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Episode 2 of the Get to Know 'Em Podcast is now available. In this episode, we get to know left-handed pitcher Pat Dean all over again. We also learn a bit more about slugging Twins prospect Brent Rooker.Two very different stories in this week's Get To Know 'Em podcast. Listen to the podcast! Pat Dean is a 29-year-old pitcher. He was the Twins 3rd round draft pick in 2010 out of Boston College. He pitched for the Twins during the 2016 season, even beating Felix Hernandez for his first big league win. After the season, he went to Korea where he has pitched the past two seasons. Just last month it was announced that he was returning to the Twins on a minor league contract. We ask him about a variety of topics including his big league call up, the decision to play in Korea and the differences in cultures and on the baseball field there. And we also talked about his decision to return to the Twins. (Here is a Twins Daily story on Pat Dean from September 2015, before his MLB debut) Brent Rooker hit 32 doubles and 22 homers in Double-A Chattanooga in his first full season of professional baseball in 2018. He earned a big league spring training invitation. We talked to him about what Twins spring training has been like for him and what he has learned already. We talked about his 2018 season of ups and downs and what he wanted to work on going into the offseason. He was married in November as well. (Rooker was previously on this podcastwith Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff) Click below to listen to the full podcast. LISTEN Any and all feedback is welcomed. Who would you like to see me interview? I may be able to do more like this while in Ft. Myers next week. Click here to view the article

At 6:00, the Minnesota Twins will take on Cleveland in the middle game of a three-game series. Australian James Beresford will make his Major League Debut! While the Twins are trying to avoid 100 losses, Cleveland is in the thick of the pennant race, holding a lead over the Detroit Tigers. They also have the fourth best record in the Major leagues behind the Cubs, Rangers and Nationals. Here are a few Twins notes before tonight's game.James Beresford was on the field about five hours prior to the start of tonight's game, taking ground balls at third base. He was wearing his green Mr. 1000 shirt that his teammates in Rochester gave him. He had found out that he was going to make his Major League debut. He will be hitting eighth and playing third base tonight. In the clubhouse before the game, he said he was very excited but not nervous. He thought that would come later on. I asked him if he truly did not know that his parents were flying in from Australia or not. He said he didn't know anything about it, although the fact that he didn't hear from either of them after his first game was very surprising. It did make him wonder a little bit. He said when Brian Dozier told him to follow, he did. Dozier said it was a lot of fun to surprise James that night. It was the first time he had met the Beresford family. At tonight's game will be Beresford's family, his brother Simon and his wife. His girlfriend arrived in town on Friday. So, there will certainly be a cheering section for Beresford in the family section tonight. NOTES I chatted briefly with lefty Pat Dean in the clubhouse. Players were starting to head out for their pregame stretch, so I said, "I better get going and write something." He responded, "Keep it positive!" I laughed and said, "Hey, I'll try." Let's start with Dean. He said he has enjoyed his time in the big leagues this year and by season's end, it will be a half-season. He said it was a little different coming out of the bullpen, something he had to adjust to. I asked if he had come into a game with runners on. He smiled and noted that he allowed two of Pat Light's runners to score. "that is an awful feeling." That was positive, right Pat? It was a positive learning experience.Byron Buxton was really happy with how he's playing right now. A quiet, humble guy, Buxton said there were times he was frustrated after being sent down the second time. But he said it's nice seeing the hard work paying off with numbers and stats finally. He said, "The key has been patience."Alex Wimmers said that big league life has been everything he thought it would be and more. He said "After all the things I've come back from, injuries and such, it's really rewarding to get this opportunity. I was at the point where I didn't know what would happen at the end of the year."Wimmers also said that becoming a father this season has been instrumental in his success on the mound too. He said it's provided him with a proper perspective on the game and everything.The other thing he enjoyed was being a co-closer in Rochester with JT Chargois. He said it put him into the mindset of the pitchers before him did a great job to put the team in position to win, and he didn't want to let the whole team down, so it really pushed his focus on the mound to a different level.I verified with Andrew Albers that he is NOT on Twitter. There is a twitter account that has his name with a number and the profile picture is of the southpaw, but it is not him.Cory Provus said that he'd be doing college football and basketball on the Big Ten Network again this offseason.Tonight there is a Brian Dozier blaze orange winter hat giveaway with certain, special tickets to get them. In the clubhouse before the game, he had a duck call that he sounded off a few times. Dozier's obviously a big outdoorsman who spends a lot of his offseason hunting, in addition to traveling to third-world countries helping as he can. Some of the proceeds from tonight's event will go to Pheasants Forever.1987 Minnesota Twins World Series hero is at Target Field tonight. Before the game, he was seen talking with former teammates like Bert Blyleven, Dan Gladden, and Tom Brunansky, as well as Tony Oliva.It was good to catch up with Jose Berrios as well. He talked a little about how frustrated he was when he was optioned to Rochester the first time. He said it took him almost a week to kind of get over the disappointment and feeling like he let people down. He said, "Once you go to the big leagues, you don't want to go back to the minor leagues." He said he got back to work and figured some things out. He knew why he was optioned and what he needed to do. He said he never lost confidence or the drive to be great. He also understood why he was optioned again in late August, but he said that time he was able to go to Rochester and be successful right away, pointing out the 14 strikeout in eight-inning outing. He's excited to be back.David Laurila from FanGraphs is at Target Field for this three-game series. Be sure to follow him on Twitter. @DavidLaurilaQA.When I got to the stadium and was approaching the clubhouse, I saw lefty Taylor Rogers walking through the halls with his Twins brother Tyler to his side. It's a good thing Taylor was in his Twins garb or there's no way a person could tell the two apart. How fun would it be if the two decided to swap for a day. Frew would notice, at least not until Tyler got on the mound and threw right-handed, and submarine. What a story that would be!Byron Buxton and Ryan Pressly had their eyes on one of the clubhouse TVs watching the end of the Oklahama State/Central Michigan game. When the "hail mary/lateral/TD" was completed, giving Central Michigan the upset, Pressly and Buxton leapt in amazement, and understandably so. I was talking to Alex Wimmers at the time and we looked up at the monitor. A minute later, Wimmers sat and pointed to the TV right across from his locker, perfectly situated so he could watch. "That's my game" It was showing Ohio State.Trevor Plouffe was officially placed on the 15-Day Disabled List before the game. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins’ bats continued to rake in Cleveland with a third straight win, and a third straight double-digit output. The team is now 32-30 in their last 62 games. Mauer. Dozier. Kepler, Rosario. Pretty much everyone is producing right now. While the Twins have played three straight high-scoring blowout wins, the Twins affiliates all played some very close contests on Wednesday. There were a couple of transactions of note on Wednesday as well: Niko Goodrum came off of the disabled list for the Lookouts.While we noted that Tyler Jay was placed on the Lookouts disabled list with a “neck strain,” Rob Antony indicated to reporters before Wednesday’s game that there is some concern about Jay’s shoulder.RHP Brian Gilbert was released by the Twins and from the Miracle roster.LHP Cam Booser was promoted from the Kernels to the Miracle.RHP Brady Anderson, a non-drafted free agent from Florida Gulf Coast, was promoted from the GCL and started on Wednesday for the Kernels.Following Wednesday night’s game, Jeff Johnson (The Gazette in Cedar Rapids) reported that RHPs Cody Stashak and Dereck Rodriguez were also headed to Ft. Myers. He also noted the RHP Kuo Hua Lo had been released.Thursday is an exciting day for a couple of new Twins. Hector Santiago will make his Twins debut in Cleveland on Thursday morning. In Rochester, Adalberto Mejia will make his first start.With that, let’s get to the Minor League Report for Wednesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Pawtucket 2 Box Score This was a bit of an intense game. In fact, the game finished under protest by Pawtucket. At that time, Mike Quade, the Red Wings manager, was ejected. Pawtucket questioned which pitcher Quade signaled in from the bullpen. So, the International League will need to make a decision. If they decide to agree with the PawSox, the teams would start the game where it was in the 8th inning. Pat Dean started and gave up two runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings. He walked two and struck out six. Neil Ramirez gave up one hit but got the final out of the seventh inning. He gave up a single to lead off the eighth. Then came the controversy. Ryan O’Rourke came into the game and gave up a hit to the one batter he faced. It was a bunt single on which Reynaldo Rodriguez tried a swipe tag. The runner was ruled safe. Quade disagreed and was ejected. Pat Light then was summoned for his Twins organization debut against guys he was teammates with a couple of days ago. He gave up a hit which loaded the bases, but he was able to get out of the inning without the tying run being allowed to score. He even hit 100 mph on the radar gun a few times. Alex Wimmers came on for the ninth. He also kept it interesting. He gave up two hits and walked one but struck out two and didn’t allow the tying run to score. It was Wimmers’ ninth save with the Red Wings. Trevor Plouffe played seven innings at third base and came to the plate four times before being replaced to start the eighth inning. He was 0-3 with a walk. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-3. Daniel Palka was 1-3 with a walk. Darin Mastroianni went 1-2 with a walk and his eighth stolen base. Wilfredo Tovar went 1-3 with a walk and stole his 24th base and hit his first homer of the year. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Game 1 - Chattanooga 3, Mobile 4 Box Score David Hurlbut gave up three home runs in the first two innings to let the team get down 4-3. The Lookouts scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to cut the lead to 4-3 but fell one run shy and lost game 1. Hurlbut recovered well, however, completing all six innings. He gave up the four runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out six. Niko Goodrum hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning. It was his second Lookouts homer. Ryan Walker went 2-3 with a walk. Engelb Vielma went 2-2 with a walk and is now hitting .299. Travis Harrison walked twice. Game 2 - Chattanooga 4, Mobile 5 (11 innings) Box Score The game was tied at three going into the 11th inning. In the top half of the inning, Levi Michael scored on a wild pitch to give the Lookouts a 4-3 lead. Unfortunately, the Lookouts had their second blown save of the game and fell 5-4 after giving up two runs in the bottom of the inning. Felix Jorge started and went the first 5.2 innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits. He struck out four without a walk. Jake Reed went the next 1.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits, earning a blown save. He struck out two. Zack Jones worked the next two innings. He gave up one hit but no runs. He struck out five batters. Raul Fernandez pitched a scoreless tenth inning but he gave up the two runs in the 11th inning. The Lookouts had nine hits in the 11 innings. Zach Granite had two hits. Niko Goodrum had a two-run single, one of his two hits. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Bradenton 9 Box Score The game was tied at five going into the bottom of the eighth, but Todd Van Steensel wasn’t able to keep the lead. Randy LeBlanc started and went just three innings. He gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk without a strikeout. Randy Rosario came out of the bullpen and threw two shutout innings. He gave up a hit and walked one but struck out four. Cam Booser made his first Miracle appearance. He walked one and struck one out in his inning. Van Steensel gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in the eighth inning and he also pitched the ninth. LaMonte Wade led the offense. He went 2-3, was hit by a pitch and added his seventh double. TJ White went 2-4 with his 12th double. Joe Maloney was also 2-4. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Clinton 3 Box Score Brady Anderson was pitching great in the GCL, but the Kernels needed a starter and Anderson got the call. He arrived and was placed right on the mound for his Midwest League debut. The right-hander went the first five innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out two. He left the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning. Williams Ramirez came on and got the next three batters out to avoid any further damage. Ramirez went two innings and gave up just one hit. Max Cordy worked the final two innings. He gave up just one hit and was credited with his first win. Sean Miller led the way. He got the offense going with his fourth home run of the year. Zander Wiel went 2-3 with a walk and his sixth triple. Chris Ibarra went 2-4. Kevin Garcia went 2-4. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Miller got things going with this 17th double. It was backed up by Garcia’s sixth double which proved to be the game-winning RBI. E-TWINS E-NOTES Box Score No Game Scheduled. In off-the-field news, Alex Kirilloff got engaged… in case you were wondering. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 2 Box Score Jordan Balazovic made his first start. He gave up one run on four hits and two walks in three innings. Clark Beeker came on and gave up one run on three hits over 3.2 innings. He walked three and struck out three. Callan Pearce struck out two over 2.1 scoreless innings to end the game. He walked two and gave up one hit. The Twins had eight hits in the game, and six of them came in the final two innings. The team was down 2-0 going into the eighth inning. Dominic Blanco singled. Then Heiker Meneses singled. Then Aaron Whitefield had an RBI single. That was followed by an RBI single from Jean Carlos Arias to tie the game. Then in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jorge Munoz got things going with a single. He advanced to third base on a Jhon Alvarez double. Heiker Meneses was walked but on the final pitch, there was a passed ball and Munoz scored the winning run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Sean Miller, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia Chattanooga @ Mobile (6:35 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) - LHP Sam Clay Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Eduardo Del Rosario Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) - RHP Ryan Mason GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

An extra-innings game and a whole bunch of transactions. Chattanooga and Cedar Rapids were still on their All-Star Game breaks. On Thursday, all four full-season affiliates will play and the Elizabethton Twins will make their 2016 season debut. On Friday, the GCL Twins will play their first game of the year. Starting Friday, we will have daily reports from each of the six Twins domestic affiliates. Of course, the Dominican Summer League Twins have also been playing for about two weeks as well. A quick update, I learned on Wednesday was that Wander Javier has been doing running and infield drills, so he should return to the lineup in the next few days. They are wisely being overly cautious with their prized, 17-year-old prospect. Speaking of guys recovering from hamstring woes, Miguel Sano will begin his rehab assignment in Rochester on Thursday. Alex Kirilloff, the Twins top pick in the June draft, arrived in Minneapolis on Wednesday and took his physical. He went on the field before the game. He is expected to sign his contract on Thursday.Here is Wednesday night’s minor league update. TRANSACTIONS It is the day after the Florida State League and Southern League All-Star Games. That means one thing… it’s a big day for transactions, to be sure. Here is my attempt at keeping up with them. Following his outing in the Southern League All-Star Game, Doug Mientkiewicz was able to tell RHP DJ Baxendale that he is heading to AAA Rochester.To make room for Baxendale, the Twins released LH RP Dan Runzler.LHP Stephen Gonsalves got the news that he has been promoted to Chattanooga.RHP Fernando Romero, C AJ Murray and OF LaMonte Wade are on their way to the Miracle for the 2nd half.C Brian Olson was sent back to Cedar Rapids. Logan Wade was released by the Twins.In case you missed it yesterday, LH RP Michael Theofanopoulos was promoted to Ft. Myers with Brian Gilbert moving to the disabled list.OF Austin Diemer also returns to the Kernels. He started the season in Ft. Myers but was sent to EST a few weeks ago.According to a scouce, LHP Lachlan Wells, RHP Thomas Hackimer and C Rainis Silva are heading to Cedar Rapids from extended spring training. (Update - the Kernels announced Wells and Hackimer were added to the roster. Silva is listed on the Elizabethton Disabled List, though I have heard he went to Cedar Rapids.) (Update 2 - The Kernels announced that Rainis Silva is now on their roster with Kevin Garcia going on the DL.)Soon, we will be posting Elizabethton and Gulf Coast League Twins roster previews as well.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Columbus 7 Box Score Things started out well in Pat Dean’s return to the Red Wings. He started with four shutout innings, but then the Clippers started showing off some power. He gave up four in the fifth, one in the sixth and two more in the seventh. In all, he went six innings and gave up seven runs on eight hits (three home runs). He walked and struck out none. David Martinez came on and struck out three of the four batters he faced. Ryan O’Rourke got the final two outs of the eighth inning for the Red Wings. Jorge Polanco got things going for the Red Wings quickly. With two outs in the first inning, Polanco hit his fourth home run of the season. He later added a walk on a 1-3 day. The team had just three more hits the rest of the game. The Red Wings fell to 44-29 which is still the best record in the International League. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER The Lookouts remain on their All-Star Game break. They will begin their second half by hosting Jackson on Thursday. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Charlotte 2 (10 innings) Box Score On Tuesday night, we learned that right-hander Fernando Romero was promoted to Ft. Myers. He was to make his Florida State League debut on Wednesday. Of course, rains caused a delay. When Romero took the mound for the first inning, his nerves showed. He gave up two runs on three hits in the inning. But that was about it. He went five innings and gave up just those two runs. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out five. He was removed at 74 pitches as the Twins continue to monitor his return after missing nearly two full seasons with injuries (Tommy John surgery in 2014 and knee surgery in 2015). The Miracle bullpen then came through with more zeros. John Curtiss threw two scoreless innings without allowing a hit. He walked one and struck out four. Michael Theofanopoulos also made his FSL debut. He needed just seven pitches to work a perfect eighth inning. He struck out one. Todd Van Steensel threw two scoreless innings, walking one and striking out two. In the first inning, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Chris Paul scored TJ White who had walked to lead off the inning. It cut the deficit to 2-1. In the second inning, another player made his FSL debut. A night after homering in the Midwest League All-Star Game, AJ Murray DHd and batted seventh for the Miracle. With Trey Vavra on via a single, Murray tripled in his first at-bat to tie the game at two a piece. But that was it for the Miracle offense. In the bottom of the 10th inning, still tied at two, Brian Navarreto led off with a walk. He advanced to second on a TJ White sacrifice bunt. Edgar Corcino was intentionally walked. Chris Paul lined a single to right field, though it was hit hard enough that Navarreto was only able to get to third base, loading the bases. Joe Maloney stepped in and hit a sacrifice fly to end the game and give the Miracle a three-game sweep. White led off and got on base three times with a single and two walks. The Miracle had just five hits but added eight walks in the game. Nick Gordon missed his third straight game after tweaking a muscle in the FSL ASG on Saturday night. It is not believed to be serious as one person told me that the Twins would not have released Logan Wade if they were concerned about Gordon being out very long. KERNELS NUGGETS The Kernels remain on their All Star break. They will begin their 2nd half by hosting Beloit on Thursday night. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – TJ White, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (6:05 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios (5-3, 3.35 ERA) Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 CST) - Tyler Jay (5-5, 2.97 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren (2-3, 2.86 ERA) Elizabethton @ Kingsport (6:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

Aaron leaves the state and the Twins go on a winning streak. John breaks it down with special guests Parker Hageman and Jeremy Nygaard as they discuss Joe Mauer's and Miguel's Sano hot bats, wonder what is going on with Phil Hughes, summarize how the Twins are getting squeezed by money in the MLB draft, note Pat Dean's surprising strikeouts, review options for replacing Kurt Suzuki, and discuss the Twins future starting rotation and Brian Dozier's obliques. Thank you to MNCorngrowers at MNFarmTeam.com for their support of this show.You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

As their parent club was playing nearly two games in one day, all four affiliates of the Minnesota Twins were in action on Sunday afternoon. Three of those teams got strong starting pitching performances in wins, including a couple of shutouts, while another put up nearly as much offense as the other three combined, but came out on the losing end of a back and forth slugfest.To find out where and how it all went down in Sunday’s games, keep reading! RED WINGS REPORT Buffalo 3, Rochester 6 Box Score Left-hander Pat Dean squared off against fellow lefty and old friend Scott Diamond at Frontier Field in Rochester, New York Sunday afternoon, and both were fantastic for most of the game. Diamond shut out the Red Wings for six innings, while Dean held the Bisons to just one run on four hits in seven innings. He struck out two. Rochester tied the game in the seventh after Diamond’s night was done, as Adam Brett Walker led off the inning with a single and promptly stole second base for his first steal of the 2016 season. He was moved to third on a Darin Mastroianni ground- out, and then scored on a Wilfredo Tovar single to knot the game. Brandon Kintzler was brought in to relieve Dean for the top of the eighth and retired the side 1-2-3, bringing Rochester up to bat. They broke the game open by sending nine men to the plate. Jorge Polanco and Reynaldo Rodriguez started the inning with consecutive singles, but a bunt attempt by Juan Centeno erased Polanco at third. David Murphy picked up the slack by delivering an RBI single to put Rochester up. Later in the inning with two outs and the bases loaded, Tovar delivered a ground ball single to third base, and Centeno and Murphy scampered home after the throw was air-mailed to first for an error. A James Beresford triple to left field finished the scoring at five for the inning, and a comfortable 6-1 lead for Rochester. J.R Graham was summoned for the ninth inning and made it somewhat interesting by allowing two runs on two hits and two walks, but he did finish out the game to improve the Red Wings to 7-10 on the season. As a team Rochester pounded out thirteen hits on the day and were 4-12 with runners in scoring position. Beresford (3-5, 3B, 2 RBI), Polanco (2-3, BB), Rodriguez (2-4, R), Murphy (2-4, R, 2B, RBI), and Tovar (2-4, R, 2 RBI) led the offense with multiple hits on the day. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Birmingham 14, Chattanooga 13 Box Score In Chattanooga Sunday afternoon, it was an absolute slugfest as the teams combined for twenty-seven runs on thirty-two hits in a nine-inning game. Both starters failed to pitch more than four innings, and for the Twins that starter was lefty David Hurlburt. The first three innings were not bad, as he allowed two hits including a run-scoring triple in the first, but he did strike out the side; faced the minimum in the second aided by a caught stealing attempt with Stuart Turner behind the plate; and just a single in the third. In the bottom half of those innings, the Lookouts offense put up three, one, and one respectively to put them out front early 5-1. The fourth is where Hurlburt ran into his trouble. A lead-off home run was followed by a walk, three singles and a triple to put the Barons out front 6-5 before Hurlburt was able to finish the inning. On the game Hurlburt threw four innings, allowing the six runs on eight hits and a walk, with six strikeouts. Chattanooga was quick to take back another big lead in the bottom half however, as they sent ten men up to bat before Engelb Vielma was erased at second-base on a steal attempt for the third out. Daniel Palka started the scoring with a single to plate D.J. Hicks, who had doubled earlier. A bases-loaded two-run double from Stuart Turner was followed by a two-run double from Joe Maloney and Vielma’s single before the caught stealing attempt brought in Maloney for six runs on the board in the frame and an 11-6 lead. Brett Lee came on in relief of Hurlburt for the fifth and gave three of those runs back on a single, an RBI double, a walk and a wild pitch; the rally was also aided by a throwing error from third-baseman T.J. White. Only one of those runs was earned. A bases-loaded groundout from White made the score 12-9 heading into the sixth, which was the only clean inning (no runs) of the game. Birmingham tied it the seventh against Corey Williams out for his second inning of work. A single, hit-by-pitch, and walk around a strikeout loaded the bases and brought in Brandon Peterson. He got two strikeouts to finish the three outs, but they were around a bases clearing double for the tying three runs and the runs were charged to Williams. A solo-home run against Peterson put the Barons out front for good in the eighth, and they added a needed insurance run in the ninth against J.T. Chargois, who had come in to the day having pitched five perfect innings to start his season. He was greeted by a lead-off double, his first base runner of the year, and a sacrifice bunt and groundout led to his first run allowed. A single and groundout later marked his first appearance without a strikeout, and Chattanooga was down 14-12 heading into the bottom of the ninth. As could be expected, the Lokouts did all they could to keep the game going, or to end it with one swing. A two-out double from Palka scored Hicks who had singled earlier, and brought in Mitch Garver as a pinch-hitter with the tying run in scoring position. On a 2-2 pitch he struck out swinging to end the game with a loss for the home team, but it was an exciting game all the way through for the three-thousand-plus fans in attendance at AT&T Field. Palka and Harrison each hit their second home runs of the season for the Lookouts and were 4-4 and 3-5 respectively, driving in six runs between them. Palka added two doubles and two walks, reaching base in all six of his plate appearances. Vielma (2-6, R, 3B, RBI), Levi Michael (2-5, 2 R’s, 2BB), and Hicks (2-6, 2 R’s, 2B) each had multiple hits at the top of the order, and Turner and Maloney each had 2 RBIs in the offensive explosion for the Lookouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 0, Fort Myers 2 Box Score While there was a ton of offense in Chattanooga, Fort Myers saw another dominating pitching performance from one of their starters. On this day, it was left-hander Randy Rosario dominating an opposing lineup for the Miracle. Rosario allowed base-runners in each of his six-plus innings except the fifth, but stranded all of them as Charlotte was 0-6 with runners in scoring position against him, leaving seven men on base for the game in the process. Luke Bard came on to finish the seventh and added a scoreless eighth. Todd Van Steensel was summoned for the ninth inning and his second save opportunity on the year. He retired the Stone Crabs in order for his second save, and helped improve Rosario to 2-1 on the season along with a 1.02 ERA that is good for second on the team behind Felix Jorge at 0.92. The Miracle’s two runs came on a home run from the rehabbing Danny Santana, and he also scored the other on a single from Alex Real. Santana was 2-4 on the game for his first two hits of his rehab assignment. The only other hit was a single from Chad Christensen, who also drew the only walk on the day for the Miracle. It was more than enough to support the Miracle pitchers who have been outstanding to begin the year and the team improved to 10-8. In total, each of the Miracle’s six starters have now stared three games. This includes Stephen Gonsalves (1-1, 1.89 ERA), Kohl Stewart (1-0, 2.60 ERA), Tyler Jay (1-1, 3.60 ERA), Jorge (1-1, 0.92 ERA), Keaton Steele (0-2, 3.24 ERA), and Rosario (2-1, 1.02 ERA). Collectively they’ve thrown 105.1 innings, allowing just 25 earned runs on 72 hits and 26 walks with 98 K’s; that’s good for a spectacular 2.14 ERA. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Clinton 0 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels imitated the good parts of each of the Chattanooga and Fort Myers games, as they also exploded for sixteen hits on offense and shut out their opponent on pitching and defense. The Kernels put crooked numbers on the scoreboard in each of the second, third, and eighth innings; that included seven singles, a double, and triple for eight of their nine runs. They added a single run in the fifth on an RBI knock from Rafael Valera. Three wild pitches in the eighth inning aided in putting the Kernels final numbers on the board. Cedar Rapids got production throughout the lineup as seven of the nine hitters collected multiple hits, with A.J. Murray and Max Murphy in the three and four spots as the only ones without hits, but Murray did have an RBI and Murphy scored two runs. Valera led the team with two RBIs and the two extra-base hits came from Zander Wiel who was 4-5 with double, triple, one RBI, and two runs scored. Taking the mound for the away team was Cody Stashak; he scattered four hits and two walks in his six innings, striking out four along the way. Michael Theofanopoulos pitched a scoreless seventh, walking one and striking out one. Miles Nordgren finished the final two innings, allowing just one hit with one strikeout. The LumberKings lineup was a combined 5-30 on the game, were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six. In comparison, Cedar Rapids was 7-19 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine. Stashak improved to 2-0, winning both of his starts so far, and he sports a 1.13 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in his sixteen innings for the Kernels. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – 3-way tie: Cody Stashak, Cedar Rapids Kernels (6.0 IP, 0 R’s, 4 H’s, 2 BB, 4 K’s)Randy Rosario, Fort Myers Miracle (6.1 IP, 0 R’s, 6 H’s, 2 K’s)Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H’s, 2 K’s)Hitter of the Day – Danial Palka, Chattanooga Lookouts (4-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB’s) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Scheduled day off. Chattanooga @ Mississippi (7:00PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (1-1, 3.27 ERA) Fort Myers – Scheduled day off. Cedar Rapids – Scheduled day off. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Taylor Rogers, an eleventh-round pick in 2012 out of the University of Kentucky, made his MLB debut this afternoon against the Chicago White Sox. Rogers pitched 0.2 innings and gave up just one hit. Rogers spent all of 2015 with the Red Wings as a starter, compiling an 11-12 record with a 3.98 ERA. Finished off the 2015 season with 25 innings in the Arizona Fall League, going 2-2 with a 2.88 ERA but struggled with command walking 11 hitters. Rogers made just one appearance (out of the bullpen) for the Red Wings in 2016, pitching two scoreless innings. Transaction Report: As Seth wrote earlier today, the Twins signed MLB veteran outfielder David Murphy to a minor league deal, and he'll be reporting to Rochester on Friday. Rochester also activated Stephen Wickens from the DL. Chattanooga added infielder TJ White from Fort Myers to replace shortstop Engelb Vielma, who went to the DL with a hamstring strain. The TJ White promotion resulted in a chain of moves with Chris Paul being promoted to Fort Myers from Cedar Rapids, and Manuel Guzman joining Cedar Rapids from extended spring training.Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Buffalo Bisons Box Score Rochester was in Buffalo on Thursday afternoon facing the Buffalo Bisons and former Minnesota Twins pitcher Scott Diamond. Scott Diamond gave the Bisons a workman like 7.0 innings of six hit, one run ball to go along with six strikeouts, really keeping the Red Wings' bats at bay. Only Buck Britton (on of my favorite names in the Twins farm system) managed more than one hit. He had two, one was the Red Wings' only extra base hit of the day, a run scoring double in the top of the 6th inning to give Rochester a short-lived lead. Britton was a one man machine for the Red Wings. Big bopper Kennys Vargas was 0-3 with a walk and no strike outs. Also a one-man show - Pat Dean. Pat Dean pitched 8.0 innings of 5 hit, 2 run ball (1 earned) and was charged with the loss to fall to 0-2 despite a shiny 2.08 ERA. Dean induced 14 ground ball outs, but did not record a single strikeout. Dean was cruising through five before a Dalton Pompey double followed by an Andy Burns RBI single knotted the game at 1-1. An inning later, Jesus Montero (yes, that Jesus Montero) reached on a throwing error by third basement Heiker Meneses and was eventually doubled in by Junior Lake, giving the Bisons the lead, and ultimately the ball game. Final: Red Wings 1, Bisons 2 Alex Meyer will make his first start of the 2016 season on Friday. Meyer has previously pitched 4.0 scoreless innings of relief on April 10th against Scranton. LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jackson Generals @ Chattanooga Box Score After his first game back at third base since 2014 last night, Travis Harrison was back in the outfield on Thursday night. He finished the evening 1-5 and is hitting just .214 on the year. Daniel Palka came into Thursday's game with a team-leading four-game hitting streak and extended his streak to five games with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. Mitch Garver was the big offensive force for the Lookouts, their only multi-hit player of the evening, going 2-3 with two walks, an RBI and a strikeout. The real story of this game isn't just these individual performances, but the way the team rallied, down six runs. The Lookouts got a big crooked number in the sixth with five runs, and four more in the seventh to come from behind and take the game 11-8. With just one hitter with multiple hits, this was a big team effort. David Hurlbut, the only Lookouts starter to record a decision in every game he started last year, left Thursday's game without a decision. Hurlbut pitched 4.0 innings, surrendering five runs (just two earned), on six hits, two walks, a home run and three strikeouts. In addition to 17 starts for Chattanooga in 2015, Hurlbut also threw briefly for the Miracle after starting the season on the DL, and made a spot start for the Rochester Red Wings. Hurlbut throws a 90+ mph fastball and will mix in a cutter, change and slider. Hurlbut gave way to Mike Strong in the top of the fifth with Chattanooga down 5-2. Strong gave up a double and then walked the next two batters he faced before being lifted for Corey Williams. All three of Strong's runners would eventually come around to score before the inning was over. With the Lookouts down 8-2, the pitching staff shut down the Generals for the next four innings. Corey Williams would pitch two scoreless innings, Jake Reed earned the W with two scoreless innings of his own and J.T. Chargois picked up his first save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning. Final: Generals 8, Lookouts 11 MIRACLE MATTERS Brevard County Manatees @ Fort Myers Box Score Tanner English led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to left center field. The Miracle added two more runs in the inning to go out in front 3-0 and held the lead the rest of the way. As a team, Fort Myers racked up 13 hits and 5 walks to counter seven strikeouts. Tanner English was 2-4 with that home run, a single and a walk. Logan Wade had a multi-hit night as well, 2-5 with an RBI. Chad Christensen and Austin Diemer also had a pair of hits. Diemer also added a stolen base. Defensively, the Miracle had a poor night, kicking things off with a fielding error by third basement Chris Paul on the first hitter of the night. The Miracle commited three more errors in the first six innings. Kohl Stewart, starting his second game of the year, was unfazed by the poor defense behind him, going 6.0 innings with 6 strikeouts and just one walk. Stewart allowed just one hit and moved his record to 1-0 while lowering his ERA to 1.50. Raul Fernandez replaced Stewart and covered the seventh and eighth innings without allowing an earned run, but not without some trouble, walking three batters, allowing a pair of hits and being charged with an unearned run. Brian Gilbert allowed another run in the ninth, walking one, giving up one hit, and he stuck out one. Final: Manatees 2, Miracle 7 KERNELS KORNER Clinton Lumber Kings @ Cedar Rapids Box Score The Lumber Kings put a run on the board in the top of the first inning to put the Kernels down 1-0, but they rallied in the bottom half of the inning with three runs of their own. Kernels starting pitcher Andro Cutura allowed one more run in the top of the third, but otherwise pitched a very solid 6.0 innings. Cutura gave up just two hits, walked two, struck out six and was charged with two runs (one earned). Cutura is now 2-0 for the Kernels with a 2.45 ERA. Cutura was replaced by C. K. Irby who pitched two scoreless innings of relief and Nick Anderson finished the game for Cedar Rapids to seal the victory. The Kernels leadoff man Luis Arraez put on a show with a home run and a pair of singles as part of a 3-4 night with two runs scored and two RBIs. Rafael Valera and LaMonte Wade, hitting second and third, were each 2-4, giving the Kernels seven hits from the top of their order. Sean Miller, the number eight hitter, also picked up a pair of hits, going 2-3 with two runs scored. All told the Kernels had 11 hits, four for extra bases. Final: Lumber Kings 3, Kernels 7 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Luis Arraez - Cedar Rapids Kernels Pitcher of the Day - Kohl Stewart - Fort Myers Miracle FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester @ Buffalo (5:05pm, MiLB.tv) - Alex Meyer (0-0, 0.00) vs. Wade LeBlanc Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15pm) - Sam Gaviglio vs. Aaron Slegers (0-0, 3.00) Fort Myers @ Daytona (6:05pm) - Tyler Jay (1-0, 1.80) vs. TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) - Kyle Wilcox vs. Sam Gibbons (1-0, 1.80) Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf Click here to view the article

Taylor Rogers, an eleventh round pick in 2012 out of the University of Kentucky, made his MLB debut this afternoon against the Chicago White Sox. Rogers pitched 0.2 innings and gave up just one hit. Rogers spent all of 2015 with the Red Wings as a starter, compiling an 11-12 record with a 3.98 ERA. Finished off the 2015 season with 25 innings in the Arizona Fall League, going 2-2 with a 2.88 ERA but struggled with command walking 11 hitters. Rogers made just one appearance (out of the bullpen) for the Red Wings in 2016, pitching two scoreless innings. Transaction Report: As Seth wrote earlier today, the Twins signed MLB veteran outfielder David Murphy to a Minor League deal, and he'll be reporting to Rochester on Friday. Rochester also activated Stephen Wickens from the DL. Chattanooga added infielder TJ White from Fort Myers to replace shortstop Engelb Vielma, who went to the DL with a hamstring strain. The TJ White promotion resulted in a chain of moves with Chris Paul being promoted to Fort Myers from Cedar Rapids, and Manuel Guzman joining Cedar Rapids from extended Spring Training. Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Buffalo Bisons Box Score Rochester was in Buffalo on Thursday afternoon facing the Buffalo Bisons and former Minnesota Twins pitcher Scott Diamond. Scott Diamond gave the Bisons a workman like 7.0 innings of 6 hit, 1 run ball to go along with six strikeouts, really keeping the Red Wings' bats at bay. Only Buck Britton (on of my favorite names in the Twins farm system) managed more than one hit. He had two, one was the Red Wings' only extra base hit of the day, a run scoring double in the top of the 6th inning to give Rochester a short-lived lead. Britton was a one man machine for the Red Wings. Big bopper, Kennys Vargas, was 0-3 with a walk and no strike outs. Also a one man show - Pat Dean. Pat Dean pitched 8.0 innings of 5 hit, 2 run ball (1 earned) and was charged with the loss to fall to 0-2 despite a shiny 2.08 ERA. Dean induced 14 ground ball outs, but did not record a single strike out. Dean was cruising through five before a Dalton Pompey double followed by an Andy Burns RBI single knotted the game at 1-1. An inning later, Jesus Montero (yes, that Jesus Montero) reached on a throwing error by third basement Heiker Meneses and was eventually doubled in by Junior Lake, giving the Bisons the lead, and ultimately the ball game. Final: Red Wings 1, Bisons 2 Alex Meyer will make his first start of the 2016 season on Friday. Meyer previously pitched 4.0 scoreless innings of relief on April 10th against Scranton. LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jackson Generals @ Chattanooga Box Score After his first game back at third base since 2014 last night, Travis Harrison was back in the outfield on Thursday night. He finished the evening just 1-5 and is hitting just .214 on the year. Dan Palka came into Thursday's game with a team leading four-game hitting streak and extended his streak to five games with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. Mitch Garver was the big offensive force for the Lookouts, their only multi-hit player of the evening, 2-3 with two walks, an RBI and a strike out. The real story of this game isn't just these individual performances, but the way the team rallied, down six runs. The Lookouts got a big crooked number in the sixth with five runs, and four more in the seventh to come from behind and take the game 11-8. With just one hitter with multiple hits, this was a big team effort. David Hurlbut, the only Lookouts starter to record a decision in every game he started last year, left Thursday's game without a decision. Hurlbut pitched just 4.0 innings, surrendering five runs (just two earned), on six hits, two walks, a home run and three strike outs. In addition to 17 starts for Chattanooga in 2015, Hurlbut also threw briefly for the Miracle after starting the season on the DL, and made a spot start for the Rochester Red Wings. Hurlbut throws a 90+ mph fastball and will mix in a cutter, change and slider. Hurlbut gave way to Mike Strong in the top of the fifth with Chattanooga down 5-2. Strong gave up a double and then walked the next two batters he faced before being lifted for Corey Williams. All three of Strong's runners would eventually come around to score before the inning was over. With the Lookouts down down 8-2, the pitching staff shut down the Generals for the next four innings. Corey Williams would pitch two scoreles innings, Jake Reed earned the W with two scoreless innings of his own, and J.T. Chargois picked up his first save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning. Final: Generals 8, Lookouts 11 MIRACLE MATTERS Brevard County Manatees @ Fort Myers Box Score Tanner English led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to left center field. The Miracle would add on two more runs in the bottom of the first to go out in front 3-0 and held the lead the rest of the way. As a team, Fort Myers racked up 13 hits and 5 walks to counter seven strike outs. Tanner English was 2-4 with that home run, a single, and a walk. Logan Wade had a multi-hit night as well, 2-5 with an RBI. Chad Christensen and Austin Diemer also had a pair of hits. Diemer also added a stolen base. Defensively, the Miracle had a poor night, kicking things off with a fielding error by third basement Chris Paul on the first hitter of the night. The Miracle would commit three more errors in the first six innings. Kohl Stewart, starting his second game of the year, was unfazed by the poor defense behind him, going 6.0 innings with 6 strikeouts and just one walk. Stewart allowed just one hit and moved his record to 1-0 while lowering his ERA to 1.50. Raul Fernandez replaced Stewart and covered the seventh and eighth innings without allowing an earned run, but not without some trouble, walking three batters, allowing a pair of hits and being charged with an unearned run. Brian Gilbert allowed another run in the ninth, walking one, giving up one hit, and he stuck out one. Final: Manatees 2, Miracle 7 KERNELS KORNER Clinton Lumber Kings @ Cedar Rapids Box Score The Lumber Kings put a run on the board in the top of the first inning to put the Kernels down 1-0, but they rallied in the bottom half of the inning with three runs of their own. Kernels starting pitcher Andro Cutura would allow one more run in the top of the third, but otherwise pitched a very solid 6.0 innings. Cutura gave up just two hits, walked two, struck out six and was charged with two runs (one earned). Cutura is now 2-0 for the Kernels with a 2.45 ERA. Cutura was replaced by C. K. Iby who pitched two scoreless innings of relief and Nick Anderson finished the game for Cedar Rapids to seal the victory. The Kernels leadoff man Luis Arraez put on a show with a home run and a pair of singles as part of a 3-4 night with two runs scored and two RBIs. Rafael Valera and LaMonte Wade, hitting second and third, were each 2-4, giving the Kernels seven hits from the top of their order. Sean Miller, the number eight hitter, also picked up a pair of hits, 2-3 with two runs scored. All told the Kernels had 11 hits, 4 for extra bases. Final: Lumber Kings 3, Kernels 7 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Luis Arraez - Cedar Rapids Kernels Pitcher of the Day - Kohl Stewart - Fort Myers Miracle FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester @ Buffalo (5:05pm, MiLB.tv) - Alex Meyer (0-0, 0.00) vs. Wade LeBlanc Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15pm) - Sam Gaviglio vs. Aaron Slegers (0-0, 3.00) Fort Myers @ Daytona (6:05pm) - Tyler Jay (1-0, 1.80) vs. TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) - Kyle Wilcox vs. Sam Gibbons (1-0, 1.80) Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf

FT. MYERS, Fla - Following Sunday’s game at Hammond Stadium, the Twins announced that five players had been reassigned to minor league camp. On Monday morning, Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan informed seven more players that their time in big league camp this year was complete. The Twins optioned outfielder Adam Brett Walker, LHP Pat Dean, and LHP Mike Strong to Rochester. LHP Mason Melotakis and RHP JT Chargois were optioned to Chattanooga. RHP Yorman Landa and LHP Randy Rosario were optioned to Ft. Myers.Those seven players optioned from the 40-man roster on Monday are part of the first round of cuts which included SS Engelb Vielma, C Alex Swim, RHP Jake Reed, IF/OF Reynaldo Rodriguez, and IF Heiker Meneses. Combined, that is a lot of players, and yet there really weren’t any surprises. This is the point, three weeks from Opening Day, when it is important to have a more manageable roster. Simply, hitters that will (or could) make the team need more plate appearances, starters work longer, and relief pitchers need more consistent work.These players were all long shots to make the Opening Day roster, and now they will head to the minor league complex and start preparing with their team for the 2016 season. It is normal that players on the 40-man roster with little shot of making the big league roster are sent down fairly early in camp. Along with prepping with their teammates and getting at-bats, if a 40-man roster player has a major injury at big league camp, he gets a big league salary for time on the disabled list. The experience working with the big league coaching staff and veteran players is still very valuable for them. Randy Rosario has the world of potential in his left arm, but he finished last year in Cedar Rapids. 2016 will be his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Yorman Landa is in a similar boat. After missing time in the 2014 season, Landa returned to Cedar Rapids midseason and was terrific. He, like Rosario, will likely begin the season in Ft. Myers with the Miracle JT Chargois showed his upper-90s fastball and three pitch mix. He could head to Chattanooga or Rochester. If he can harness his control, he has a chance to be special. Mason Melotakis has electric stuff, but just coming back from Tommy John surgery and not pitching at all in 2015, he will need to get some innings under his belt to continue shaking off rust as well as continue to develop. Pat Dean will return to Rochester where he will start. He had a bit of a breakout season in Rochester last year and hopes to build off of it. He credited his numbers to improving his curve ball and slider. Minnesota native Mike Strong will work in the bullpen, either at Rochester or Chattanooga. He was added to the 40-man roster in late January. The final player from the 40 man roster to be sent down is outfielder Adam Brett Walker who has had limited at-bats. There are still a lot of outfielders in Twins camp and some big decisions to make. Walker needs to start accumulating some plate appearances to work on the things he has learned in his time in camp. As you can see from that group there is a lot of potential but none of them have played very much this spring so they need to get some playing time at minor league camp before the season. The Twins now have 52 players remaining in camp (19 non-roster). There are 24 pitchers (8 non-roster), 7 catchers (4 non-roster), 11 infielders (3 non-roster) and 10 outfielders (4 non-roster). 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

The minor league seasons came to an end last week, and even though Cedar Rapids and Chattanooga are still playing in the playoffs, it is time to start handing out some awards. All week, we will be handing out some (proverbial) awards. Yesterday, it was Max Kepler taking home the Hitter of the Year prize. The Twins Minor League Report authors each voted for the five awards being handed out. Today, we’ll take a look at the top starting pitchers in the Twins minor league system in 2015. We each voted for our top six performers.Short profiles of our top six are to follow, but first, some players worthy of Honorable Mention. Honorable Mention: Chih-Wei Hu, Fort Myers Miracle/Rochester Red Wings: 16 GS, 6-3, 2.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 90.2 IP, 81 H’s, 23 BB’s, 79 K’s.Sam Gibbons, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 15 GS, 7-4, 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 90.1 IP, 84 H’s, 23 BB’s, 68 K’s.Aaron Slegers, Fort Myers Miracle, Chattanooga Lookouts: 25 GS, 9-10, 3.35 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 156.0 IP, 143 H’s, 33 BB’s, 104 K’s.Ryan Eades, Fort Myers Miracle: 20 GS, 6-3, 3.11 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 118.2 IP, 109 H’s, 38 BB’s, 80 K’s.Pitcher of the Year Here are the top six vote-getters for Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. #6 – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings: 27 GS, 12-11, 2.82 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 179.0 IP, 170 H’s, 36 BB’s, 98 K’s. The left-hander drafted out of Boston College in the third round of the 2010 draft, was as steady as you could possibly be for the Rochester Red Wings in 2015. He did not miss a single turn in Rochester’s rotation and led all of the minor leagues in innings pitched on the year. His accomplishments also included leading all Twins farmhands with five complete games, including three of the shutout variety. He also did not wear down with the high workload that comes from leading the minors in innings pitched, as four of those complete games came in his last eight starts of the season. He failed to complete at least five innings in just two starts the entire season, and one of those included a game which was delayed by rain that he could not continue once play resumed. Of his twenty-seven starts, thirteen were of the quality start variety, and he went seven or more innings eleven times. It is quite an accomplishment to rack up twenty-three decisions in twenty-seven starts, and speaks to the consistency Dean displayed throughout the year. Dean appeared in April and August’s Starting Pitcher of the Month reports, and was honorable mention two other times. #5 – Felix Jorge, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 23 G/22 GS, 6-7, 2.79 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 142.0 IP, 118 H’s, 32 BB’s, 114 K’s. Jorge spent the entire season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels and racked up quite the workload for a twenty-one-year-old starter in his first full year of exposure to a full-season league. In 2014, he spent some of his time with the Kernels, but needed to make some adjustments and was sent to the Appalachian League when their season started. It helped, as 2015 was a mammoth step forward for the right-hander. He ranked top ten in the Midwest League in ERA (7th), innings pitched (10th), and WHIP (3rd), and just outside the top ten in strikeouts (12th). He improved in all aspects of his game in the MWL as compared to 2014, and did not fail to finish at least five innings in any of his twenty-two starts on the year. In fact, he failed to go six innings in just two starts, and notched twenty quality starts in those twenty-two games. In his first game of the year, he struck out a season-high ten batters, and followed that up with a nine K effort his next time out. Jorge is poised to start 2016 in Fort Myers, and with a similar performance, will look to reach Chattanooga as a 22 year old. Jorge appeared in the Starting Pitcher of the Month rankings twice (May, June), and received honorable mention two other times. #4 – Mat Batts, Cedar Rapids Kernels/Fort Myers Miracle: 24 GS, 11-6, 2.61 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 141.1 IP, 127 H’s, 28 BB’s, 129 K’s. Batts started his season in the Midwest League alongside Jorge, and laid waste to its hitters. The lefty posted a 2.21 ERA in seven starts, with forty-four K’s in 40.2 innings before being bumped up to the Florida State League. He continued his success there, posting a 2.77 ERA in seventeen starts and 100.2 more innings. He struck out eighty-five FSL hitters. His eleven wins on the season ranked fourth in the organization, behind only pitchers that make up this list, and also ranked third in strikeouts and fifth in ERA. Batts received honorable mention in three of the monthly awards rankings, and took home the Pitcher of the Month award in July, when he was 3-0 in five starts with a 1.15 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, .179 batting average against, and 30 K’s compared to just 7 BB’s in 31.1 total innings. #3 – Tyler Duffey, Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings: 22 GS, 7-8, 2.54 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 138.0 IP, 119 H’s, 30 BB’s, 122 K’s. Duffey has made quite an impression with Twins fans after his promotion to the major leagues and continues to do so in their push for the playoffs, but before that he was making quite an impression in Double- and Triple-A too. With the glut of pitching the Twins had to stash in AAA to start the season, Duffey found himself in Chattanooga to start the year despite making some appearances for the Red Wings in 2014. He didn’t stay there long. In eight starts, Duffey racked up 52.2 innings (6.5 innings/start) and struck out fifty-four hitters with a 2.56 ERA. In what would be his final start there, he struck out a season high twelve hitters to earn a promotion back to AAA. He made fourteen more starts with the Red Wings before he found himself in the majors pitching meaningful games with the Twins, which totaled 85.1 innings with a 5-6 record and 2.53 ERA. He struck out sixty-eight and walked just eighteen. With the Twins he has held his own after a rough introduction, and has struck out eight twice in six starts. Duffey reached as high as number two on the monthly award lists (June), and number five another time (July) with one honorable mention (May). #2 – Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels/Fort Myers Miracle: 24 GS, 13-3, 2.01 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 134.1 IP, 95 H’s, 53 BB’s, 132 K’s. Even moreso than Jorge or Batts, Gonsalves was otherworldy to start the year in Cedar Rapids. He made just nine starts there before it was determined he needed to be in the Florida State League. He needed to be there because he was 6-1 in this nine games, with a 1.15 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, just twenty-nine hits and fifteen walks in 55.0 innings, while racking up an astronomical seventy-seven strikeouts. He struck out double-digit hitters in four of those games, including his last two, and did not record fewer strikeouts than innings pitched in any of his starts while Midwest League batters hit just .154 against him. They couldn’t get him to the Florida State League fast enough. While the strikeout numbers didn’t persist for the projectable lefty in the FSL, his overall success did. In fifteen starts with the Miracle, Gonsalves went 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 79.1 more innings. On the year as a whole, Gonsalves did not allow more than three earned runs in any of his twenty-four starts, and surrendered just four home runs the entire season despite being a fly-ball heavy pitcher (0.72 GO/AO ratio). Gonsalves took home the monthly award for April, and was number two for the month of May (though he might as well have won it then too, since it went to Tommy Milone, haha), and appeared at number six again in the month of July. Starting Pitcher of the Year – Jose Berrios, Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings: 27 GS, 14-5, 2.87 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 166.1 IP, 136 H’s, 38 BB’s, 175 K’s. (picture of Berrios by Craig Gordon) As if you didn’t already know?! Jose Berrios came into the 2015 season with lofty expectations for himself. In spring training, he talked about how one of his goals was to break camp with the major league team. It didn’t matter to him that he was just twenty-years old and had made just one appearance above AA in 2014. He certainly didn’t perform himself out of the chance, as he appeared in two games with the major league squad that totaled six innings of 0.00 ERA pitching. But the Twins had a plan for him, and it included getting stretched out for a full minor league season to fully developing their prized young pitcher, who had made quite an impression. It’s hard to argue with the end results, even if you’re in the camp who believes he could be contributing in the majors for the Twins right now (I do! I do!). Berrios returned to the ranks of AA, where he had spent a good portion of his 2014 season with the New Britain Rock Cats of the Eastern League, but with the Twins new affiliate in the Southern League, and the stacked roster of the Chattanooga Lookouts. But he wasn’t about to be overlooked. His first start of the season came on April 10th, and he allowed one earned run in 6.1 innings to pick up his first win. He struck out eleven on just eighty-nine pitches. As the month turned to May, Berrios really started to find his footing in AA. He made six starts on the month, and went 4-1 with a 2.61 ERA. He totaled 41.1 innings, including a two-run, eight inning effort on May 8th that he followed up with a two-hit complete game shutout on May 13th. He made his final start in double-A on June 28th, going seven innings to improve his record to 8-3, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out six. In Rochester, Berrios experienced some early struggles, allowing five runs in each of his first two outings, but he learned quickly. His next start was a seven-inning gem where he allowed just two runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out nine. It was a springboard for the domination he would sustain over the season’s final two months. From that start on July 18th on, Berrios made ten more starts with the Red Wings. He completed seven innings in six of those games, six in three others, and only failed to complete that number in his last start as he was shut down for the year with a well-above his career high 166.1 innings pitched. In a two start stretch in August with General Manager Terry Ryan in attendance, Berrios allowed just one run on only eight hits and one walk, while striking out twenty-two in consecutive seven inning appearances. Ryan had to have his mind made up at that point, as you don’t see that type of dominance and come away unimpressed if auditioning for a major league call-up. It doesn’t get any better than that. As a fitting end to his phenomenal year, Berrios finished the 2015 season by leading all of the minor leagues in strikeouts with 175. Though it might come a year later than he originally had hoped, Berrios is poised to make a strong contribution in the majors in 2015, and who knows, it could be as soon as April (or March?!) 2016 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Obviously, there were some fantastic starting pitcher performances from Twins minor leaguers throughout the system in 2015. Congrats to all the players on a fantastic season that was loads of fun to follow like every year, and get ready for 2016! The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Jose Berrios, 2) Stephen Gonsalves, 3) Mat Batts, 4) Tyler Duffey, 5) Felix Jorge, 6) Pat DeanJeremy Nygaard – 1) Jose Berrios, 2) Stephen Gonsalves, 3) Tyler Duffey, 4) Felix Jorge, 5) Mat Batts, 6) Pat DeanCody Christie – 1) Jose Berrios, 2) Stephen Gonsalves, 3) Felix Jorge, 4) Mat Batts, 5) Aaron Slegers, 6) Tyler DuffeySteve Lein – 1) Jose Berrios, 2) Stephen Gonsalves, 3) Tyler Duffey, 4) Mat Batts, 5) Pat Dean, 6) Felix JorgeEric Pleiss – 1) Jose Berrios, 2) Tyler Duffey, 3) Stephen Gonsalves, 4) Mat Batts, 5) Felix Jorge, 6) Ryan EadesFeel free to discuss. How would your ballot look? 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Pitching wins, right? Well, on a night when Mike Pelfrey got rocked yet again, all four Twins minor league starters posted quality starts. A couple of strong candidates for minor league starting pitcher of the year did what they’ve done all year. And there were some solid hitting performances too.Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 Box Score Pat Dean made the final start of his remarkable 2015 season. Dean improved to 12-11 with a 2.82 ERA after completing his fifth game of the year. In his nine innings, he gave up one run on five hits. He walked none and struck out one. As you would guess, he needed just 97 pitches and 72 of them were strikes. Allan de San Miguel sat on the Rochester DL for most of the whole year. He was added to the roster on Tuesday. In this game, he went 2-3 with his first double. Oswaldo Arcia added his 13th double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Jackson 2 Box Score The Lookouts had a terrific night as they prepare for the Southern League playoffs. They got a strong start from David Hulbut. The southpaw went the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out three. Alex Wimmers and Nick Burdi both struck out two in perfect innings. Nearly everyone contributed to the offensive output. Shannon Wilkerson went 3-5 and stole his 10th base. Stuart Turner was 3-4. Niko Goodrum went 2-4 with a walk. Dalton Hicks and Heiker Meneses each had two hits. Adam Brett Walker hit his 31st double. Max Kepler was 0-2, but he walked three times. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 1 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves’s final start of the season was terrific. He improved to 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA with the Miracle with the win. The lefty went the first six innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Matt Summers earned his first save with three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Bryan Haar led the offense with a 3-4 game. Ryan Walker went 2-4 with a walk, his sixth double and his ninth stolen base. Logan Wade hit his 22nd double. Mitch Garver was 1-3 with a walk and his 24th double. Tanner Vavra went 1-2 with two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 4 Box Score The Kernels gave up the lead in the second half of this game, but they were able to come back and take the lead and secure another win over Wisconsin. Sam Gibbons started. He went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. John Curtiss came on and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. Zach Tillery threw a scoreless eighth and Nick Anderson recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth. TJ White again led the way. He went 2-3 with his 21st double. LaMonte Wade went 2-4. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (5:35 CST) – RHP JO Berrios Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15) – RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:00 CST) – TBD vs Chih-Wei Hu Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

It’s hard to believe that it’s September already. The full minor league seasons will be complete on Labor Day. Both short-season affiliates are now done with their seasons as well. But before we start thinking too much about the 2015 season, let’s take a look at some of the top performers. Today we start with the starting pitchers. As Terry Ryan told local media on Tuesday night, he saw a lot of great performances in the last week while in Rochester.Before getting to the Top 5 starters for the month of August, here are a few starters who just missed the cut but deserve recognition. Honorable Mention LHP – Luke Westphal – Ft. Myers – 5 GS, 1-2, 1.75 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 22 KRHP – Kohl Stewart – Ft. Myers – 4 GS, 2-1, 2.39 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 25 H, 6 BB, 16 KRHP – Andro Cutura – Elizabethton – 5 GS, 1-1, 1.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 25 H, 7 BB, 22 KLHP – Lachlan Wells – GCL Twins – 4 GS, 3-1, 1.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 17 K--- Number 5 – Cedar Rapids Kernels – RHP Keaton Steele – 5 G, 4-1, 2.57 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 35.0 IP, 26 H, 2 BB, 22 K Third time is the charm. After being drafted by the Rays in 2012 and the Royals in 2013, he signed when the Twins used their eighth-round pick in 2014 on the University of Missouri right-hander. He went 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 19 games out of the bullpen for Elizabethton last year. He began this season in extended spring training, but in mid-May he came up and did well out of the rotation. He missed three weeks in July, but has returned strong. In August, opponents hit just .210/.238/.298 (.537). He was 5-5 in quality starts. Overall this year, he is 6-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) for the Kernels. Number 4 – Rochester Red Wings – LHP Logan Darnell – 5 G, 3-1, 2.25 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 32.0 IP, 23 H, 7 BB, 26 K Darnell was the Twins sixth-round draft pick in 2010 out of Kentucky. He made seven appearances, including four starts, for the Twins in 2014. He went to spring training with the Twins this year as a bullpen arm, a role he held through the season’s first four months. However, he made a spot start early in August and stayed in the rotation and put up tremendous numbers. He gave up two runs in 28 innings during his four starts. His third start, he threw a complete game shutout. In his final start of the month, he gave up one run over eight innings. Opponents hit just .195/.238/.280 (.518) against him, making a September call up a possibility. Number 3 – Rochester Red Wings – LHP Pat Dean - 6 GS, 4-2, 2.28 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 43.1 IP, 37 H, 7 BB, 25 K Dean was the Twins third-round pick in 2010 out of Boston College. We Got To Know the southpaw last week in a story in which he talks about his impressive, surprising, successful 2015 season. Overall, he’s 11-11 with a 2.91 ERA in 26 starts and 170 innings. Opponents hit just 233/.265/.277 (.542) against him. His monthly numbers are more impressive when you consider that he gave up seven runs in six innings in one start. However, he threw two complete game shutouts and an eight-inning shutout in the month as well. Number 2 – Rochester Red Wings – RHP JO Berrios - 6 GS, 2-0, 2.03 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 40.0 IP, 30 H, 3 BB, 48 K I think it’s fair to say that JO Berrios has been the biggest topic among Twins fans, with the exception of one Miguel Sano. He continued to put up great numbers through the month of August. Just yesterday, GM Terry Ryan finally announced the Berrios would not be getting called up to the Twins this year. Instead, he will head home for the offseason. He made six starts and the final two were in front of the Twins GM. His worst start, statistically, of the month came against Scranton/Wilkes Barre when he gave up four runs on six hits in six innings. You may recall, he had a no-hitter through six innings in that game. In other words, take away that one inning and the numbers look even more astonishing. On the season, between AA and AAA, he is now 13-5 with a 2.90 ERA. In 26 starts and 161.1 innings, he has walked just 37 while striking out 170 batters, the most in minor league baseball. We’ve all seen , and when I wrote about him being the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2014, teammates raved about him and his work ethic. He even did an interview for Twins Daily in both English and Spanish.And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – LHP Brett Lee - 6 GS, 5-0, 1.30 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 41.2 IP, 29 H, 9 BB, 27 K Lee was drafted by the Pirates in 2009 and the Dodgers in 2010 before signing with the Twins as their 10th round pick in 2011. He was an All-Star in the Florida State League last year, but he missed time with injury. He began this season late again and made six starts for the Miracle before moving up to AA Chattanooga. He struggled some in his transition to the Southern League. Not in terms of runs allowed, but he wasn’t getting through five innings most starts. That changed in August. All six of his starts this month were quality starts. During the month, he reduced his ERA from 4.25 to 2.89. Twins Daily caught up with Lee following his tremendous August performance. Asked if there was a difficult adjustment from the Florida State League to the Southern League, he said, “It was a little tougher adjusting to the smaller strike zone. The hitters are more disciplined at the plate. They have better approaches and know what they’re trying to do. That made me have to make good pitches more consistently, and get ahead in the count.” So to progress, he had to make some adjustments. “I’d say a huge factor for me was lengthening my stride, following through and developing a slider.” He was quick to give credit to his pitching coach with the Lookouts, Stu Cliburn. “Cliburn helped me a lot with it. He showed me some new grips with it, and some things I can do to make sure I can repeat my delivery.” It was a strong month for Brett Lee, but also for several members of the Triple-A Rochester rotation. It’s exciting to see so many strong performances in the upper levels of the Twins minor league system. So there you have it. The top pitchers in the Minnesota Twins farm system in August. What do you think? How would you rank these starting pitchers? Click here to view the article