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Baseball’s draft is tricky because many players are years away from impacting big-league rosters. Back in the early 2010s, the Twins struggled to identify the best available players in the draft. Mid-market teams like the Twins need to succeed through scouting and the draft. The five years outlined below clarify why front office changes were made. Not every first-round pick will be a success, but high draft picks need to provide some value at the big-league level. 2010 Draft Twins Selection: Alex Wimmers (21st pick) Left on the Board: Christian Yelich (23rd pick) Wimmers fit the Minnesota mold as he had college pitching experience, and the organization had taken Kyle Gibson a year earlier in a similar draft position. Wimmers eventually made 22 appearances for the Twins as a reliever from 2016-17, but he was out of baseball after the 2018 season. The Marlins took Christian Yelich two picks after Wimmers, and he has gone on to win an MVP, earn multiple batting titles, and accumulate 33.4 WAR. Chris Sale, Bryce Harper, and Manny Machado are the only first-round picks from 2010 that have produced more career WAR than Yelich. 2011 Draft Twins Selection: Levi Michael (30th pick) Left on the Board: Trevor Story (45th pick) Minnesota was good in 2010, so that meant a late first-round pick in 2011. Michael seemed like a stretch at the time, and he never made it past Triple-A with the Twins, Mets, or Giants. Story was passed over by plenty of teams in the draft as he has produced the fifth highest WAR total among the 2011 first-round picks. The Twins have a second chance to add Story as a free agent this winter, but that seems unlikely at this point. 2012 Draft Twins Selection: Byron Buxton (2nd pick) Left on the Board: Corey Seager (18th pick) Of all five of these drafts, Minnesota is probably most satisfied with their selection in 2012. It’s also less challenging to mess up the second overall pick. Buxton was seen as an elite five-tool talent, and he immediately became one of baseball’s top prospects. If the Twins had the chance, five players have accumulated more WAR than Buxton, including Seager. Besides Carlos Correa, the first overall pick, Seager has the highest WAR total in the 2012 first round. Both Seager and Buxton signed long-term deals this winter, so it will be interesting to see how both players age as they hit the prime of their careers. 2013 Draft Twins Selection: Kohl Stewart (4th pick) Left on the Board: Aaron Judge (32nd pick) Organizations need to be successful with top-10 picks, and the Twins made some poor choices for multiple years in a row. Stewart appeared in four games for Minnesota, but he could never put it all together as a starting pitcher. Aaron Judge was a college player who didn’t fit an outfielder’s typical mold. He was clearly misevaluated as he has produced the second-highest WAR total among first-round picks, with Kris Bryant being the only player to rank higher. Other potential options included Tim Anderson, Sean Manaea, and Jon Gray. 2014 Draft Twins Selection: Nick Gordon (5th pick) Left on the Board: Trea Turner (13th pick) At the time, Gordon seemed like a strong choice with his family’s connections and five-tool potential. Last season, he finally made his big-league debut, and he may continue to fill a utility role for the Twins in the years ahead. Unfortunately, there were some All-Star caliber players taken behind Gordon. Turner is one year away from free agency, where he will get paid like one of baseball’s biggest stars. Aaron Nola was taken directly after Gordon and has produced 24.2 WAR. Matt Chapman, Michael Conforto, and Kyle Freeland have all combined for solid big-league careers and were also available with the fifth pick. 2015 Draft Twins Selection: Tyler Jay (6th pick) Left on the Board: Walker Buehler (24th pick) Jay was a risk when the Twins took him because he had been a reliever during his collegiate career. Minnesota thought he could be a starter, but he could never make it to the big leagues. Buehler would undoubtedly look nice at the top of the Twins rotation, even with some missed time due to injury in his career. Otherwise, Boston took Andrew Benintendi one pick after Jay, and he has produced 12.5 WAR in his career. Which of these players was the biggest miss for the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

My name is Travis Harrison, former first-round supplemental pick for the Minnesota Twins. I was contacted to see if I was interested in telling my story and answer questions that Twins fans might have. To be honest, this usually is not my thing, so excuse the sub-par writing skills. I do love the game of baseball and have come to love the Minnesota sports fans. So, lets give it a shot. What could go wrong?A quick intro/update on my life. I am married to my wife Jessica, who is way better looking than myself. We had a beautiful girl 10 months ago named Jamie. She sleeps from 7 pm to 7 am every night so, go me! I have stopped playing baseball officially and am currently working for the #1 Real Estate team is Southwest Florida, Domain Realty. Also, I am taking full advantage of the Twins College Scholarship Plan that was offered to me coming out of high school. Enough with the boring stuff and onto my first Minnesota Twins story. On June 6, 2011, I was attending my regular high school classes while knowing my life would change forever that evening. I was receiving calls every 20 minutes or so, and the only thing I can remember is my agent texting me, “if the Twins contact you, say you are not interested”. I didn’t think much about it until the draft had started and I got a call. It was my local Twins scout (who was the best in the area and an amazing person). He said "If you are still there and Levi Michael is off the board, we are picking you at 30." I replied with “Sounds good”. This is back when “slot money” meant less than the close door button on an elevator. People were signing for half of slot or double slot. It was just a big chess game. Anyway, pick #30 comes and goes and Levi was still there. I remember seeing my father over in the corner of the house talking on the phone with someone and wondering who it was. Turns out, he was negotiating my first professional baseball contract for me. Pick #50 comes up and Rod Carew announces my name on TV in front of all my family and friends. The time I spent with the Twins was an absolute blast. It didn’t matter if I was hitting home runs in big league spring training or striking out in AA. The lessons I learned from playing professional baseball will stick with me forever. Even though I had three concussions that really held me back, I wouldn’t change my experience for anything in the world. I have a ton of stories to tell and I would love to answer questions about ANYTHING you might want to know. -------------------------------------------------- Related Articles: 2017 Killebrew Award Winner: Travis HarrisonQ&A with Travis Harrison (5/21/13)Twins Prospect Takes Flight (Harrison is a pilot)Draft Day MemoriesSupplemental Draft Picks Have Great Talent, Made Tough Decisions-------------------------------------------------- EDITOR'S NOTE: We are hoping that Travis will write an article every week or two about various topics related to his baseball career, time in the Twins organizations, tips, tricks, and more. He certainly welcomes your questions and ideas for topics, so fill the comments with those. - Seth Click here to view the article

Last May, I was in Cedar Rapids. Dereck Rodriguez made a start and got lit up. After the game, then Kernels manager Jake Mauer said that Dereck would have to figure it out himself and work through it because he had the stuff to be successful. A month later, he was pitching great and earned a promotion to Ft. Myers where he continued to pitch well. He carried that into the Puerto Rican Winter League where he did a terrific job. He began in Ft. Myers this year and was a Florida State League All Star. He is now pitching well for Jake Mauer in Chattanooga and did so again on Wednesday night. As each of the games becomes a final, its game recap and highlights will be updated.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Wednesday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS There were a handful of transactions in the Twins system on Wednesday. The Twins placed Hector Santiago on the disabled list with upper thoracic back pain and discomfort.They recalled Alan Busenitz from Rochester. He was optioned last Friday after working 2.2 innings of relief. He has not pitched for Rochester since then.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Pawtucket 1 Box Score Dillon Gee wants to make the Twins’ decision on whether or not to call him up before his July 15th opt-out more difficult. On Wednesday afternoon, he worked five shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out three. Alex Wimmers came on and gave up one run on two hits over two innings to record his fifth Red Wings save. He struck out two. Gee used his defense in this game, including this gem from Engelb Vielma. The Red Wings put together a three-run first inning. That was all for the offense, but it was enough in this game. Zack Granite led off the first with a single. He scored two batters later on Mitch Garver’s 18th double. (Josh Whetzel informed those listening that it had an exit velocity of 110 mph) A Kennys Vargas single was followed by an RBI single from Byungho Park. Later, Tommy Field’s fielder’s choice gave the Wings their third run. Vargas was the lone Red Wings hitter with more than one hit. He went 2-3 and added his third double. Game 2 - Rochester 0, Pawtucket 2 Box Score The Red Wings went with a bullpen effort in the second game. DJ Baxendale got the starting nod. He went three innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits. He walked none and struck out two. Mason Melotakis came on and struck out three over two scoreless innings. Michael Tonkin struck out one over two scoreless innings. The offense managed just four hits. Matt Hague was 2-2 with two walks and his 13th double. Tommy Field added his 21st double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Tennessee 3 Box Score The Lookouts won for the 26th time in their last 31 games on Wednesday night. Dereck Rodriguez put together another strong start. The righty improved to 3-0 with the Lookouts with seven innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out six. Todd Van Steensel came on for the eighth and struck out the side. He got one more out in the ninth inning (on a strikeout, of course), but he gave up one run on three hits. Nick Anderson, on his birthday, came on and recorded the final two outs, both on strikeouts to secure the win. Levi Michael led the offense. He went 3-4 with his tenth double. Travis Harrison went 1-2 with two walks and his 15th double. He also stole a base. Nick Gordon added an RBI double, his 22nd two-bagger of the year. LaMonte Wade and Jonathan Rodriguez were both 1-3 with a walk. The Lookouts are now 12-1, five games ahead of Tennessee in the Southern League’s North Division’s second-half standings. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Tampa 1 Box Score Sean Poppen made his Florida State League debut on Wednesday night in Tampa. He worked two shutout innings. He gave up two hits, no walks and struck out two. Then the rains came. There was a delay of nearly two hours. When the game resumed, Keaton Steele took over. He gave up a solo homer in the third inning, but that was it. He worked five innings and gave up just four hits. He walked none and struck out four. Alex Muren worked two strong innings. He walked two and struck out five. The Miracle got most of its offense from the nine-spot. Nelson Molina went 4-4 with two triples. He drove in one of the runs on a single, and he scored the go-ahead run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Wisconsin 5 Box Score Left-hander Evan Sanders was not drafted last summer. The Twins saw him this offseason in a workout and signed him. Recently, he came up to Cedar Rapids and has been working out of their bullpen. On Wednesday night, he made his first start. The first inning went well. He struck out two. In the second inning, however, he gave up five runs and recorded just one out. Logan Lombana came in and faced 11 batters. He got all 11 out, keeping the Kernels relatively close. In the fifth inning, Travis Blankenhorn had a bases-loaded walk to put the Kernels on the scoreboard. Patrick McGuff provided three shutout innings, striking out five. Alex Robinson worked a scoreless ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Gorge Munoz was hit by a pitch. It was followed by a triple from Aaron Whitefield to cut the lead to 5-2. After a pitching change, Travis Blankenhorn grounded out, which scored the Kernels' third run, but also accounted for the inning's second out. Lewin Diaz flew out to end the game. Christian Cavaness went 3-4 with his eighth double. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton , Princeton Box Score The E-Twins game on Wednesday night was rained out. They’ll play two on Thursday. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 10, GCL Rays 8 Box Score Dane Hutcheon, batting ninth, provided some major run production for the GCL Twins on Wednesday morning. In his first at bat, he drove in two with his first triple of the season. In the fourth inning, he added an RBI single. In the fifth inning, he hit a two-run double. In the game, he went 3-5 with five RBI. Akil Baddoo stayed hot. He went 2-4 with a walk and his third double. He’s now hitting .324. Ricky De La Torre went 2-5. Colton Burns was 1-3 and walked twice. Royce Lewis went 1-4, and he was hit by a pitch again. Carlos Suniaga made the start. He gave up two runs on three hits over three innings. He walked one and struck out three. Juan Mojica came on and gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. He struck out two. Matz Schutte was next. He went 1.2 innings and was charged with four runs (two earned) on one hit and three walks. Vadim Balan gave up one hit over the final 1.2 innings to record his second save. He struck out one. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nelson Molina, Ft. Myers THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - RHP Tim Melville Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero Ft. Myers @ Tampa (6:00 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - LHP Domenick Carlini Princeton @ Elizabethton (DH @ 4:00 CST) - RHPs Moises Gomez, Melvi Acosta GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article

Despite the fact that the GCL Twins don’t play on Sundays, it was a very busy day in the Twins minor league system. AA Chattanooga finished their suspended game and played their regularly-scheduled game. Ft. Myers played two games against the Tebows, I mean, St. Lucie Mets. The Kernels had a quality prospect make his Midwest League debut. It was also the first day of the new International signing period. That means that the Twins (and all the other teams) could start signing 16-year-old international players. Most of the top names come from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. But players from Cuba, Australia and other countries will also be signed. While it was posted that the Twins have an agreement with SS Jelfry Marte, they are likely to sign another dozen or more kids from foreign countries. According to Ben Badler from Baseball America, the Twins are also the favorite to sign OFs Carlos Aguilar and Mauro Bonafacio. As for Sunday night, the Twins have not yet actually signed any of these players. That will happen over the course of the next week, and in some cases, over the coming months.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Sunday, starting with the transactions of the day. OK, there was just one transaction. Felix Jorge was returned to Chattanooga following his MLB debut as the 26th man in the Twins doubleheader. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score David Hurlbut put together another quality start, but the Red Wings offense was unable to score. The left-hander gave up three runs on eight hits over 7.2 innings. He struck out nine without issuing a walk. Alex Wimmers came on and struck out the one batter he faced. The Red Wings offense had just five hits in the game. Zack Granite went 2-4 and is now hitting .367. Mitch Garver - who played left field again - went 0-3 with a walk which ended his 15-game hitting streak. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Mississippi 3 (completion of suspended game from Saturday) Box Score On Saturday, the Lookouts started their game, but after two innings, it was suspended by rain. They completed that game on Sunday. Fernando Romero started on Saturday and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit, walked two and struck out three. Randy LeBlanc started when the game resumed on Sunday. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out five. Luke Bard picked up the save by recording the final four outs. He gave up three hits and walked one without allowing a run. He struck out two. Nick Gordon went 2-4 and drove in a run. Levi Michael went 1-3 with a two-run homer, his third of the season. Chattanooga 4, Mississippi 0 (regularly-scheduled games) Box Score In the regularly-scheduled, now-7-inning game, the Lookouts got some really good pitching. Ryan Eades made the start and threw three shutout innings. He didn’t give up a hit or issue a walk and struck out five. Alex Muren came on and also threw three shutout innings. He gave up four hits, and struck out one. Randy Rosario pitched a perfect ninth. Edgar Corcino led the offense with a 2-3 game. He stole his second base and scored two runs. They scored three runs in the 6th to solidify their lead. TJ White knocked a two-run double, his tenth of the year. Levi Michael followed with his ninth double to drive in White. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 5 Box Score Through the first four innings, Brady Anderson gave up only one run. However, he started the fifth by giving up three singles to load the bases. The bases were then unloaded with a grand slam. That certainly, and quickly, altered Anderson’s pitching line. He gave up five runs on eight hits and four walks in four innings. Jonny Drozd came on and gave up a hit and two walks but no runs over two innings. David Fischer worked a scoreless seventh frame. The Miracle started slow and made a comeback in the seventh that fell just shy. In that inning, Brandon Lopez and Jermaine Palacios had RBI singles to cut the lead to one, but the team could not get one more hit to extend the game. Lopez went 2-3 with a walk and has hit .438 in his first five games with the Miracle. With a 3-4, Palacios is now hitting .407 through his first seven games since joining the team. Max Murphy went 2-4. Sean Miller was 1-2 with a walk and his second stolen base. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 12, St. Lucie 1 Box Score Playing a mid-afternoon doubleheader in early July in Ft. Myers is not advised. With that heat and humidity, it can be difficult. After a close first game, the Miracle were able to put a strong offensive performance together for a big win. Nearly everyone in the offense contributed in some way. Brandon Lopez stayed hot. He went 3-5 in game two and is now at .476 in six games. Shane Kennedy went 3-3 with a walk and his second triple. Max Murphy went 2-5 with his 16th double. Nelson Molina went 2-4. Tanner English was 1-2 with two walks and his eighth double. Jermaine Palacios hit his second double and drove in three runs. Zander Wiel hit his seventh home run. Anthony McIver made another start and did well again. He gave up one run on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out three. Keaton Steele gave up two hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. Lopez has enjoyed his time in Ft. Myers and appreciates the coaching he's received. "The adjustment has been easy really thanks to the coaching staff and my teammates. It's a fun group of guys that love to go out there have fun and at the same time get better doing it. Since I got up here I've been working with Doug (Mientkiewicz) and Sing (hitting coach Steve Singleton) in cages on a few things with my swing and I've definitely felt more comfortable in games at the plate." KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 0 Box Score The Kernels made another commuter trip to Clinton and drove home with a nice, clean win. Griffin Jax was terrific in his first Midwest League start. The right-hander drafted a year ago from Air Force worked seven shutout innings. He walked one and struck out four. Jax was happy with his performance following the game. He said, “I was able to establish my fastball to both sides of the plate for the most part. Our report on them was that they had trouble with the fastball, so that was the game plan moving forward. I had some early-game nerves but after the first inning I settled in.” Jeff Johnson from The Gazette posted the following on Saturday night regarding Jax. Assume he does have a 60-day leave, and that he’s been at extended spring training and made a start in Elizabethton, he should be able to spend four to five weeks with the Kernels. Logan Lombana worked a scoreless eighth inning. Hector Lujan recorded his seventh save of the season. The Kernels scored one run in each of the first three innings. In the first, Travis Blankenhorn hit a two-out double and scored on a Lewin Diaz single. The in the second, Andre Jernigan walked and scored on a Lean Marrero double, his first since joining the Kernels a week ago. In the third, Aaron Whitefield hit his ninth home run of the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Danville 7 Box Score The E-Twins played an afternoon game in Danville on Sunday. It was a good game until a five-run bottom of the eighth gave Danville a big win. Charlie Barnes made his second start. In 3.1 innings, he gave up one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out five. Chris Broussard worked 3.2 scoreless innings, but he was able to get just one out in the bottom of the eighth. He was charged with four runs on six hits and a walk. Jared Finkel came on and got the final two outs, though he was charged with two runs (one earned) in that inning as well. The E-Twins managed just three hits in the game. Wander Javier had two of them including his fourth double. He stole his second base as well. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins Box Score There are no Gulf Coast League games on Sundays (with some exceptions). TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Griffin Jax, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brandon Lopez, Ft. Myers Miracle MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Mississippi (6:00 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi Elizabethton @ Danville (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. 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It's hard to believe the calendar has already turned to June. Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers need to make runs at first half playoff spots in the weeks to come. Rochester and Chattanooga need to continue to fight for their own playoff positions even though their leagues don't hand out first half playoff spots. Would any teams be able to gain some separation on Sunday? Which players would shine? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Norfolk 1 Box Score It took awhile for Rochester's offense to wake up in this contest. With the team trailing 1-0 late in the game, Tommy Field finally got things rolling. He started the seventh with a single and than moved to third on a JR Murphy single. Zack Granite came up with the go-ahead, a triple, to put Rochester on top by one. Adam Wilk started and allowed one earned run, a home run, on six hits over four innings. He struck out one and didn't walk a batter. Ryan Eades improved to 2-0 on the season as he tossed three shutout innings with four strikeouts and one walk. His season ERA dropped to 1.13. Ryan Pressly picked up his first save, a two-inning affair, as he only allowed two base runners. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Jackson 5 Box Score Chattanooga jumped out to any early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Three of the first four batters reached without recording a hit as Jackson committed an error, walked a batter and hit a batter. Dan Gamache took advantage with a one-out single to plate a pair of runs. Levi Michael capped the inning with a run-scoring single as things were looking good for the Lookouts. Top pitching prospect Fernando Romero pitched seven innings and saw five runs scored while he was on the mound. Lucky for him, only two of the runs were earned as he struck out eight and didn't allow a walk. Nick Gordon and Gamache each had an error in the fourth which allowed three unearned runs to score. Luke Bard and Mason Melotakis combined to allow one base runner over the final two frames. Bard struck out the side in the eighth. Trailing by one in the bottom of the ninth, LaMonte Wade and Travis Harrison started the inning with doubles. Gamache was intentionally walked before Levi Michael advanced the runners with a bunt. Ryan Walker played the hero as he doubled in the winning run. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Palm Beach 5 Box Score It's tough to win many games when a team is limited to three hits. Fort Myers was shut out on Sunday. Zander Wiel, Tanner English and Trey Vavra all went 1-for-3 as English and Vavra both collected doubles. The Miracle didn't collect a walk in the game and only one batter stepped into the plate with a runner in scoring position. Lachlan Wells lost two full count battles in the bottom of the first before giving up a three-run home run. He went five innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Tom Hackimer pitched two scoreless innings with a couple of strikeouts. Sam Clay finished the game with a scoreless eighth. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Burlington 6 Box Score The Kernels exploded for five runs in the second inning and they still needed a four-run eighth frame to separate themselves from the Bees. All of the Kernels second inning damage came with two outs. Caleb Hamilton and Christian Cavaness walked before a Brandon Lopez triple brought them home. Aaron Whitefield walked and stole second in front of a two-run single from Travis Blankenhorn. Jarmaine Palacios capped the inning with a run-scoring double. Hamilton played a key role later in the game as his two-run homer helped to separate Cedar Rapids. A couple of batters later, Travis Blankenhorm popped his sixth home run of the season to bust open the game. Blankenhorn finished with three hits and four RBI. On the defensive side of the ball, Cavaness threw out a runner at home in the seventh to keep the Kernels up one. Eduardo Del Rosario didn't have his best stuff but he was able to earn his fifth win. He struck out one and walked two while allowing four earned runs over five innings. Zack Tillery struggled a little as well. He walked three batters and saw a run scored without giving up a hit. Logan Lombana pitched 1.1 innings and gave up one earned run on three hits. Ryan Mason pitched two shutout innings to close out the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Chattanooga Lookouts (7 IP, 2 ER, 8 K, 0 BB) Hitter of the Day – Travis Blankenhorn, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Scanton/WB (6:05 CST) - TBD Chattanooga vs. Jackson (6:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-2, 3.18 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-2, 1.38 ERA) Cedar Rapids - Scheduled Off-Day Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

There are so many minor league stories to follow in 2017. Yesterday we talked about what could be a very intriguing starting staff in Chattanooga throughout the season. Today’s article is more about the business of baseball. A player can become a minor league free agent after he has played six full seasons of minor league ball, unless added to the 40-man roster. So it is fair to say that this is a big year for a handful of Twins minor leaguers.There are five Twins minor league players who were drafted by the Twins in 2011 who have yet to reach the big leagues. Could they be called up sometime during the 2017 season? Could they be added to the 40-man roster following the season, before the World Series is complete and become free agents? 2010 draft pick Niko Goodrum spent the first half of the 2016 season on the disabled list. Following the season he could have become a minor league free agent, but instead, he quickly re-signed with the Twins. Fellow 2010 draft pick Alex Wimmers could have become a free agent after the Twins took him off of their 40-man roster following the season. Instead, he quickly returned to the Twins on a minor league contract. Both are playing well in spring training. So while it would be great for these five players to have big seasons in 2017 and force the Twins hand, doors could open up for them after the season via free agency, or they could choose to stay in the Twins organization. LEVI MICHAEL The Twins had the 30th overall pick in the 2011 draft. The Twins selected North Carolina shortstop Levi Michael. In his three years with the Tar Heels, he spent a season at each of three infield positions. Many scouting sources had Michael ranked higher than 30th, and the Twins needed middle infielders in the system. The pick made sense. Unfortunately, he missed the rest of that season with injury, and he has fought a variety of injuries throughout his career. He has spent parts of the last three seasons at AA. In 2016, he played in 95 games and hit just .215/.293/.291 (.584) and lost playing time as the season went on. He recently turned 26, and it would be nice to see him get some AAA time in 2017. TRAVIS HARRISON The Twins took Harrison with the 50th overall pick in 2011 out of high school in California. He quickly moved up one level each year until 2016 when he returned for a second season in AA Chattanooga. In 120 games, he hit .230 but had a .338 on-base percentage and a .339 slugging percentage. He had 22 doubles, seven homers and stole 15 bases. He has been in the outfield the last three seasons, though he has moved from left to right and back and forth a couple of times. No one questions Harrison’s work ethic, and anyone who has watched him knows that he has tremendous power potential and strength. He will still be just 24 years old through the 2017 season. DERECK RODRIGUEZ Dereck Rodriguez, as you know, is the son of recently-named Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez. The Twins drafted him in the sixth round in 2011 out of high school in Florida. They drafted him as a potential five-tool outfielder, but when he was unable to hit in the rookie leagues for three seasons, the decision was pretty easy to give him the option of pitching. He’s progressed slowly up the ladder as a pitcher. In 2015, he was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. He began 2016 really struggling in Cedar Rapids, but in the middle of June, he started pitching much better. He earned a promotion to Ft. Myers where he pitched well too. He pitched very well this winter in Puerto Rico and helped the team win the Caribbean Series. He now is part of Team Puerto Rico in the WBC. He’ll continue to start as the season begins, but the 24-year-old could be a solid bullpen arm. JASON WHEELER Wheeler is the one player on this list who has been on the Twins 40-man roster. Two years ago, he was added to the roster and went to spring training with the big club. He really struggled in 2015 and by season’s end, he was removed from the 40-man roster. After that point, he went on to lead the Chattanooga Lookouts to the 2015 Southern League championship (he was named MVP, won a game and recorded a four-inning save). 2016 was a very good year for Wheeler. He began in Chattanooga again, but he moved up to Rochester quickly. And, he put up terrific numbers, good enough to be named the starting pitcher for the International League team in the AAA All-Star game. The left-hander doesn’t throw real hard, but he is generally around the plate and uses his defense. The 26-year-old was the Twins eighth-round pick in 2011 out of Loyola Marymount. DAVID HURLBUT The Twins liked Hurlbut enough to draft him twice. He was the team’s 35th-round pick in 2009 out of junior college. Two years later, the Twins took him in the 28th round out of Cal State-Fullerton. He missed some time at the start of 2016 with a shoulder issue, but he pitched well once he got on the mound. He went 7-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 23 starts in AA. He finished the season with five starts in Rochester. The 27-year-old is a soft-throwing left-hander, occasionally touching 90, but he has pinpoint control and a good changeup. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Obviously all five of these guys are “prospects’ as they have yet to play in the big leagues. The two 24-year-olds are the two that would fit into the “prospect” category meaning there is still a lot of potential with them. It’s a big year for each of them. Not only are they working for a big league opportunity with the Twins, but they will have another season to be monitored by scouts and coaching staffs from the other 29 organizations too. So what are your hopes or expectations for these five? Will any of them get to the big leagues in 2017? Could any be found on the 40-man roster after the 2017 season? Click here to view the article

The Twins lost their 10th straight on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up one of the worst series we've seen this year, part of one of the worst stretches of Twins baseball we've seen since losing became so popular at 1 Twins Way. In addition to losing the game, the Twins lost Danny Santana to the DL with a sprained shoulder. Transaction Report: The injury to Danny Santana led to a late scratch for Rochester's Logan Schafer as the Twins selected his contract before the Red Wings started on Sunday evening. Why the Twins decided to promote Schafer is a mystery. Let the fans get a good look at players they've never heard about, probably. Anyways, Randy LeBlanc was promoted from Fort Myers to Chattanooga, and to replace LeBlanc, the Miracle received Brian Olson from the GCL Twins (from the other side of the MiLB complex in Fort Myers). Continue reading to find out more detail about Sunday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Box Score Byron Buxton was 1-5 with four strike outs and a single. John Ryan Murphy had a nice night at the plate, 3-4 with a strike out. Adam Walker had a pair of doubles (and a pair of strike outs) as part of his 2-4 night. Despite what Murphy and Walker did for the Wings, they managed just one run, maybe it was because as a team they struck out 22 times and worked just two walks. That might have something to do with it. Jason Wheeler gave up three runs over seven innings, spreading six hits and three strike outs. He gave up one home run, but was tagged with the loss despite the quality start because of the flummoxed Red Wings hitters. D. J. Baxendale pitched 2.0 innings of scoreless relief, giving up one hit and striking out a pair of RailRiders. Final: RailRiders 3, Red Wings 1 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Mississippi Braves @ Chattanooga Box Score With a 4-0 lead after four innings, the Lookouts were in good shape, attacking the Braves' starter Sean Newcomb. Aaron Slegers, starting for the Lookouts, went seven innings, gave up two runs on six hits. He struck out six, walked two, and left the game with a lead and an opportunity to pick up a win. But it wasn't meant to be as the Lookouts couldn't push any more runs across the board, and Zack Jones gave up a run in the eight, and two more in the ninth to blow the save, and the game. Jones' final line was 2.0 innings pitched, three hits, three runs, a walk, and three strike outs. The loss drops him to 2-2. Third baseman Ryan Walker left the game in the fourth inning after being in the hand by an errant pitch. He was replaced by Tanner Witt. Zach Granite had another great game with the bat, 3-5 with a double and two runs score, plus a stolen base (and he was caught stealing). The rest of the Lookouts had just five hits. Twins former first round pick Levi Michael was 0-2 with a walk and two strike outs and is hitting just .220/.296/.302 as a 25-year old in AA. Final: Braves 5, Lookouts 4 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Jupiter Hammerheads Box Score The Miracle jumped ahead 2-1 in the seventh and then added three more in the top of the eighth for good measure, taking down the Hammerheads 5-1. Tanner English led off for the Miracle and was 2-5 with a pair of runs scored. Trey Vavra had a pair of hits as well, including a run scored, a walk, and an RBI. Brad Hartong also contributed a pair of singles from the 9th spot in the order. Keaton Steele picked up his seventh win of the year, moving to 7-11 with a 3.66 ERA. He pitched 6.0 innings of five-hit baseball. He gave up just one unearned run, walked one, and struck out four. Nick Anderson picked up a hold with 2.0 innings of hitless relief work, and John Curtiss finished things off with a 1-2-3 ninth. Final: Miracle 5, Hammerheads 1 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Clinton Lumber Kings Box Score The Kernels won their seventh straight on Sunday afternoon and could clinch a playoff spot as early as Monday evening if things break right for them. On Sunday the Kernels were powered by their pitching staff. Brady Anderson moved to 3-0 with 6.0 innings of four-hit baseball. He walked none, gave up no runs, and struck out four. He was replaced by Logan Lombana who pitched 2.0 innings. Lombana gave up a run on three hits and struck out three. Tom Hackimer earned the save with a clean ninth inning, including a strike out. Nelson Molina was the hero of the day for the Kernels, with a 3-4 night that included a double, a solo home run, and two runs scored. Jaylin Davis added a solo home run as well, part of his 2-4 night. Final: Kernels 4, Lumber Kings 1 E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton @ Greenville Astros Box Score Quite a wild back and forth game in the Eastern League for the E-Twins and the Greeneville Astros. The E-Twins scored eight runs on nine hits and four walks. They were led by Amaury Minier, who was 2-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Alex Kiriloff was 0-3 before being replaced by Roberty Gonzalez in the bottom of the sixth. The stat sheet reads as a defensive substitution, but Kiriloff is just 4-32 and has just two hits in his last seven games, so read between the lines a bit for the 18-year old. E-Twins starter Ryan Mason lasted just 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out one, and gave up a solo home run. He was replaced by Alex Robinson, who gave up 3 runs (all unearned) over 1.2 innings. He struck out three, walked two, and gave up ZERO hits. Rough way to let three runs across the plate. Quin Grogan pitched the final three innings, picking up a blown save and the win thanks to some late inning heroics from the bats. Quin gave up two hits, walked no one, and struck out five. Final: E-Twins 8, Astros 7 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Brady Anderson - Cedar Rapids Pitcher of the Day - Zach Granite - Chattanooga MONDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester - Tyler Duffey (0-0, 1.72) Chattanooga - TBD Fort Myers - Randy LeBlacn (5-7, 4.70) Cedar Rapids - Eduardo Del Rosario (5-2, 3.81) E-Twins - Clark Beeker (0-0, 1.80) GCL Twins - TBD DSL Twins - TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Sunday games. -ERolf

While most of the baseball world was focused on the MLB All-Star Game in San Diego, there was a smattering of minor league games on the docket. Stephen Gonsalves was scheduled to make his fourth start since being promoted to Double-A. He allowed eight runs in his first 8.2 innings with Chattanooga but he bounced back nicely with six shutout frames in his last outing. Which version of Gonsalves would show up on Tuesday night? Read on to find out.CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 0 Box Score For the second straight start, Stephen Gonsalves pitched six shutout innings. He struck out a season-high 11 batters while scattering four hits and not walking a batter. He had walked 11 batters in his first three appearances with Chattanooga. Gonsalves continues to pile up strikeouts as he has 30 strikeouts in 20.2 innings since being promoted. Jake Reed took over for Gonsalves and kept the shutout alive with two clean frames. He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one. Trevor Hildenberger closed out the ninth with a perfect inning while striking out two. Levi Michael had a huge night at the plate. The former first-round pick went 3-for-3 with a triple, two RBI and a walk. Shannon Wilkerson reached base four times and scored a pair of runs. Leonardo Reginatto stole his seventh base as part of a multi-hit night at the plate. Mitch Garver was named Twins minor league player of the week after batting .455 last week but he went 0-for-4 tonight. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score Aaron Whitefield reached base three times including a pair of hits and his fourth stolen base of the season. Ben Rortvedt went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Jorge Andrade scored two runs and reached base twice. Overall, the team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position while leaving seven runners on base. Tyler Fox started for the E-Twins and made it through three frames. He allowed three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Moises Gomez picked up his first victory after pitching three innings and allowing only an unearned run. Clark Beeker earned his first save as he pitched three perfect innings and struck out one. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga Lookouts WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Chattanooga @ Tennessee (11:05 am CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (2-4, 4.21 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Tampa (6:00 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele (4-7, 3.84 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lake County (6:00 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak (5-5, 3.17 ERA) Elizabethton @ Danville (6:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley (0-0, 3.00 ERA) GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday's games. Click here to view the article

A pretty quiet day in Twins Territory today. But there were two games in the system, led by both a dominant - and needed - pitching performance and a walk-off win. Tyler Jay was named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. This comes on the heels of an 11-strikeout, two-hit outing that spanned eight shutout inningsLet’s get to the action on the field. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Buffalo 2 Box Score Jose Berrios hasn’t had the 2016 that many of us - him included - had been expecting. Hopefully his season turned a corner on Monday night. Berrios pitched eight innings, his longest outing of the season. He struck out 11 and only allowed three hits (though two of them were solo home runs to Casey Kotchman), walking only one. Berrios improved to 4-2 in AAA this season. The Red Wings got on the board in the second inning thanks to an Adam Brett Walker sacrifice fly that scored Eddie Rosario, who had singled and stole a base earlier in the inning. Rochester plated two more in the third inning when Jorge Polanco singled in both James Beresford, who singled to start the inning, and Logan Schafer, who doubled. John Ryan Murphy drove in Walker in the fourth inning to expand the lead to 4-0. The Red Wings added two more runs: a Schafer home run in the sixth and an RBI double from Murphy which drove in Wilfredo Tovar, who also doubled, in the seventh. Schafer had three hits on Monday, and now has two home runs in four games for the Wings. Polanco, Tovar and Murphy all had two-hit games. J.T. Chargois closed the game with a perfect ninth inning. His AAA ERA is 0.82. There’s literally no reason that the Twins should not bring him up. The Red Wings have improved to 33-25, expanding their IL North lead to 1.5 games. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jacksonville 2 (11 innings) Box Score The Lookouts opened the scoring on Monday night thanks to a Daniel Palka…. sacrifice fly. (No home run this time.) It scored Zach Granite, who singled to lead off the bottom half of the 1st inning. Jacksonville tied it in the fourth and jumped ahead 2-1 in the fifth. Ryan Eades, making his return from an oblique injury, gave up just one run in four innings of work. He struck out one and walked two. Raul Fernandez, making his AA debut in the Twins organization, gave up one run in two innings. Then the bullpen took over. Levi Michael doubled and then scored on a Leo Reginatto hit to tie the score in the bottom half of the fifth inning. The game quieted down, helped by the Miralcle trio of Mason Melotakis, Jake Reed (two strikeouts in two innings) and Trevor Hildenberger (four strikeouts, two innings). But it got loud again in the bottom of the 11th inning. Mitch Garver started the inning with a single, Ryan Walker tried to bunt Garver over, but Jacksonville retired the lead runner leaving Walker on first. After a Stuart Turner walk, Michael stepped to the plate and delivered a game-winner. Granite and Reginatto both had three hits. D.J Hicks, Garver and Levi Michael all had two hits. The Lookouts are now 27-30, MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers vs Daytona Monday night’s game was cancelled due to Tropical Storm Colin. The teams are not scheduled to play each other again in the first half of the season, so the game will not be rescheduled. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids - DAY OFF TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Rochester Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo at Rochester (6:05PM CST) – LHP Logan Darnell (5-5, 3.58 ERA)J Jacksonville at Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) - LHP David Hurlbut (3-3, 4.53 ERA) Cedar Rapids at Beloit (6:35PM CST) – LHP Sam Clay (3-2, 2.13 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

On Saturday, the Twins fell again and are now 0-5, with Ricky Nolasco set to make his first start on Sunday. We’re getting increasingly close to Twins minor league reports becoming the most important part of Twins Daily. Then again, minor league coverage is always fun and exciting from day to day. Even when things are bad in the big leagues, there are three or four more box scores to give us something to get excited about. Of course, now Max Kepler is not going to be appearing on minor league reports, at least for a little while, after today. A couple of relief pitchers provided reason for optimism, and the Lookouts recorded their first win of the season thanks to a huge inning. The Kernels now have a winning streak.Continue reading to find out all that happened in the minor league games on Saturday as we look forward to JO Berrios’s first start of the season on Sunday. TRANSACTIONS With Danny Santana placed on the disabled list after Saturday night’s Twins loss, the Twins called up outfielder Max Kepler from AAA Rochester. For Cedar Rapids, Zack Tillery was placed on the disabled list. RED WINGS REPORT The game was postponed already on Friday afternoon. The Red Wings home opener will now be on Sunday. JO Berrios will start for Rochester opposite former Twins pitcher Anthony Swarzak. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Biloxi 5 Box Score A big inning helped Chattanooga to post their first win of the season on Saturday. Down 2-0 through two innings, the Lookouts offense, woeful to that point in the season, put together a rally to score six runs. Levi Michael got things going with an RBI triple and scored when Engelb Vielma singled him in. Later, Dalton Hicks singled in a run before Joe Maloney doubled in two more runs. Levi Michael led the way. He went 3-4 with the triple and three RBI. Stuart Turner continues his hot start with a 3-5 day. Dalton Hicks, who wasn’t in the original lineup, went 2-4 with a walk. David Hurlbut got the start and worked the first five innings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits and two walks. He struck out two. Corey Williams came in and got four outs. He gave up no runs on one hit two walks and strike out. He was replaced by Marcus Walden who was charged with two runs on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. JT Chargois came on for the ninth inning and struck out the side to give the Lookouts the win. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Bradenton 1 Box Score Lefty Tyler Jay made his first start of the season for the Miracle. The 2015 top pick had some issues with control, but he also showed how dominant he can be. He needed just over 80 pitches to get through five innings. He gave up just one run on three hits. He walked three and hit one batter. He also struck out seven. Jay left after five and was replaced by Todd Van Steensel. He walked three and struck out one over two scoreless and hitless innings. Luke Bard came in and worked the final two innings. He was perfect and struck out three batters to record the Save. The offense didn’t come up with a lot, but they were able to bunch some hits together. They managed six hits and walked four times. TJ White and Alex Swim each had two hits in the game. Nick Gordon and Trey Vavra each had one. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 2 Box Score After playing two games in Cedar Rapids, these teams shifted their match-up to the southwest and played in Davenport, Iowa. The result at the end of the day was the same, a Kernels’ win. Australian Sam Gibbons started and went the first five innings. He gave up one run on five hits and three walks. He struck out four. Logan Lombana came on for his first appearance and worked three innings. He gave up one run on one hit. John Curtiss came in for the ninth. He walked the first batter he faced, but responded by striking out the next three batters. The River Bandits committed three errors that helped two of the runs score. However in the 3rd inning, Rafael Valera hit a two-run triple. In the 6th inning, LaMonte Wade knocked in two runs with a double. Valera also walked twice while Wade walked once. Bryant Hayman was the catcher and played in his first game. He was 1-3 with a walk. Luis Arraez, on his 19th birthday, made his first start, batting ninth and playing second base. He went 1-3 with a walk. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – JT Chargois, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - Jose Berrios (vs Swarzak) Chattanooga @ Biloxi (1:10 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (12:00 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

It’s been awhile since we provided the Twins Daily readers with an update on how Twins players are performing (or have performed) in the Winter Leagues. There have been 13 Twins players to play in Venezuela so far this winter. Eight Twins have played in the Dominican Winter League. Seven current Twins (and several former Twins) have played in the Australian Baseball League this year. Finally, Reynaldo Rodriguez is playing in the Mexican Winter League.Below you will find how they’re doing. AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE There are six current Twins players who are participating in the Australian Baseball League. There are a lot of former Twins and Twins farmhands. For instance, Luke Hughes is hitting under .200, but he’s in the middle of the Perth lineup. Allan de San Miguel, twice a member of the organization, has six home runs. He spent time with Rochester last year. There are several, such as Josh Dean and Jacob Younis who didn’t get out of the rookie leagues with the Twins. For Melbourne, Tanner Vavra has played primarily shortstop and second base and bats second. He is hitting .317/.430/.416 (.846) with five doubles, a triple and a home run. He has 12 walks to go with 12 strikeouts. He has also been hit by a pitch eight times in 33 games.Trey Vavra has primarily been playing first base, but has made a handful of starts at second base as well. In 34 games, he is now hitting .281/.363/.469 (.832) with six doubles and six home runs. He has walked 14 times and struck out 16 times.Logan Wade has returned for Brisbane after missing about a month with injury. In 13 games, he has hit .256/.304/.349 (.653) with a double and a homer.Aaron Whitefield has played in 15 games for Brisbane. He is hitting .325/.325/.350 (.675) with a double.Aaron Thompson, who spent much of the first half of 2015 with the Twins, has pitched 8.1 innings over seven games with Canberra. He’s 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA. He’s given up nine hits, walked seven and struck out 12.Loek Van Mil has pitched just four times so far for Adelaine. He’s 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. In 3.2 innings, he has given up three hits, walked one and struck out three.Todd Van Steensel just returned to the mound for Sydney. He’s pitched just three times over the last week. He has given up two runs on two hits and three walks in just 2.1 innings.DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE The Dominican League can be tough as well. There are eight current members of the Twins organization who have played in the league at some point this winter. Five of them spent time with the Twins in 2015. Recently-signed Buck Britton played two games in the DWL in late October and early November and went 1-5.Miguel Sano played 15 games before being shut down to concentrate on his conditioning and learning the outfield. In that time, he hit .241/.344/.426 (.770) with four doubles and two homers. He walked eight times.Danny Santana has settled in at second base after playing around the diamond early in the season. In 25 games, he has hit .305/.320/.411 (.730) with five doubles, a triple and a home run.Eduardo Nunez just recently started playing. He has played in just five games, but he is hitting .316/.356/.368 (.718) with a double in those games.Jorge Polanco has played in 37 games. He is hitting .238/.329/.320 (.648). He has one doubles, three triples and a home run thus far.Catcher Carlos Paulino has played in 35 games. He is hitting .259/.322/.463 (.785) with five doubles, a triple and five home runs.Ryan O’Rourke pitched in four games in a one-week stretch in the Dominican. He worked three innings. He gave up three earned runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out two.Recently-signed Fernando Abad has pitched six times including two starts. He has worked a total of eight innings. He’s given up nine earned runs on 13 hits and four walks. He has also struck out ten.MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE As of right now, just one Twins player is playing in the Mexican Winter League. Reynaldo Rodriguez has already had 162 at bats over 46 games played. He is hitting .247/.346/.494 (.839) with eight doubles, a triple and ten home runs.VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE There are a lot of current, former and future Minnesota Twins playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. Eduardo Escobar has played in 14 games. In 51 at-bats, he has hit .314/.327/.412 (.739) with five doubles.Heiker Meneses was brought back and gets a second-straight spring training invite with the Twins. He’s played in 39 games already and has hit .230/.322/.270 (.592) with four doubles.Another non-roster invite to spring training in Wilfredo Tovar. He’s now played in just two games and is 2-8.Engelb Vielma began the year playing. He played in 18 games and hit .208/.269/.250 (519) with two doubles. He then spent some time in Ft. Myers working on his strength.Luis Arraez was an intriguing name to get to know in the GCL this year. He has played in 10 games and is 6-22. He’s hitting .273/.333/.364 (.697) with a triple.Levi Michael got off to a slow start in Venezuela, but through ten games, he is now hitting .314/.467/.400 (.867) with three doubles. He has eight walks to go with nine strikeouts.Omar Bencomo has made 11 starts in the VWL. He is 3-3 with an impressive 2.97 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. In 57.2 innings, he’s given up 57 hits, walked 12 and inexplicably struck out just 18.Logan Darnell has pitched in ten games including six starts. In 37.2 innings, he has allowed 39 hits, walked six and struck out 20. He is 1-2 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.Yorman Landa was recently added to the Twins 40-man roster. He’s pitched in 8.1 innings over 10 appearances. He’s given up five earned runs on five hits and five walks. He’s struck out four. He is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA but a 1.08 WHIP.Recently signed Buddy Boshers has pitched 32 innings over 25 appearances already. He is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He has given up just 22 hits, walked eight and struck out 35.David Hurlbut has made the most of his opportunity in Margarita. Last night, he threw five shutout innings. A week earlier, he threw five shutout innings. Six days prior to that, he gave up one run in five innings. So, in 15 total innings, he has given up just one run on ten hits. He has walked seven and struck out just five. He is 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.Sometimes opportunities are brief in Venezuela. DJ Baxendale made two appearances before Thanksgiving. In just 1.1 innings, he gave up five earned runs on four hits and two walks.Brett Lee made two appearances early in the season as well. In 6.1 innings, he gave up four runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out two.Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

On Thursday morning in Nashville, baseball’s Winter Meetings will formally conclude with the Rule 5 draft. Teams with fewer than 40 players on their 40-man roster are able to make selections. The Twins have 40 on their roster (at this time) so they will not be able to make a selection in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft without a move. However, it is possible that they could lose a player or two to another team in the draft.The Twins have the 17th pick in the Rule 5 draft based on their finish in the standings during the 2015 season. It’s really impossible to know which players will have already been taken, and Terry Ryan has said that most likely they would not take anyone. The Twins have been pretty clear that they are looking for left-handed relievers and a fourth outfielder in free agency and in trades, so if they do clear room and make a pick, those would be the two areas that they could consider. The Twins have been pretty active in the Rule 5 Draft in recent years, selecting pitchers like JR Graham, Ryan Pressly, Scott Diamond and Terry Doyle. Who typically gets selected in the Rule 5 draft? Here is a rundown of the past five MLB Rule 5 drafts? 2014 – 14 selections – 5 RHP, 4 LHP, 3 Infielders, 1 outfielder, 1 catcher 2013 – 9 selections – 4 RHP, 3 LHP, 1 infielder, 0 outfielders, 1 catcher 2012 – 15 selections – 5 RHP, 3 LHP, 5 infielders, 2 outfielders, 0 catchers 2011 – 12 selections – 5 RHP, 3 LHP, 3 infielders, 1 outfielder, 0 catchers 2010 – 19 selections – 12 RHP, 4 LHP, 3 infielders, 0 outfielders, 0 catchers 5 year – 69 selections – 31 RHP, 17 LHP, 15 infielders, 4 outfielders, 2 catchers. Of course, five years is far too small of a sample size to make any strong opinions. Pitchers accounted for 70% of Rule 5 selections over the last five years. That’s no surprise. Of the selections, nearly half of them were returned to their previous team, and another large group stayed with the drafting team after a trade. Briefly, following the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft, the AAA and AA portions of the draft will take place. The public is not able to see who is on the Rochester or Chattanooga rosters, so it’s impossible to know who might be lost or made available. There’s no way to know who the Twins could add. I’m kind of pathetic, so I’ve already made a 2016 roster projection for all of the Twins affiliates. Frankly, after the Twins re-signed James Beresford and signed infielder Buck Britton, there aren’t any obvious needs in the minor leagues. Maybe a starting pitcher who could pitch in AA or AAA. Maybe another AAA outfield type, similar to Joe Benson. So, let’s take a look again at who the Twins could possibly lose in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft. We’ll look at the above categories. Catchers Eligible: Juan Centeno, Carlos Paulino, Michael Quesada, Jairo Rodriguez It’s quite unlikely that any of these guys will be selected. Outfielders Eligible: Travis Harrison, Edgar Corcino, Joe Benson Look again at the list above. Few outfielders are left unprotected. Harrison is still just 23-years-old. He was a supplemental first-round pick in 2013. Corcino is a great athlete who spent last season in Cedar Rapids, but again, these players are unlikely to be selected. Infielders Eligible: James Beresford, Levi Michael, Buck Britton, Niko Goodrum, Bryan Haar, Dalton Hicks, Aderlin Mejia, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Logan Wade, Stephen Wickens The name to be most concerned about losing is likely Levi Michael. The former first-round pick has endured more than his fair share of injuries. However, when he has been healthy the last two years, he has been productive offensively. He’s played mostly second base, with some shortstop, so could a team stash him in the big leagues as a utility infielder? It’s possible. Niko Goodrum is young and very athletic and there are a lot of people who still believe he will grow more into his frame. His value is that he can play shortstop, and the last couple of seasons, he has played a lot of third base and center field as well as some second base. A team could take a flyer on him developing late. That team would need to be willing to keep him all year. The assumption is, and should be, that James Beresford and Buck Britton will not be taken. However, the Twins have a history of signing a guy to a minor league contract and a week later losing him to the Rule 5 draft. That was R.A. Dickey in an an unusual situation. A team looking for a utility infielder could take one of these guys too. Left-Handed Pitchers Eligible: Corey Williams, David Hurlbut, Brett Lee, Jason Wheeler, Aaron Thompson All four of these guys ended last season with a championship in Chattanooga. Wheeler was the MVP of the championship series. Hurlbut, Lee and Wheeler all were part of a terrific starting rotation. Wheeler was added to the 40-man roster last year but struggled in AAA. Williams is fully healthy and he may be a guy teams are interested in as a long-term lefty bullpen guy. Right-Handed Pitchers Zack Jones, Felix Jorge, Alex Wimmers, Luke Bard, DJ Baxendale, Alex Muren, Dereck Rodriguez, Loek Van Mil, Jose Abreu, Jason Adam, Nick Anderson, Omar Bencomo, Sam Gibbons, Miguel Gonzalez, Cole Johnson, Kuo-Hua Lo, Greg Peavey, Tim Shibuya, Matt Summers, Todd Van Steensel Everyone is talking about Zack Jones, and I would say there is a decent chance that he is selected. If anyone will does get selected, it will be the hard-throwing right-hander. Alex Wimmers and Luke Bard are former first-round picks who are available. Wimmers is already 27 and was average in the Lookouts bullpen. Bard finally was healthy in the second half of 2015 and pitched well in Cedar Rapids. He is a guy who could move fast next year. Felix Jorge is one to watch as well. He has good stuff. He’s young. He was remarkably consistent last year with Cedar Rapids. Could a team stash him in the back of a bullpen, and how would a year in the bullpen affect him long-term? Sam Gibbons was good in the second half for Cedar Rapids as well, but the Australian is probably behind Jorge in the pecking order. Could a team take a flyer on the potential of Dereck Rodriguez who has only two years on the mound under his belt? Loek Van Mil signed back with the Twins late last year. Suddenly, the 7-1, 31-year-old was throwing in the upper-90s. Could be a guy that could contribute right away. Alex Muren isn’t a name that comes up a lot when people talk about bullpen options in the Twins system. However, he is a groundball machine, and last year, he was hitting 95-97 mph with a fastball. DJ Baxendale is a guy someone could take a flyer on as a future bullpen guy. He’s got a nice slider, and the two-pitch mix could make him an effective reliever. Cole Johnson has a unique delivery. The former low-round pick had some success at the AAA level. SUMMARY A team like the Milwaukee Brewers, who have just 35 players on their 40 man roster right now, could take a couple of players. As a team that isn’t likely to win in 2016, they would be OK with using up a couple of roster spots on Rule 5 picks. Other teams that may not plan to truly compete in 2016 could stash players. So, depending upon the team and the situation, the Twins do have a handful of guys that could be taken. Below is how I would rank the top five players who could be taken tomorrow morning: 1.) Zack Jones – I’d put it at about 50-50 2.) Levi Michael – maybe 30% 3.) Corey Williams – maybe 25% 4.) Felix Jorge – maybe 25% 5.) Luke Bard – maybe 20% Of course, these are just guesses. There is really no rhyme or reason to the Rule 5 draft. It will be entertaining to listen to, and I’m sure there will be plenty of discussion with the results. Click here to view the article

By the end of this week, the Minnesota Twins will have to add some players to their 40-man roster. The Twins currently have 33 players on their 40-man roster. That number does not include Byung-Ho Kim. So, the Twins could add as many as six players to the roster. Most likely, they will add three to four players. In the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook, I went into more detail on several of the players that the Twins will likely consider for adding to the 40-man roster. Today, I’ll post the most likely players for the Twins to add with some more information. We’ll start at #1 with the player most likely to be added, and get through the top 10. Of course, these are just my opinion, so I’d encourage your thoughts below.Let’s get started… but first, who is eligible for the Rule 5 draft if not protected on a 40 man roster? Players signed at the age of 18 or less in 2011 (signed before end of minor league season)Players signed at the age of 19 or more in 2012Players signed under the first two categories in previous years.#1 – LHP Taylor Rogers The 25-year-old southpaw has moved up a level each year since being the Twins 11th round pick in 2012 out of the University of Kentucky. He has done well as a starter, though many believe that he could be tremendous out of the bullpen. With the Twins depth of starting pitchers, Rogers could be a guy who gets to the Twins quickly out of the bullpen. Consider left-handers hit just .177/.209/.193 (.402) off him in 2015 in AAA. Rogers has a good fastball with a really, really good slider that is devastating to lefties. He needs a better changeup if he wants to be a starter, specifically to help get right-handers out. After throwing 174 innings during the regular season, he has thrown another 25 innings, so far, in the AFL. Rogers will pitch in the big leagues for a long time. #2 – OF Adam Brett Walker Yes, he strikes out too much. Yes, there are concerns about his pitch recognition. However, he’s just 24, and is a legitimate 8 power on the scout’s 2-8 chart. He led minor league baseball in strikeouts (195) this year, but he also hit 31 home runs and ended with 65 extra base hits. He has led his league in home runs each of the last three seasons. Walker is adequate in the outfield, with an arm for left field. The Twins third-round pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville University has done well in the Arizona Fall League as well, with five home runs. #3 – RH RP JT Chargois It may sound strange to say that a guy who didn’t pitch in 2013 and 2014 is a given to be added to the 4- man roster, but I believe he is. Why? He is capable and frequently hit 100 mph with his fastball. He was consistently at 98 and 99 mph. He was the Twins second round pick in 2012 out of Rice University where he was co-closer with Tyler Duffey. He pitched 16 innings in Elizabethton that year and then missed the next two years with elbow problems that culminated in Tommy John surgery. He’s not a finished project. He can throw more strikes and his slider, while a terrific pitch, can be inconsistent. Two big league pitches and he can be a dominant late-inning reliever, soon. #4 – LHP Pat Dean After a 2014 season in AA that he described as remarkably disappointing, Dean responded with a terrific 2015 season in Rochester. The lefty, who was the Twins third-round pick in 2010 out of Boston College. In 2015, he went 12-11 with a 2.82 over a minor league-leading 179 innings pitched. If he isn’t protected, there is a good chance that he is selected in the Rule 5 draft. #5 – 2B Levi Michael Michael was the Twins first-round pick in 2011 out of the University of North Carolina. His biggest issue through his professional career has been the injury bug. However, the last two years when he has been healthy, he has been good. In 2014 he played in just 65 games but he hit a combined .313/.389/.387 (.776). He spent 2015 in Chattanooga and played just 63 games. He hit .267/.369/.434 (.804) with 12 doubles, five triples and five home runs. Michael may not have any tools that jump out of the roof, but he is a solid player all around. He’s got good speed, puts together good at-bats, has doubles power, and plays solid defense. He is primarily a second baseman, but he could probably make a team as a 25th man who can play all three infield positions. Still just 24, he is a guy who could stick with a big league team. #6 – RHP Zack Jones A year ago, Zack Jones was on path to be an easy add to the roster at this time. However, after being a Southern League All-Star following a strong first half in AA, he really struggled and ended his season back in Ft. Myers. However, that doesn’t negate his upside. It also doesn’t negate his upper-90s fastball. He also has a very good slider. However, he can struggle with control of each. There may be a team out there willing to give him an opportunity in some low-level situations throughout 2016. He was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2012. #7 – RHP Felix Jorge Jorge is just 22. He signed out of Venezuela in 2010. He struggled mightily in Cedar Rapids in 2014. He returned to the Kernels and was remarkably consistent all year. In fact, he completed six innings in 19 of his 22 starts and never went less than five innings. I think he’s a longer-shot to be added because he is still quite far from being big league ready. #8 – LHP Corey Williams Williams came back from Tommy John surgery in early June after having the surgery on April 1, 2014, and missing that season. He split his time between Fort Myers and Chattanooga and pitched well. He is definitely one to watch following a regular offseason. Left-handed. Throws hard. Stuff described as nasty. I feel like he should be higher up on this list. The same might be said of another power lefty. Mason Melotakis had Tommy John surgery late in 2014 and will return to action in 2016. When healthy, his 97 mph fastball and three-pitch mix make him intriguing. However, he is behind Williams in the return schedule which makes him unlikely to be taken. #9 – OF Travis Harrison Twins supplemental first-round pick in 2011 (50th overall) out of high school in California, Harrison has worked his way up one level at a time each year. To this point, his best tool has been his patience and approach at the plate. Still just 23, he has very good power potential despite not hitting home runs the last couple of years. Defensively, he is adequate in right field and has a strong arm. I think it might serve him best to get another half-season in Chattanooga, but there’s still enough upside and talent that a team might be willing to have him take up a roster spot. #10 – RHP Yorman Landa Signed by the Twins out of Venezuela in 2010, Landa has fought some shoulder injuries the last couple of seasons. When healthy, he is another guy who is capable of reaching into the upper-90s and has a good slider as well. Over time, he could develop into a late-inning power arm. However, having just finished a season in Cedar Rapids, he is likely too far away from the big leagues to be selected in the Rule 5. OTHER ELIGIBLES: RHP Jose Abreu, RHP Jason Adam, RHP Nick Anderson, RHP Luke Bard, RHP Omar Bencomo, OF Edgar Corcino, RHP DJ Baxendale, RHP Sam Gibbons, RHP Miguel Gonzalez, IF/OF Niko Goodrum, 1B/3B Bryan Haar, 1B Dalton Hicks, LHP David Hurlbut, RHP Cole Johnson, LHP Brett Lee, RHP Kuo-Hua Lo, IF Aderlin Mejia, RHP Alex Muren, C Carlos Paulino, RHP Greg Peavey, C Michael Quesada, RHP Dereck Rodriguez, C Jairo Rodriguez, OF/1B Reynaldo Rodriguez, LHP Randy Rosario, RHP Tim Shibuya, RHP Matt Summers, RHP Loek Van Mil, RHP Todd Van Steensel, IF/OF Logan Wade, LHP Jason Wheeler, IF/OF Stephen Wickens, RHP Alex Wimmers. Click here to view the article