double. Andre Jernigan went 1-2 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 5 (10 innings) Box Score There certainly wasn’t a lot of offense in this game, at least not until the Rays batted in the 10th inning. In fact, the Twins had just four hits in the game. Jean Carlos Arias went 3-3 with a walk. He stole his sixth and seventh bases. He also drove in the team’s lone run. The other hit came off the bat of Aaron Whitefield. It was his seventh double. Jordan Balazovic started for the Twins. The Canadian gave up just one run over the first 3.1 innings. He gave up five hits, walked none, hit two batters and struck out five. Callan Pearce worked the next five innings without allowing a run. He gave up three hits and struck out four. Onas Farfan got the final two outs of the ninth inning. He came back out for the 10th inning and gave up four runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batter. The big blow was a grand slam off the bat of Jonathon Arrowood. He struck out three. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jean Carlos Arias, GCL Twins THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Nick Greenwood Mississippi @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - RHP Jose Martinez GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00 am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article