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The Cedar Rapids Kernels announced this morning that #1 overall pick Royce Lewis will join the team on Saturday.The Twins promoting Lewis to the Midwest League is something that hasn't been done in dozens of years, at least. The last #1 overall pick, Joe Mauer, spent the 2001 season (his draft year) with Elizabethton before spending the entire 2002 season in the Midwest League. Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios started their pro careers (2012) in the GCL, as Lewis has, before being promoted to Elizabethton. Back in 2006, Chris Parmelee (first round) and Joe Benson (second round) began their pro careers in the GCL. When that season ended, they were promoted to the Kernels to play in their playoff series. The Kernels will be in the 2017 playoffs thanks to their strong first half. Lewis has been slumping of late, but few question his immense athleticism, talent and baseball acumen. In 36 games in the GCL, 18-year-old Royce Lewis has hit .271/.390/.414 (.803) with six doubles, two triples and three home runs. He also has 15 stolen bases. A month ago, GCL Twins manager Ramon Borrega told Pioneer Press's Mike Berardinothat he thought Lewis should be promoted directly to the Kernels. The timing, however, is interesting. In July, Lewis hit .321/.412/.464 (.877). However, in 33 at-bats so far in August, Lewis has just four hits. He's hit .121/.341/.182 (.523). As you can see, despite the lack of hits, he's still taking walks (9) and getting on base, and once he does that, he has the ability to steal a lot of bases. This is definitely an aggressive move for the Twins, but Lewis seems to have the makeup. It will be fun to watch. This continues an aggressive trend. Supplemental first-round pick Brent Rooker was promoted from Elizabethton to Ft. Myers a few weeks ago. Lewis becomes the fourth member of the 2017 Twins draft to join the Kernels. Fourth-round pick Charlie Barnes and eight-round pick Bryan Sammons, both left-handed pitchers, joined the Kernels in recent weeks. They are both in the Cedar Rapids rotation. Days after, infielder Jordan Gore was also called up to the Kernels. By the way, have we mentioned that Cedar Rapids is just a 4 to 4 1/2 hour drive from the Twin Cities? Also, here is a first look of Kernels infielder Royce Lewis in his #30 uniform... Click here to view the article

Ranking prospects within an organization is no easy task. The internet has opened up a wave of new information for writers as they can analyze video, sort through higher-level statistics, and prioritize scouting reports from a plethora of experts. This level of information can be overwhelming at times but it helps to separate prospects at different levels. One of my favorite parts of working on the 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is looking at the old prospect lists from yesteryear. It's entertaining to see some of the players that were once thought of as being near the top of the Twins organization. Seth's lists go further back than Jeremy and I and that can be even more entertaining. His 2008 Top-4 Twins prospects included Deolis Guerra, Tyler Robertson, Anthony Swarzak, and Kevin Mulvey.I started my blog in the spring of 2010so my first prospect list was for the 2011 season. There are some very familiar names on the list and some other names that have disappeared from the baseball world. "Where Are They Now?" will help to find out how these top prospects are doing at this point in their careers. 1. Miguel Sano, 3B 2015 Team (Level): Minnesota Twins (MLB), Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) Entering the 2011 season, Sano was just coming off his first professional action in the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League. I already had high hopes for the young slugger even though he only had just over 200 ABs under his belt. In 2015, Sano made his big league debut and finished in third place in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting. He was named the Minnesota Twins team MVP even though he only played half of a season. Next season will be his first full season at the big leagues and his future looks bright. 2. Kyle Gibson 2015 Team (Level): Minnesota Twins (MLB) The Twins had been aggressive with Gibson back in 2010. He pitched at three different levels from High-A all the way up to Triple-A. Using his college experience, Gibson had pitched well with an ERA under 3.00 and most Twins prospect lists had him as one of the top choices entering the 2011 campaign. This past season Gibson was named the team's best starting pitcher after he lead the team in most statistical categories. He had to overcome Tommy John surgery and some struggles at the big league level but he has established himself as one of the Twins best pitchers before his 28th birthday. 3. Aaron Hicks 2015 Team (Level): Minnesota Twins (MLB), Rochester Red Wings (AAA) Hopes were still high for Hicks following the 2010 season as he had established himself as one of the best prospects in the game. Baseball America had Hicks as the 19th best prospect in baseball and Baseball Prospectus had him ranked 26th. Since that time, Hicks would put together other strong seasons in the minor but his MLB time was a little underwhelming. For the 2015 campaign, he made subtle strides on the offensive side of the ball and his defense continues to be strong. The Twins traded Hicks to the New York Yankees this offseason for catcher John Ryan Murphy. 4. Joe Benson 2015 Team (Level): Gwinnett Braves (AAA), Binghamton Mets (AA) After the Twins took Benson with their second round pick in 2006, he had established himself as one of the team's top prospects. He had hit 27 home runs between Double-A and High-A before being asked to play in the Arizona Fall League. Benson would debut with the Twins in 2011 but he has yet to be back to the big league level. He's bounced around from organization to organization including the Rangers, Marlins, Mets, and Braves. Last year, he played the entire season at Triple-A with the Braves and he hit .248/.351/.361. Minnesota signed Benson as a minor league free agent so he will be back in the organization for the 2016 campaign. 5. Alex Wimmers 2015 Team (Level): Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) Wimmers and Gibson were both first round draft picks with similar college experience. This gave Twins fans some great expectations for Wimmers especially after a some strong numbers with Fort Myers in his professional debut (1 ER, 0.70 WHIP, 23 K, 15.2 IP). His trip through the Twins organization has been rocky at best. There have been some high moments but his issues with control have deterred him from living up to his first round draft status. The last two seasons he has been over a year and a half older than the competition at his level while splitting time as a starter and reliever.2016 will be big if he wants to stay in the Twins organization. 6. Ben Revere 2015 Team (Level): Philadelphia Phillies (MLB), Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) At the end of the 2010 season, Revere would make his big league debut before becoming an MLB regular in 2011. Revere, another first round pick on this list, showed the ability to make consistent contact in the minors while stealing bases and playing strong outfield defense. He would become a fan favorite during his couple years playing in Minnesota before being dealt to the Phillies for Trevor May. He's stolen 30 bases or more in four of his last five seasons and he lead the NL in hits back in 2014. Philadelphia dealt him to the Blue Jays at the end of last season to help with their playoff run. 7. Oswaldo Arcia 2015 Team (Level): Minnesota Twins (MLB), Rochester Red Wings (AAA) Arcia was already showing his power potential in 2010 as he finished the season with a 1.096 OPS for Elizabethton in the Appalachian League. He wouldn't debut with the Twins until 2013 and he would crank 20 home runs at the big league level in 2014. Arcia is still in the Twins organization but he struggled through 2015 to the point where he wasn't given a call-up last September. With the emergence of Miguel Sano and the addition of Byung Ho Park, it will be interesting to see what kind of role Arcia will have in 2016. He could be a good power option off the bench. 8. Liam Hendriks 2015 Team (Level): Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) Hendriks played at both Low- and High-A for the Twins in 2010 before getting on the fast track to the big leagues in 2011. He'd debut as 22-year old and win nine games as a 23-year old but he'd be out of the Twins organization following the 2014 season. Since then, he has pitched in the Royals and Blue Jays systems. Last year, he was a very effective relief pitcher for the Blue Jays as they went on to win the AL East. This offseason he was traded from the Blue Jays to the Athletics for pitcher Jesse Sanchez. 9. Kyle Waldrop 2015 Team (Level): None Waldrop had just made his debut during the 2011 campaign following back-to-back seasons pitching at Triple-A. He'd appear in 24 games for the Twins between 2011 and 2012. He'd pitch one more season professionally in the Pirates organization but he never made it back to the big leagues. Waldrop hasn't pitched at any level since 2013. 10. Max Kepler 2015 Team (Level): Minnesota Twins (MLB), Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) Kepler was coming off his professional debut back in 2010 but he was part of a strong international signing class that included the aforementioned Sano. Kepler seemed to have all the tools necessary to be a five-tool prospect but there were a lot of unknowns surrounding a young player that spent time developing in Europe. He would spend most of his minor league years around the edge of the Twins top-10 prospects before a magical 2015. Kepler was outstanding this season on the way to making his big league debut. He was named Southern League MVP and he helped the Lookouts to win the league's championship. Click here to view the article

As your turkey and pumpkin pies were still being digested from Thanksgiving dinner, you may have missed the news that the Minnesota Twins had signed old friend Joe Benson to a minor league contract. Benson, you may recall, was a promising center fielder in the organization who was ranked in Baseball America’s Top 100 list. He was lauded by scouts and prospect evalutators as a rare five-tool player. However, injuries and ineffectiveness facilitated his exit in 2013. Because of his potential, Benson has bounced around the minor leagues with Texas to Miami to Atlanta to Sugar Land to New York. Now headed for his age-28 season, Benson is back with his original team and ready to provide depth in the Rochester outfield. The following this isn’t a story or analysis on Benson, per se. This is a tale about the Twins’ hitting philosophy and how it has changed over the past few years.Here is Benson’s swing in September 2011 during his only stint at the Major League level. http://i.imgur.com/yrJlZk4.gif Does that swing look familiar? It’s basically Brian Dozier. Getting that front foot out and down early and then let the hands and hips supply the power. That style is no accident as it has been passed down to numerous hitters throughout the organization. In 2011, Baseball America’s David Laurila interviewed Benson along with then-New Britain Rock Cats hitting instructor Tom Brunansky and wondered what if any philosophies were being instilled by the coaching staff throughout the system. “Absolutely,” Benson replied. “Stay as quiet as possible at the plate, get your foot down early, and especially with Bruno, working on where I need to get to in order to get extension through the baseball.” Keep quiet. Foot down early. These have been the tenets of the Minnesota Twins’ hitting philosophy for some years. It is the offensive version of “pitch to contact”. In 2013, Bobby Tewksbary -- the private hitting instructor responsible for helping cultivate the swings of Chris Colabello and Josh Donaldson through his Elite Swing Mechanics program -- visited the Minnesota Twins camp. In scouting Benson’s hacks Tewksbary noted “I would bet he had really good patterns earlier in his career, then has been coached out of them. I hope he finds the right feel again. All scouting reports say he is a tremendous athlete and I know it isn’t fun to struggle like he has.” Benson wasn’t the only hitter whose athleticism was coached out of them in the system. After demonstrating decent movements with his lower half and hand load while in , the Twins eventually reduced Byron Buxton’s swing patterns to the same muted, compact linear mechanics as seen by Benson above. Rather than try to embrace his natural movements, the organization eliminated them. Stop moving. Get your foot down. Like Benson, Carlos Gomez was also instructed to get his foot down early and remain still at the plate -- not matter how much his instincts told him to move and create rhythm. This led to a 645 OPS during his Minnesota tenure before reinventing himself in Milwaukee as a centerfielder with power. http://i.imgur.com/MPgEXuA.gif Before http://i.imgur.com/8JbMzO4.gif After If you were a speed guy, regardless of your power potential, the Twins would outfit their hitters with a specific swing which may or may not be the best fit. But it wasn’t just speedy outfielders that received this treatment. Danny Valencia was another victim of the team’s outdated teachings. In 2010, the third baseman had an excellent rookie campaign, hitting for power and average as a 25-year-old. His power jumped in 2011 but his pull tendencies allowed the league to quickly figured him out and his numbers suffered greatly. It wasn’t until he hit the ripe age of 30 and the Blue Jays organization that he was able to change his ingrained approach. He got his foot down later. He generated power through creating depth in his load process. In short, just the opposite of what the Twins taught him. The result was a career-high in home runs (18). Of course, not everyone has had instant success when throwing off the swing shackles. When Benson was selected off waivers by the Texas Rangers in 2013, he immediately changed his mechanics but his season in the Rangers organization left a lot to be desired. That was followed by a year in Miami’s system in which he performed well in AA but now was significantly older than the league’s average. In 2015 he came one cut away from making the Atlanta Braves roster out of camp before being assigned to the minors (where he was eventually cut midseason). http://i.imgur.com/yrJlZk4.gif Before http://i.imgur.com/fbXwTfC.gif After Benson may put it all together in his age-28 season, similar to how Valencia did for his age-30 year, and provide the Twins with outfield depth a phone call away in Rochester but you have to wonder what Benson’s career might have looked like had he been given an opportunity with more appropriate mechanics. After all, most evaluators agree that Benson was one of those rare five-tool talents. There are signs that the organization is not going to repeat the mistakes of the past. While it may have been coincidental, since the Twins dismissed minor league hitting coordinator Bill Springman for “philosophical differences” prior to the 2014 season, there appears to be less of an emphasis on adhering to the no movement/foot down early. Since then, inside the organization, players who would normally be expected to maintain the low movement/foot down early method have been encouraged to make adjustments. Prime example is outfielder Max Kepler whose transition to a big leg kick to generate power in his breakout year. In a conversation with Chattanooga hitting coach Chad Allen -- who Springman had a hand in hiring -- Allen affirmed that the swing change was by design, motivated by the staff. Meanwhile Brunansky has said in the past that he isn’t interested in remaining rigid when it comes to a player’s swing. He noted that he has not tried to change Oswaldo Arcia’s big leg kick and loud hand movements despite the decline in performance. When Aaron Hicks struggled to perform from the left side and felt that a leg kick would help, Brunansky worked with him to refine it, not remove it. On the front office side, the Twins have locked up Byung Ho Park to a four-year deal, an indication that they are not deterred by Park’s big movement swing patterns. Previously, the Twins were notoriously blamed for ruining players' swing or hindering their potential by forcing them into the Twins' mold. Their reputation preceded them as hitters would leave the organization, find success elsewhere, and occasionally disparage the instruction they received in the system. Now, when it comes to developing the talent in the system, the organization seems to be headed in the right direction. Click here to view the article

On Friday night, the Minnesota Twins fell 4-3 to the Texas Rangers. A three-run home run off the bat of Oswaldo Arcia with two out in the bottom of the ninth accounted for all the Twins' scoring. Scott Diamond was immensely hittable and the defense failed to make a couple of plays. However, for the second straight night, all four Twins full-season minor league affiliates were winners. One power-hitting prospect homered for the third time in four games. An equally powerful young man drilled two home runs on Friday night and drove in seven runs. One prospect had two extra base hits and is attempting to reclaim his status in the organization. There are hitting streaks worth following and big offensive displays. RHP Josh Burris will be joining the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Saturday as a busy week of transactions continues. Here is Friday night’s update.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 4, Syracuse Chiefs 2 Box Score PJ Walters was a winner for the second straight start. The right-hander gave up one run on three hits and two walks in 6.2 innings. He struck out four. Michael O’Connor came in and gave up one run on three hits in 1.2 innings. Bobby Lanigan made his 2013 Red Wings debut and got the final two outs for his first save. Joe Benson fought his way back to a .200 average. In this game, he was 2-4 with his second triple and his first home run. Eric Farris went 2-5 with his second double. Chris Herrmann was 2-5. Doug Bernier followed his 5-hit game on Thursday night by going 0-1 and walking three times on Friday night. New Britain Rock Cats 7, Richmond Flying Squirrels 4 Box Score Logan Darnell was on the mound for the Rock Cats. He earned the win and gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out five. Bruce Pugh gave up one run despite giving up no hits in 1.2 innings. He walked three. Blake Martin came on and gave up two walks and a hit (which scored an inherited runner), but no runs were charged to him before he got one out to end the inning. AJ Achter came on for the ninth and struck out the side to record his first AA save. Josmil Pinto went 3-4. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 with a walk. James Beresford and Mark Sobolewski each had two hits. Antoan Richardson went 1-3 with two walks; he also scored three run and stole his 8th, 9th and 10th bases of the season. Jhon Goncalves homered for the second time this season. Ft. Myers Miracle 10, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4 Box Score On Friday night, the Miracle won for the third straight time. Josh Wheeler was the recipient of all the run support. The lefty went 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on four hits and a walk. He struck out two. Nelvin Fuentes came on and got the next four batters out. Miguel Munoz gave up one run on two hits in the ninth. AJ Pettersen went 2-5 to extend his hitting streak to ten games. He is hitting .370 during that stretch. Eddie Rosario was 2-5 with a triple. Kennys Vargas was 2-4 with his first triple. He later scored on an RBI single from Drew Leachman, who was 2-4. Andy Leer went 2-4 with his second home run. Miguel Sano launched his ninth home run of the month, his third in four games. Photo courtesy Rinaldi Photos Cedar Rapids Kernels 13, Great Lakes Loons 8 Box Score We’ll try to ignore the fact that Kernels pitchers have given up 15 runs over the past two games. The reason we might be able to successfully do that is because the Kernels offense has put up 29 runs in those two games. On this night, Adam Walker was the star of the show. The powerful right-handed batter hit a three-run homer in the first inning. In the fourth inning, he came up with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam. Two home runs and seven RBI equates to a fairly productive game. His five home runs and 22 RBI lead the Midwest League. JD Williams added a home run in the fourth inning, his third. Jorge Polanco went 3-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Travis Harrison and Jhonathan Arias were each 2-5. Candido Pimentel was 2-4 with a walk. Byron Buxton was hitless, walked three times and stole his eighth base. He also had no unsuccessful stolen base attempts. Hudson Boyd got the start for the Kernels. The right hander gave up four runs on five hits in four innings. He walked four and struck out just one. Steven Gruver earned the win after coming on to give up one run on three hits in 2.2 innings. He walked one and struck out six. Chris Mazza gave up three runs on three hits in 1.1 inning. He struck out two. David Hurlbut came in and struck out two in a scoreless ninth. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article