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

As the Twins front office, scouting department and others are in Ft. Myers for their organizational meetings, they have a lot of decisions to make. They have to decide on a manager and fill the coaching staff. They will discuss all free agents from around the game. They’ll discuss arbitration-eligible players. They’ll also consider which players to add to their 40-man roster. The Twins have had a measure of success in recent years by signing minor league free agents. Today, I’d like to write about the players who were in Twins organization in 2014 who could become minor league free agents after the World Series. This list is a mix of guys who came to the Twins organization within the last year or two from elsewhere as minor league free agents and players who have spent their minor league careers in the Twins organization.We will start with the players who were drafted and/or signed by the Twins and can be free agents. Deibinson Romero – The 28 year old Dominican debuted in the Twins organization in 2006 with the GCL Twins. He was added to the 40 man roster after his 2008, injury-filled season in Beloit. That lasted one year, but he has remained in the organization. This will be the third offseason that he could have become a free agent. He has re-signed with the Twins each of the last two years. In 2014 in Rochester, he hit .265/.364/.406 (.770) with 31 doubles and eight home runs. He had a strong showing with the bat in big league spring training as well. Jairo Rodriguez – Rodriguez could also have become a free agent last year but re-signed with the Twins organization. He is a strong defensive catcher and a good leader for the pitchers but also all of his teammates. He is the catcher who went wherever there was a need in 2014. He split his time between Ft. Myers and New Britain, playing on occasion, but primarily just being the #2 or # 3 catcher. In fact, the Venezuelan played just 38 combined games and hit .220/.272/.276 with seven doubles. James Beresford – The still-just-25 year old middle infielder continued his progression in 2014 with a full season at Rochester. He too has been a free agent each of the past two seasons, choosing to remain with the Twins organization. His role with the Twins would be that of utility infielder, but he was the everyday second baseman for the Red Wings. In 131 games, he hit .276/.323/.351 (.674) with 28 doubles, two triples and two home runs. The Australian is tremendous on the defensive side and a great leader in the infield. Dan Rohlfing – The St. Louis native was the Twins 14th round pick in 2007 out of high school. He slowly and gradually made his way up the Twins system. He also has been a free agent the last two years but came back as a catcher who can also play the corner outfield positions. He has been a spring training invite each of the past four years. The last couple of years, he was among the last players sent to the minors. He spent all of 2014 in Rochester and hit .205/.307/.311 (.618) with 17 doubles and two home runs. Edgar Ibarra – The 25-year-old from Venezuela signed with the Twins and debuted in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. Last year, he was to become a free agent, but instead the Twins put the hard-throwing lefty on their 40 man roster. Unfortunately, he came down with Hepatitus in spring training and could not pitch. He returned to Rochester where he went 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA in 49.2 innings before being sent to New Britain for the final nine appearances. Adrian Salcedo – He was once a Top 10 Twins prospect. In Beloit in 2011, he went 6-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 139 innings. However, in 2012, he missed a lot of time rehabbing both elbow and shoulder injuries. He returned in 2013 in the bullpen and in 2014, he was in the New Britain bullpen. Still just 23 years old, Salcedo went 3-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 39 games and 73 innings for the Rock Cats. In 73 innings, he struck out 76 batters. He throws hard, and I’m certain the Twins will want to bring him back. BJ Hermsen – Hermsen was the Twins 6th round pick in 2008 out of high school in Iowa. He turned down a scholarship to Oregon State to sign with the Twins. In 2012, between Ft. Myers (4 games) and New Britain (22 games), he combined to go 12-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 162.2 innings. Following the season, he was named the minor league pitcher of the year and added to the Twins 40 man roster. He pulled his oblique in spring training and struggled all of 2013 with the Rock Cats. Those struggles continued in 2014 and the 24 year old split time between New Britain and Ft. Myers, posting a 7.34 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in 38 innings. Danny Ortiz – The 24-year-old was the Twins fourth round pick in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He missed the entire 2009 season due to knee surgery. In 2014, he began in New Britain and hit .324/.340/.500 (.840) before finishing with 73 games in Rochester in which he hit .256/.283/.434 (.717). Combined, he hit 29 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs. The outfielder can play all three outfield positions. Mike Gonzales – Gonzales was the Twins 9th round pick in 2008 out of Diablo Valley College. When healthy, the 6-6, 260 pound first baseman has been able to provide some power to the middle of his lineups. He began 2014 in Ft. Myers and hit .274/.351/.448 (.787) before ending with 31 games in New Britain where he hit .264/.339/.415 (.754). Combined he hit 29 doubles and 12 homers. Nate Hanson – The former Gopher (who graduated from Eden Prairie High School) was the Twins 28th round pick in 2008. The last two years, he has split his time between New Britain and Rochester. In 119 games this year, he combined to hit .256/.327/.369 (.696) with 33 doubles and six home runs. The 27-year-old is described by teammates and coaches as the consummate professional. He has played all around the diamond, with the exceptions of catcher, shortstop and centerfield while hitting in the middle of the lineup. Deolis Guerra – Though he was signed by the Mets as a 16-year-old from Venezuela, he developed in the Twins system after the 2008 trade. This is actually the third year that he’ll be a free agent. He missed all of 2013 after having a blood clot removed from his right shoulder/neck. After a strong showing in spring training, the 25-year-old went 2-2 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 52 innings for the Red Wings. The rest of the guys have come to the Twins organization as minor league free agents within the last couple of seasons. Virgil Vasquez – He pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 2005 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007. Since then he has pitched all over the map. He has split his time the last two years between Rochester and New Britain. This year, he threw a 7-inning no-hitter for the Rock Cats. Combined, the 32-year-old went 7-7 with a 4.13 ERA in 139.1 innings. Tony Thomas – The 28 year old was a former 3rd round pick of the Cubs out of Florida State. He had spent the previous three seasons of his career with the Red Sox organization. He spent the season in New Britain where he was an All Star and hit .241/.302/.411 (.712) with 29 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He was also the Rock Cats recipient of the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service. Eric Farris – The 28-year-old was the Brewers fourth round pick in 2007 out of Loyola Marymount. He made his Major League debut with one plate appearance in July of 2011. He got nine more plate appearances with them in 2012, including one hit and one walk. He came to the Twins before the 2013 season and has played in 250 games for Rochester. He was an infielder, but he was the team’s primary centerfielder in 2014. He hit .280/.316/.356 (.672) in 2014 with 23 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 16 stolen bases. Reynaldo Rodriguez – The 28-year-old signed originally with the Yankees, spent some time playing in independent leagues and then signed with the Red Sox. The last two years, he has been one of the better hitters in the Twins farm system. In 2014, he hit a combined .278/.337/.495 (.832) between New Britain (126 games) and Rochester (10 games). He hit 36 doubles, two triples and 21 homers. He also moved from first base to the outfield. Wilkin Ramirez – Ramirez made the Twins opening day roster in 2013 after previously being in the Tigers and Braves organizations. In 2009, he played in 15 games with Detroit, and in 2011, he played in 20 games for the Braves. The former top prospect played in 35 games with the Twins in 2013. He spent all of 2014 in Rochester where he hit .262/.305/.368 (.672) with 23 doubles, three triples and four home runs. Dan Turpen – The 28 year old came to the Twins organization before the 2012 season from the Rockies in exchange for Kevin Slowey. He re-signed with the Twins as a free agent late last spring and spent the full year in New Britain. He went 5-2 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 62.1 innings. He struck out 62, but he walked 30. Brandon Waring – The 28 year old came to the Twins as a free agent last year after several years with the Orioles organization. He had a good showing offensively and defensively in spring training. He was sent to New Britain where, in 106 games, he hit .212/.311/.406 (.716) with 28 doubles and 13 homers. Corey Wimberly – The 30 year old came to the Twins before the 2014 season after spending time in six other organizations since being a 6th round pick in 2007 out of college. He played 2B and center field for New Britain. However, he was limited to 72 games with the Rock Cats due to a hamstring injury. He hit .252/.307/.346 (.653) with 13 doubles and five triples. He was also 17/21 in stolen base attempts. Chris Rahl – The 30-year-old was the Diamondbacks 5th round pick in 2005. In 2011, he went to the Nationals. In 2014, he came to the Twins and was invited to spring training. He spent the year in Rochester where he hit .259/.272/.380 (.652) with 17 doubles and seven home runs. Jim Fuller – After being in the Mets organization since he was drafted in 2008, the left-hander was a minor league Rule 5 draft pick of the Twins in 2013. He spent 2014 in New Britain where he went 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 56 innings. He walked 30, but he struck out 68. Dutch Deol – He was the 17th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 out of high school. In three years of rookie league ball (Which was also injury-laden), he hit .089, .176 and .188. The Twins took a flyer on him and in 32 games with Elizabethton, he hit .171/.263/.210 (.472) with three doubles. Mark Hamburger – You know the story of Mark Hamburger. The Minnesota native signed with the Twins out of a tryout camp in 2007. In August of 2008, he was closing for the Elizabethton Twins when he was traded to Texas for Eddie Guardado. By September of 2011, he was promoted to the Rangers where he played in five games and got to be on the bench during the team’s World Series run. He spent 2012 in the Rangers minor leagues fighting injuries. In 2012, he was DFAd by the Rangers and claimed by the Padres. Then he was DFAd by the Padres and claimed by the Astros. They released him after the season. In early 2013, Hamburger voluntarily checked himself in to rehab after he received a 50-game suspension for failing a test for a Drug of Abuse. He signed with the St. Paul Saints where he impressed as a starter. Enough so that the Twins signed him in 2014. After serving his suspension, Hamburger wetn back and forth from New Britain to Rochester, as well as from the bullpen to the rotation. Combined, he went 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA. In 70.2 innings, he walked 27 and struck out 54. He still throws hard and I would expect that he and the Twins will come to a minor league contract for 2014 soon. How many of these guys should the Twins bring back? Obviously that depends on many factors including where the prospects will play in 2014. Click here to view the article

Rain wiped out two of the four Twins minor league affiliates. It rained much of the day in Boston, but the Twins and the Red Sox were able to get in the final game of their series. Rain also caused a delay in Jupiter, Florida, but the Hammerheads and the Miracle were able to finish their game. Miguel Sano returned to the Miracle lineup on Thursday night and the team was also boosted by three players who were working in Extended Spring Training just a week ago. Somehow, the Miracle just keep winning! On Friday, The New Britain Rock Cats and the Cedar Rapids Kernels will each play a doubleheader, so tomorrow night’s report will be a little longer.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 2, Toledo Mud Hens 12 Box Score It’s been a tough go for Liam Hendriks in his time with the Red Wings this year. On Thursday, he gave up six runs on 11 hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out three. He was replaced by Daniel Turpen who did not record an out. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits. He was replaced by Michael O’Connor who gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in… one inning. Virgil Vasquez came on and threw two perfect innings. Nate Hanson got the start in right field. He went 2-3 with a walk and his second double. Jeff Clement was 2-4. Chris Colabello hit his ninth double. The outfield alignment was Hanson in right field, Joe Benson in center and Chris Herrmann in left. Clete Thomas may miss a couple of games with a groin injury. Evan Bigley was put on the disabled list earlier in the day with a sprained wrist. Danny Lehmann was promoted to Rochester where he will serve as a backup catcher. This will allow Herrmann to play in the outfield. New Britain Rock Cats, Portland Sea Dogs This game was postponed by rain. A makeup date has not yet been determined. These two teams are already playing a doubleheader on Friday from a previous weather postponement. Cole De Vries will be making his second rehab start, his first with the Rock Cats. Ft. Myers Miracle 8, Jupiter Hammerheads 0 Box Score The Miracle improved to 26-7 on this night- how the team is doing it is beyond me. Miguel Sano returned to the lineup on Thursday night after missing two games. He had a good day at the plate, though he committed his third error, and the offense was also helped by a group of players who have been added to the Miracle roster from the Extended Spring Training camp, just across the parking lot. Sano was 2-4 with a walk in his return. However, Jonathan Murphy went 3-5 with his second double. Joel Licon, in his first game with the Miracle, also went 3-5 with a double. Aderlin Mejia was 2-3 with a walk, his third double and his second stolen base. A week ago, those three were toiling in anonymity on the back fields in Ft. Myers. This week, they’re helping one of the best minor league teams continue to win. Tom Stuifbergen started for the Miracle. He gave up two hits in two shutout innings. Then the rains came, and delayed the game long enough that Stuifbergen was replaced. Cole Johnson was brought in to the game and he continued what he’s done all year. He threw three shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He struck out four (and walked none) to reduce his ERA to 1.06. Dakota Watts went two scoreless innings and gave up one hit. Corey Williams gave up two hits and a walk, but he provided two scoreless innings as well. Cedar Rapids Kernels, Quad Cities Bandits The game was rained out. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader starting at 5:00 on Friday. Outfielder JD Williams has not played since Saturday. In a text message with Kernels manager Jake Mauer, he said, “JD tweaked his groin, should be good tomorrow.” Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

Friday marked the start of our daily Minor League Reports covering six teams. The GCL Twins began their season with a matinee against the Red Sox in Ft. Myers. It wasn’t a great night for the affiliates, but there were still plenty of good performances worthy of note. Kennys Vargas has been terrific all year, and hasn’t slowed down since Miguel Sano moved to New Britain. Sano added to his home run total. Chris Colabello continues to rake. What else happened? Keep reading to find out what happened in the Twins' farm system on Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 0, Louisville Bats 3 Box Score The Red Wings were beaten by former #3 overall draft pick Greg Reynolds. The team managed just two hits. That said, Chris Colabello went 1-2 with two walks. Cole De Vries gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out seven, lowering his ERA to 8.82. Luis Perdomo came on and struck out three and walked one in three scoreless, hitless innings. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Akron Aeros 13 Box Score It was a rough night for a couple Rock Cats pitchers. Tom Stuifbergen started and gave up eight runs on eight hits and two walks in just 3.1 innings. BJ Hermsen entered and gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 1.2 innings. AJ Achter struck out two in his time on the mound. Dakota Watts made his second appearance of the season and gave up an unearned run on two hits in his inning. Bobby Lanigan gave up one hit in getting his three outs. Danny Ortiz went 3-4 with his 19th double. Nate Hanson was 3-5. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-4 with his third triple and his 10th home run. Miguel Sano was 1-3 with his second Rock Cats home run. Danny Santana went 2-4. Ft. Myers Miracle 3, Jupiter Hammerheads 8 Box Score The Miracle got neither good pitching nor good defense. Tyler Duffey went the first 5.1 innings. He gave up six runs (5 earned) on nine hits and two walks. He struck out five. Chad Rodgers entered and gave up two unearned runs in 3.2 innings, yielding four hits, one walk and two strikeouts. The teams's three errors were by Steve Wickens, Kennys Vargas and Candido Pimentel. Kennys Vargas' hot streak continued as he went 2-3 with a walk. Matt Koch was 2-4 with his 12th double. Jon Murphy hit his sixth double. Mike Kvasnicka hit his first triple. Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3 Box Score The Kernels replaced lefty Hein Robb in their six-man rotation with lefty Josue (pronounces Ho-sway) Montanez. He started Friday night and gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in three innings. Tim Atherton came on and threw four shutout innings. He gave up two hits and struck out three. Kaleb Merck got the save. He gave up three hits in two scoreless innings. Byron Buxton was 1-3 with two walks and two stolen bases, giving him 31 on the year. Dalton Hicks went 2-5 with his 22nd double. Max Kepler went 1-4 with a walk. His hit was his first double. Tyler Grimes hit his fifth home run. Travis Harrison walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Elizabethton Twins 2, Bristol White Sox 4 Box Score In Game 2 of their season, the E-Twins managed just three hits. Jake Proctor had a triple. Kelvin Ortiz went 1-2 and was hit by a pitch twice. He also stole a base. Josh Burris started. After going 7-0 last year out of the Elizabethton bullpen, he took a loss in his first start of the 2013 season. He gave up three runs, one was earned. The only team miscue was his own throwing error. Kuo Hua Lo gave up four hits, but no runs, in three innings. Miguel Gonzalez gave up a hit and walked one in a scoreless inning. He struck out two. Carson Goldsmith came on and gave up one run on two hits and two walks in his inning. Andre Martinez pitched a perfect inning, striking out one. GCL Twins 6, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score A five-run inning helped the GCL Twins to a win in their season opener. The big hit came off the bat of 17-year-old Amaurys Minier. The bonus baby came through with a big three-run homer in his third at-bat. He had already hit a double in his second at-bat. He was 2-4 on the day- not a bad debut. Jorge Fernandez hit a triple. Engelb Vielma and Jonatan Hinojosa each walked twice and stole two bases. Australian Lewis Thorpe started and gave up two runs on five hits in four innings. He walked none and struck out four. Chih-Wei Hu came on and walked one and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Miguel Gonzalez gave up a hit and walked one in a scoreless inning; he struck out three. Markus Solbach gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits in one inning. He struck out two. Two players got into the game on rehab assignments. Madison Boer picked up the save. He gave up two hits, but he struck out two, in the ninth inning. Also, Lance Ray went 0-3 with a walk. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

On Tuesday morning, we woke up to the news that the Elizabethton team bus driving from Ft. Myers to Elizabethton was involved in a fatal, head-on accident. Fortunately, none of the Elizabethton players or personnel were injured. The driver of the other vehicle, driving on the wrong side of the road, died. We should be seeing rosters for the E-Twins and the GCL Twins shortly. On Tuesday night, eight Kernels played in the Midwest League All-Star game. We should also hear about any player promotions on Wednesday. There were a couple great performances on Tuesday night, so check out what happened below.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 4, Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders 3 Box Score Andrew Albers continued his impressive season. The lefty went the first 6.1 innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out four. Cody Eppley came on and got one out, but he walked two. Aaron Thompson gave up one run on one hit in 1.2 innings and he struck out two. Michael Tonkin picked up his third save, getting the final two outs. Antoan Richardson was on base a bunch again. He went 2-4 with a walk and his sixth double. He also stole his 13th base. Doug Bernier was 2-4 with his 10th double and second triple. Chris Herrmann went 2-5. New Britain Rock Cats 8, Erie Thunder 0 Box Score The Rock Cat bats showed up, but the story has to be the performance of Trevor May. The right-hander acquired in the offseason from the Phillies put together his best start of his season. He went 7.2 innings without allowing a run. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out nine for the win. Edgar Ibarra came on and struck out the batter he faced. Cole Johnson pitched the 9th, giving up just one walk. Danny Santana led off and went 4-5 with his 12th double. Nate Hanson was 3-4 with a walk, his ninth double and three RBI. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-4 with a walk and his eighth home run. Eddie Rosario was 2-4 with a walk and is now hitting .313 in his short time with the team. Miguel Sano was 0-4 to drop his average to .067. Ft. Myers Miracle 15, Palm Beach 6 Box Score Matt Koch has had a good season to this point and on Tuesday he was tremendous. He went 4-4 with a walk, his tenth and eleventh doubles and his fourth home run. Jhon Goncalves went 3-4 with a walk, his second homer and third stolen base. Kennys Vargas went 2-3 with two walks, his 21st double and 13th home run. Matt Tomshaw was the recipient of the run support on his way to his second Miracle win. He gave up three runs on ten hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out one. Ryan O’Rourke picked up his second save with three innings of work. He gave up three runs on four hits. Cedar Rapids Kernels The Kernels are on their All-Star break. However, eight members of the Kernels roster played in the Midwest League All-Star Game Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio. Byron Buxton was the leadoff hitter and centerfielder. He went 0-3. Dalton Hicks batted third and played 1B. He was 1-3. Adam Walker batted fourth and played right field. He was 1-3. Jorge Polanco played 2B and batted seventh. He was 1-2 with a walk. Niko Goodrum came on late to play shortstop. He was 1-1 with a walk and a two-run single in the ninth. Travis Harrison played third base late and went 0-1. JO Berrios got one out in the seventh inning. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk; the out came on a strikeout. Steve Gruver got two outs in the 8th inning, one on a strikeout. The Kerrnels' Mid-West Division lost to the Mid-East Division 6-5. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

While the Twins (and particularly Josh Willingham) were creating fireworks while completing a sweep of the White Sox, there were entirely different fireworks that resulted in the ejection of a top Twins prospect (while he was in his home run trot) and his manager, an ex-Twin. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There were also several terrific performances by PJ Walters, Nate Hanson, Miguel Munoz and Lance Ray. Drew Leachman celebrated his birthday quite well on the field. Tyler Duffey was back on the mound on Sunday. But the story of the day was in Palm Beach at a High A game. Game 1 - Rochester Red Wings 1, Pawtucket Red Sox 8 Box Score Kyle Gibson made the start for the Red Wings. His line shows that he gave up three runs on three hits and four walks in five innings. However, through five innings, he had not allowed a run. Unfortunately, when he came out for the sixth frame, he gave up a lead-off walk followed by back-to-back singles to load the bases before being replaced by Luis Perdomo. Perdomo gave up a walk, a single and a double before he was replaced by Tyler Robertson. Robertson walked two that half-inning, one intentionally, but allowed only one inherited runner to score on a ground out before inducing an inning-ending double play. Suddenly, the Wings were down by a score of 5-1. Unfortunately, things weren’t much better for the Red Wings in the seventh inning. Robertson walked the first three batters to load the bases before Dan Turpen replaced him. Three more runs scored making it 8-1. The Red Wings managed just four hits. Clete Thomas was 1-2 with two walks. Game 2 - Rochester Red Wings 2, Pawtucket Red Sox 0 Box Score The story of the second game of the double-header was the right arm of PJ Walters. He threw a complete game shutout, allowing two hits and one walk. He struck out five to improve to 1-2 on the season. The Red Wings had six hits in the game. Chris Colabello doubled for the third time. Ray Olmedo hit a 2-run double which produced all the scoring for the Wings in this game. The Red Wings improved to 5-12 with the split on Sunday. New Britain Rock Cats 7, Portland Sea Dogs 8 Box Score BJ Hermsen was back on the mound in a regular season game for the first time this year. Hermsen, the Minor League starting pitcher of the year in 2012, went to big league spring training for the first time this spring. After being optioned out, he strained an intercostal muscle in his rib cage and has been rehabbing since. Hermsen went 4.2 innings and gave up five runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out three. Bobby Lanigan came on in relief and gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits and a walk in 0.2 innings. Edgar Ibarra struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings. Michael Tonkin had a quiet eighth frame. Nate Hanson had a big day with the bat. The Eden Prairie High School grad and former Golden Gopher went 4-5 with a double and two RBI. Josmil Pinto went 2-3 with two walks. Dan Rohlfing went 1-3 with two walks. The Rock Cats fell to 8-9 on the season. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Palm Beach Cardinals 6 (10 innings) Box Score This game was delayed for about two hours because of rain, and it then went to extra innings. There was drama throughout most of this game. Unfortunately, the Miracle lost 6-5 in ten innings on a walk-off home run. The drama started in the fifth inning. Reliever Brandon Creath was in the game, and Miguel Sano came to the plate. The first pitch barely missed Sano’s head. Doug Mientkiewicz came out and told the home plate umpire that Creath should be ejected. The history? Five days earlier, in his most recent appearance, Creath gave up a long grand slam to Sano. Creath stayed in this game, and on a 3-1 pitch, Sano launched a very, very long home run, his sixth of the year. He walked a few steps down the line and then, incited by the Cardinals dugout, started yelling at them as he ran down the line. At that point, the home plate umpire ejected Sano. Mientkiewicz came out and argued. He was ejected. So was left fielder Stephen Wickens. There was plenty of offense for the Miracle. Unfortunately, they left 15 runners on the base paths. Lance Ray went 3-5 with his fourth double. Kyle Knudson went 2-3 with two walks and his second home run. Michael Gonzales went 2-5 with a walk. AJ Pettersen extended his hitting streak to six games with a 2-5 day. Jason Wheeler started and gave up five runs on six hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out two. The bullpen kept the game close. Miguel Munoz gave up three hits in three scoreless innings. Corey Williams gave up two hits in his two scoreless innings. However, in the tenth inning, Nelvin Fuentes came on. He threw one pitch and it was deposited over the fence in left field to end the game. The Miracle fell to 14-3 on the season. photo by Jim Crikket Cedar Rapids Kernels 3, Burlington Bees 2 Box Score The Kernels got terrific pitching and a big hit off the bat of Niko Goodrum to get this tough win. Tyler Duffey made his third straight Sunday start. In this game, he pitched seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk, with six strikeouts. He improved to 2-1. David Hurlbut came out of the bullpen and recorded his first save. He gave up just one hit and struck out two in the final two innings. After having four hits on Saturday, Drew Leachman celebrated his birthday on Sunday with three more hits. He was 3-3 with a triple and a sacrifice fly. Travis Harrison was 2-4 with his seventh double. Jorge Polanco had a double, his fourth. Byron Buxton was 1-3 with two walks. He stole his sixth base, but he was also caught stealing for the fourth time. Niko Goodrum had just one hit on the day, but it was a two-run single in the seventh that gave the Kernels the 3-2 lead. The Snappers are now 11-5 on the season. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

Aaron Hicks is the most talked about Twins prospect these days as he is making the strong case that he should be the Minnesota Twins Opening Day leadoff hitter and centerfielder. Hicks was the Twins first 1st round draft pick that year. Some of the other the other top picks didn’t pan out, but there are still ten in the organization.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Let’s take a look: THE FIRST-ROUNDERS Aaron Hicks was taken with the 14th overall pick. He slowly worked through the lower levels of the Twins minor league system, but after filling out the stat line thoroughly at AA New Britain in 2012, he looks to be the favorite for the Twins centerfield job. When he was drafted, many believed that he would be better as a starting pitcher due to a mid-90s fastball. However, Hicks said he wanted to hit, and the Twins believed he could become a five-tool talent. In 2013, the team will find out how many of those tools are going to show in the big leagues. On defense, Hicks has very good range and a strong arm. On offense, he has the ability to get on base at a good clip with his patient approach. He may never hit 30 home runs, but the switch-hitter could hit as many as 20 homers. His strikeout totals may keep him from ever hitting for a real high average, but with the way he progressed in 2013, it is very possible he will continue to improve upon that. He also stole a career-high 31 bases last year for the Rock Cats. No question, Hicks is in a good position to be the Twins centerfielder for many years. Carlos Gutierrez (27th overall) and Shooter Hunt (31st overall) were two college pitchers, expected to move fast, that the Twins acquired as compensation for having lost Torii Hunter via free agency. The Twins decided to give Gutierrez an opportunity to start. The thinking was that he would be more valuable as a starter, and if it didn’t work out, he could always move to the bullpen. In the end, he was a one-pitch pitcher who couldn’t throw strikes. The other part of starting was that he would have more innings to work on the secondary pitches, but it just didn’t help. He was taken off of the 40 man roster after the 2012 season and claimed by the Cubs. The Cubs took him off of their 40 man roster and he went unclaimed. Shooter Hunt was the type of pitching prospect that screamed top of the rotation. He threw hard and had a tremendous, sharp breaking pitch. In his junior year at Tulane, he walked more than he had previously, but not enough to become alarming. However, in 2009, he completely lost any semblance of control. He could not throw strikes. The Twins tried everything from moving him to the bullpen, to putting him on the DL. Nothing worked. He was claimed by the Cardinals in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, but he never pitched in a regular game in the organization. Often people like to look back and see which players were drafted after picks that didn’t work out. To the point, there has been little major league success for the players taken between Gutierrez at 27 and Jordan Lyles at 38: 27 – Carlos Gutierrez – Twins 28 – Gerrit Cole – Yankees (Did Not Sign) 29 – Lonnie Chisenhall – Indians 30 – Casey Kelly – Red Sox 31 – Shooter Hunt – Twins 32 – Jake Odorizzi – Brewers 33 – Bradley Holt – Mets 34 – Zach Collier – Phillies 35 – Evan Frederickson – Brewers 36 – Mike Montgomery – Royals 37 – Conor Gillaspie – Giants 38 – Jordan Lyles – Astros ALSO ON THE 40 MAN ROSTER High school players selected in the 2008 draft (and college players taken in 2007 had to be protected for the Rule 5 draft or potentially be lost. Along with Hicks, these two players were added: BJ Hermsen was taken in the 6th round from West Delaware High School in Manchester, Iowa. He had accepted a scholarship to pitch at Oregon State, but then the Twins went well over slot, he signed. He has pitched well ever since then. In 2011, between Beloit and Ft. Myers, he went 13-8 with a 3.33 ERA. In 2012, he was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year. He made four starts in Ft. Myers before moving up to New Britain for 22 starts. Combined, he went 12-6 with a 2.88 ERA. Hermsen doesn’t throw hard and relies on impeccable control and good movement. Michael Tonkin was drafted out of his California high school in the 30th round. He received a $230,000 bonus to convince him to sign. He pitched in Beloit in 2010, 2011 and that’s where he started in 2012. It proved to be a great decision as he finally figured things out. He also developed from being an average fastball, slow curve type of pitcher into a guy with a mid-90s fastball and a devastating slider. After a slow rise to this point, he is ready to move quickly. It may not be long before people refer to Jason Kubel as his brother-in-law. STILL AROUND Bobby Lanigan (3-92) was drafted out of Adelphi University in New York. He moved fairly quickly early in his career as a starting pitcher, reaching AA for the second half of the 2010 season. He remained with the Rock Cats until the second half of the 2012 season when he was promoted to Rochester. When drafted, many believed that he had a great slider that could be an asset out of the bullpen. In 2012, he was finally moved to the bullpen where he experienced some success in the new role. He will likely pitch with the Red Wings in 2013. Daniel Ortiz (4-126) is a native of Puerto Rico. This winter, he played on the same team as Eddie Rosario and Kennys Vargas, and it was Ortiz that hit in the third spot. The outfielder can play all three positions well. Not blessed with great size, he can still pack a punch. He missed the entire 2009 season due to a knee injury. He played well in the 2nd half of the 2010 season in Elizabethton. He got off to a great start in Beloit in 2011, but he really struggled in the season’s final four months. He returned to the Snappers to start the 2012 season, but he moved up to Ft. Myers after just a month and played much better. With the Miracle, he hit .269/.313/.424 with 24 doubles, five triples and eight home runs, re-establishing himself as a prospect. Michael Gonzales (9-276) is a big (6-6, 250), powerful first baseman who was drafted out of Diablo Valley College. He moved up one level a year until 2011 when he repeated at Beloit. But he did use that year to make some big improvements in his game, speeding up his swing and losing weight to become a much better first baseman. He struggled in Ft. Myers in 2012 thanks in part to a condition with dehydration. He was unable to play nine innings or often in back-to-back games. He could head to New Britain in 2013. Evan Bigley (10-306) was drafted from Lew Ford’s alma mater, Dallas Baptist. He moved quickly up to AA New Britain late in the 2010 season. He then stayed with the Rock Cats through the first half of the 2012 season when he moved up to Rochester. He played in the Arizona Fall League following the 2012 season and will likely return to Rochester in 2013. Blake Martin (17-516) was drafted out of LSU. He is a good example of a left-hander who is breathing continuing to get opportunities. He has certainly shown signs of being good at times. He split 2012 between the bullpen and the starting rotation and struckout 73 in 77 innings. He could return to New Britain, where he has pitched in at least parts of the past three seasons. Bruce Pugh (19-576) was drafted after one year of junior college. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, Pugh pitched in both Ft. Myers and in New Britain. However, something clicked for him in 2012. He posted a 2.60 ERA in 27.2 innings in Ft. Myers. Then, he posted a 1.50 ERA in 42 innings in New Britain. He struckout 48. If he can throw strikes, he can have dominant stuff, including a mid-90s fastball. Nate Hanson (28-846) went to high school in Eden Prairie and then played at the University of Minnesota. When the hometown Twins drafted him, he signed quickly and has gradually moved up the farm system since. He spent all of 2012 in New Britain where he started the season in a utility role, but he really took off when he moved to second base full time. If he were to make the big league roster, it would likely be in utility role. THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY With their 16th round pick, the Twins took a high school second baseman named Kolten Wong out of his high school in Hawaii. Wong chose to play for the University of Hawaii, and it proved to be a good decision. In 2011, he was the 22nd overall pick, by the St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball America ranked him as the #84 prospect in baseball. THE ONE THEY TRADED AWAY In the 2nd round, the Twins took a very athletic shortstop named Tyler Ladendorf out of Howard College. He was playing well in 2009 at Elizabethton and promoted to Beloit where he played in just 15 games. You see, at the July trade deadline, he was sent to the Oakland A’s in exchange for shortstop Orlando Cabrera. Cabrera helped lead the Twins to an unlikely and thrilling run to the playoffs. Ladendorf has slowly progressed through the A’s system. He played in High-A ball in 2010 (and four games in AAA). In 2011, he hit .225/.308/.319 in AA (And had four more games in AAA). Last year at AA, he hit .240/.324/.358 with 20 doubles, a triple and nine home runs. SUMMARY The success of the Twins 2008 draft is largely dependent upon how Aaron Hicks adapts to the big leagues and how good he becomes. That is generally the expectation for a pick from the first half of the first round. It doesn’t always come to fruition. The other high-impact pick in this group could be Michael Tonkin. He will likely start the season in New Britain and could rise quickly. He could be a strong, dominant late-game bullpen arm for many years. And if he continues to pitch well, Hermsen has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation type of starter. Others may find themselves getting an opportunity and that’s always a good thing. For there to still be ten players drafted in 2008 in the organization is unusual. Here is a quick look at how many players drafted by the Twins are still in the organization since the 2004 draft: 2004 – 3 2005 – 2 2006 – 5 2007 – 5 2008 – 10 2009 – 6 2010 – 17 2011 – 26 I think this is a good illustration of how difficult the draft can be. However, if any draft gives you one key starter and a possible starting pitcher and a potentially dominant reliever, the draft is a tremendous success. We still won’t know the success of the Twins 2008 draft for a few years, but right now, it looks pretty successful. 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Typically, the full season minor league affiliates do not have games scheduled for the night of the All-Star game. However, the New Britain Rock Cats played the middle game of a three-game series at Harisburg. And earlier in the day, the Gulf Coast League Twins played a game. The story of the day was that there were many minor league transactions throughout the system, and frankly, several more must be in the works. Here is what we have as this is written: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] LHP Edgar Ibarra has been promoted from New Britain to Rochester. OF Evan Bigley, LHP Ryan O’Rourke and LHP Jose Gonzalez have been promoted to New Britain from Ft. Myers. C Kyle Knudson went from New Britain to Ft. Myers. OF JD Williams, 1B Dalton Hicks, LHP Steven Gruver and RHP Tyler Jones were promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers. C Jairo Rodriguez was sent back from Ft. Myers to Cedar Rapids. RHP Dallas Gallant and RHP Tim Shibuya have been moved from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids. Here is a look at what happened in the two Twins games in the farm system on Tuesday: Rochester Red Wings No Game Scheduled. New Britain 4, Harrisburg 6 Box Score Lefty Pat Dean has pitched quite well of late, but this start didn't go so well for him. In 3.2 innings, he gave up five runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out two. Tom Stuifbergen came on and after a walk, got the final out. BJ Hermsen gave up one run on five hits in 2.1 innings. Edgar Ibarra then gave up one hit and struck one out in 0.2 innings. Dakota Watts gave up two hits and a walk but no runs in his inning. Nate Hanson led the offense. He was 2-3 with two walks and his 17th AA double. Danny Santana was 2-4 with a walk. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with his ninth double. Jordan Parraz went 2-4 with his seventh home run. Josmil Pinto doubled for the 22nd time. Angel Morales went 1-2 with two walks and his second stolen base. Ft. Myers Miracle No Game Scheduled. Cedar Rapids Kernels No Game Scheduled. Elizabethton Twins No Game Scheduled. GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 11 Box Score Looking at the game score, and then finding out that Kohl Stewart made the start might give you pause. But, the Twins top pick threw three shutout innings. He gave up two hits and walked a batter but did not allow a run; he struck out two. In his two starts, he has now thrown six shutout innings. Brandon Easton came on and gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Miguel Gonzalez was next and he gave up five runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. He struck out one. Zach Hayden got the final out of the 6th inning after giving up one hit. Reyson Zoquiel gave up one run on two hits in his inning. He struck out two. Josh Guyer pitched one inning and gave up one run on a solo homer. He struck out two. Although they scored just two runs, the GCL Twins hitters did combine for nine hits. Zach Larson went 2-5 with his fifth double. Engelb Vielma went 2-4 with a walk. Chad Christensen also doubled for the third point. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article