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The Twins dropped a truly frustrating game in the first half of a doubleheader, and then rode a great debut from Aaron Slegers over 6.1 innings, to win the nightcap. And Glen Perkins pitched for the first time in 10,000 days, or close to that. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday, including three different relievers starting games!Transactions: The Twins recalled Aaron Slegers from Rochester, and Rochester grabbed Yohan Pino from Chattanooga to take Slegers’ spot. As we reported yesterday, Kohl Stewart will be called up to the Red Wings on Friday and make his first AAA start. The Twins recalled Nik Turley from Rochester, optioning Buddy Boshers to Rochester to make room. Cedar Rapids added Amaurys Minier to the seven-day DL, and activated Travis Blankenhorn from the DL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1 @ Columbus 4 Box Score The Red Wings could not figure out Columbus Clippers starter Adam Plutko, who gave up just six hits and struck out six over 7.0 innings. The Clippers bullpen kept the Wings off the board for the rest of the game. With just six hits, and a single run scored, not a great day at the plate for the Red Wings, but Kennys Vargas had a nice day, going 2-4 with a double, and Engelb Vielma was 2-3. Reliever Drew Rucinski started his first game of the year for Rochester and only lasted 2.1 innings, giving up a pair of runs, on a pair of hits. He also walked one and struck out one. Yohan Pino came in and gave the Red Wings 3.1 innings of relief, but he also gave up a pair of runs while giving up three hits, walking no one and striking out three. Mason Melotakis kept the Clippers off the board for five outs, and Luke Bard finished the game, striking out the only two hitters he faced. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga @ Tennessee Box Score With a 6-4 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Lookouts gave up seven runs in the bottom half of the inning when the wheels fell off for Randy Rosario. Rosario pitched a scoreless seventh, and then recorded only one out in the eighth. He was charged with six runs on six hits and two walks. Sam Clay came in and gave up a run of his own, and walked three in just 0.2 innings. Just like that, the game was seemingly out of reach. Chattanooga turned things around in the top of the ninth inning, and thanks in part to SIX walks, took 12-11 lead, pushing their sixth and winning run across on a LaMonte Wade single with just one out in the ninth. Nick Anderson came on for the save, gave up a couple of singles, and struck three guys out to preserve the come- from-behind win for Sam Clay and the Lookouts. LaMonte Wade led the way for the Lookouts on Thursday night, going 3-6 with that game-winning RBI. Edgar Corcino hit his third homer of the season, a grand slam, on a 1-4 night with a walk, a run scored and 5 RBI. Nick Gordon was 1-4 with three RBI and a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Lakeland @ Fort Myers Cancelled – Wet Grounds KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11 @ Burlington 1 Box Score The Kernels dropped a beat-down on the Burlington Bees on Thursday night, defeating the Bees at home, 8-0. Seemingly unable to do any wrong, Royce Lewis had another multi-hit game, going 2-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Aaron Whitefield was 3-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Lewin Diaz added three hits as well, going 3-5 with a double and a run scored. Patrick McGuff, another reliever starting for the Twins MiLB teams on Thursday, went 4.0 innings, gave up no hits, walked two, struck out one, and kept the Bees off the board. Evan Sanders came up with 3.0 scoreless innings of his own, with two hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Colton Davis finished things off, holding the Bees hitless for 2.0 innings, walking no one and striking out two. E-Twins E-Notes Elizabethton 11 @ Bristol 1 Box Score Boom! What a butt kicking by the Elizabethton Twins! The Twins dropped five in the second, two more in the third, and three more in the fourth to go up 10-0 before Bristol knew what hit them. The Twins used 18 hits to batter the Bristol Pirates, including 9-23 with runners in scoring position. J.J. Robinson was 3-5 with a home run. Wander Javier was 2-5 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs scored and Mark Contreras was 4-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored. What a game! The Twins pitching staff had a great night as well, with starter Randy Dobnak picking up his first win of the year, going 6.0 innings, yielding six hits, one run scored, three walks and striking out eight. Blair Lakso gave up a hit over 2.0 innings, and Jose Martinez shut down the Pirates in the ninth, retiring all three batters he faced. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 5 @ GCL Rays 4 Box Score The GCL Twins put up four runs in the top of the first inning, including a pair of runs before getting a hit after leadoff batter Emmanuel advanced to first base after striking out on a throwing error, and then two walks, a passed ball and a pair of ground outs. The other two runs came courtesy of a Jared Akins home run to right field. Akins, a 2017 13th-round draftee hit his second home run in the past week and has multiple hits in three of his last five games. Akins finished the game 2-3, adding a single and a walk. Reliever Austin Bizzle, a 40th-round 2017 draftee, started for the Twins and gave up a run, a hit, a walk, and struck out one in 1.0 inning of work. He was replaced quickly by Landon Leach who went 4.0 innings, who gave up a pair of runs and hits. Carlos Suniaga finished things up for the Twins, pitching 4.0 innings, giving up just one hit, an unearned run (two fielding errors in the 9th from Roni Tapia), and he struck out three. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras, Elizabethton Twins FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville (6:05pm) – Kohl Stewart (AAA debut) Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:00pm) – Felix Jorge (9-3, 3.52) Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:00pm) - Clark Beeker (0-0, -.--) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) – Anthony Marzi (4-2, 2.11) Elizabethton @ Bristol (5:00pm) – Bailey Ober (1-1, 2.12) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games. Click here to view the article

Good thing that the Twins won on Monday night against the Brewers because their five affiliates that played all lost. That isn’t to say there weren’t some solid performances. And, as we know, winning isn’t the most important thing in the minor leagues. Player development is. But, learning how to win and being part of that atmosphere can be an important part of development. This year, the combined record of the Twins affiliates ranks second in baseball to the Yankees organization. There are a lot of really good things going on in the Twins minor leagues.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday. Let’s start with the transactions of the day: As we heard on Sunday night, LHP Stephen Gonsalves and RHP Luke Bard have been promoted to AAA Rochester. On Monday morning, more parts of the transaction were announced:OF Edgar Corcino was sent back to the Lookouts. With Zack Granite returning to the Red Wings, and Daniel Palka now healthy, and JB Shuck in the picture, it makes sense to send Corcino to Chattanooga where he will play. Also, as mentioned yesterday, LaMonte Wade was placed on the disabled list.RHP DJ Baxendale was also sent from the Red Wings to the Lookouts.The other part of the move is Sam Clay’s promotion from Ft. Myers to Chattanooga.His season has been half-interesting, half-remarkable. In his first outing, he gave up six earned runs on 0.2 inning. Then he went 13 games (24.1 innings) without allowing a run. He then gave up one run in back-to-back games. Since then, he’s pitched in 20 games (31.0 IP) without allowing a run.Also, about a week ago, the Twins released infielder Zaino Henriquez from the Dominican Summer League roster. The Curacao native did a Q&A with Jeremy before the 2015 season. He had signed with the Twins in August 2015 at the age of 16.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 1, Columbus 4 Box Score Tim Melville was on the mound for the Red Wings, and as he has been since signing from the Atlantic League, he was very good. The right-hander gave up one run on one hit over seven innings. He walked three batters, but he struck out nine. When he left the game, it was tied at one. Drew Rucinski entered and because of an error, he was charged with three unearned runs on four hits in the eighth inning. He struck out two. Michael Tonkin came on and struck out the side in the ninth. Daniel Palka went 2-4. The Red Wings run scored on a single off the bat of Matt Hague. It scored Niko Goodrum, who had knocked his 23rd double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 9 Box Score It was another Fernando Romero outing, which is normally a very good thing. On this night, Romero had one of those clunkers that every pitcher experiences. He gave up single runs in the first and second innings before giving up four runs in the third. He settled down and ended his night with two scoreless innings. In all, he gave up six runs on nine hits over five innings. He walked none and also struck out none. Dereck Rodriguez made his second straight appearance out of the bullpen. He gave up three runs on seven hits in his three innings. He struck out three. Todd Van Steensel dropped his season ERA to 1.45 with a scoreless ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 5 Box Score Take away the bottom of the third, and the Miracle would have posted a win, even a shutout, but that’s not how it works. Eduardo Del Rosario started, and he gave up five runs on six hits and four walks. The damage all came in that third inning. Williams Ramirez struck out two over two scoreless innings. Then Michael Theofanopoulos struck out one over two scoreless innings. The Miracle tried to come back. Brent Rooker went 2-4, and his three-run homer in the sixth inning cut the Miracle deficit to just 5-4. But they were unable to push another run across the plate. Mitchell Kranson and Brandon Lopez each had two base hits. Jaylin Davis and Tanner English each added a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 7 Box Score The game was close throughout until a four-run eighth inning gave the TimberRattlers the final margin of victory. Ben Rortvedt and Trey Cabbage combined to give the Kernels their two runs. In the second inning, Rortvedt doubled and later scored on a Cabbage single. Again in the fourth, Rortvedt doubled, his 14th of the year. Two batters later, Cabbage knocked him in with a sacrifice fly. Eight of the nine Kernels hitters had at least one hit, but they were only able to score the two runs. 12 strikeouts may have played a factor in that too. Tyler Beardlsey started and went the first 4.2 innings. He was charged with three runs on three hits and three walks. He struck out two. Patrick McGuff came on and threw 2.1 scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out two. Colton Davis has been arguably the most consistent Kernels reliever all year, but it started out rough. The first batter of the eighth inning homered, and they added three more runs off of the Kernels reliever. His ERA jumped from 2.52 to 3.18 in this outing. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton, Bluefield Box Score The game was postponed by rain. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Orioles 6 Box Score There was very little offense for the Twins in this game. Alex Robles had the lone hit for the team. Colton Burns had the lone walk. Henry Centeno made his third rehab appearance. He went 2.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits. He struck out three without issuing a walk. Jordan Balazovic came on and gave up five runs (three earned) on eight hits in 3.1 innings. He walked three and struck out two. Taylor Clemensia threw two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit, walked one and struck out one. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tim Melville, Rochester Red Wings. Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brent Rooker, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Hector Santiago Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons Elizabethton @ Bluefield (DH at 4:05 CST) - RHP Melvi Acosta, RHP Nick Brown GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00 am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The last two days, we’ve handed out our July Twins Minor League Hitter and Starting Pitcher of the Month Awards. Today, we’ll take a look at the top relievers in the Twins system in July. It was extremely difficult to come up with the top six because there were so many good candidates. However, we did it, and our honorable mention list is huge too, so let’s get started. If you missed any of the previous July awards, click the following links: Hitter of the Month - Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga LookoutsStarting Pitcher of the Month - Aaron Slegers, Rochester Red WingsBefore we share our Twins Daily Minor League Top 6 Relievers for July, here are some terrific bullpen performances that just missed the cut. It may have been a shorter list to jot down which minor league relievers didn’t have a good month out of the bullpen. HONORABLE MENTION Luke Bard - Chattanooga Lookouts - 10 G, 14.1 IP, 14 H, 5 BB, 16 K, 1.26 ERA, 1.33 WHIP.John Curtiss - Rochester Red Wings - 9 G, 9.2 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 17 K, 3.72 ERA, 1.03 WHIP.Colton Davis - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 8 G, 9.1 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 10 K, 0.00 ERA, 1.1 WHIP.Raul Fernandez - Chattanooga Lookouts - 7 G, 15.1 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 20 K, 0.59 ERA, 1.11 WHIP.Logan Lombana - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 7 G, 12.2 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 10 K, 1.42 ERA, 0.79 WHIP.Hector Lujan - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 9 G, 11.2 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 14 K, 0.77 ERA, 1.03 WHIP.Jose Martinez - Elizabethton Twins - 5 G, 9.1 IP, 8 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0.96 ERA, 0.86 WHIP.Mason Melotakis - Rochester Red Wings - 8 G, 9.2 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 9 K, 1.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP.Alex Muren - Ft. Myers Miracle - 9 G, 14.2 IP, 14 H, 3 BB, 15 K, 1.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP.Alex Robinson - Ft. Myers Miracle - 8 G, 11.1 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 22 K, 1.59 ERA, 0.97 WHIP.Randy Rosario - Chattanooga Lookouts - 9 G, 16.0 IP, 14 H, 4 BB, 8 K, 1.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP.Drew Rucinski - Rochester Red Wings - 7 G, 11.1 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 11 K, 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP.Michael Tonkin - Rochester Red Wings - 8 G, 10.0 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 13 K, 0.90 ERA, 1.10 WHIP.Alex Wimmers - Rochester Red Wings - 8 G, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 12 K, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP.THE TOP SIX RELIEF PITCHERS #6 - Todd Van Steensel - Chattanooga Lookouts - 9 G, 1.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 12 H, 4 BB, 21 K It seems like Todd Van Steensel has been around the Twins organization for a long time. He has, even if not all of the time has been continuous . Originally signed by the Phillies, he pitched for them in 2009. The Twins signed him in 2011 and he pitched (primarily as a starter) for Elizabethton. The Twins let him go at that time, and he pitched in Europe and in his native Australia. But before the 2014 season, the Twins signed him again, and he’s been really good ever since. He pitched in Cedar rapids that season. He pitched in 101 games out of the Miracle bullpen over three years. Last year, he made his AA debut late in the season. He was set to stay in Ft. Myers to start this season, but last minute, he had to drive himself to Chattanooga because of some plane scheduling issues. And as always, he’s been very good. In July, opponents hit just .190/.246/.254 (.500) which is really impressive when you realize that he threw 18 innings, most among Twins relievers in the month by two innings.He’s always been able to miss bats, but he threw a lot of strikes in July, the one thing that he has struggled with to some degree in the past. Overall this season, he is 4-2 with a 1.52 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. In 47.1 innings, he has 19 walks and 51 strikeouts. Van Steensel continues to fly under the radar. #5 - Andrew Vasquez - Ft. Myers Miracle - 9 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 20 K Andrew Vasquez is another relatively unknown Twins minor league relief prospect. That’s easy to happen because relievers don’t get talked about as much as starters and position players. But that’s reason #194 why we want to highlight relievers each month here at Twins Daily. Vasquez is becoming more known because he’s been showing up on these reports consistently. Recently, he ended a streak of 30.1 scoreless innings. He did not give up a run from May 16th until August 3rd. Which brings us to his July performance. He did not give up a run, obviously. He allowed very few base runners. He can get a lot of strikeouts, and he’s got good control. Opponents hit just .212/.281/.231 (.511). Between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, Vasquez has a 1.15 ERA and a 1.00 ERA. In 47 innings, he’s walked 15 batters and struck out 72 (13.8 K/9!). At this rate, lots more Twins fans will know about the former 32nd-round pick from 2015 from Westmont College. #4 - Sam Clay - Ft. Myers Miracle - 9 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 5 H, 9 BB, 13 K Sam Clay has had a real good year in his transition from starter to reliever (which he had been at Georgia Tech too). Overall this year for the Miracle, he is 8-0 with nine saves. He’s got a 1.29 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. Those numbers are even more impressive when you remember that his first appearance of the year did not go well. He gave up six earned runs in 0.2 innings. Since that game, he has given up two earned runs in 55.1 innings (0.33 ERA). His current streak is 29 straight scoreless innings. How he’s stayed in Ft. Myers all year is beyond my knowledge. In July, batters hit just .119/.275/.119 (.394) off him. If there is one area that he’s struggled, it is with his control. He has 28 walks in 56 innings this year, with 56 strikeouts. I guess we can say that he is effectively wild. #3 - Tom Hackimer - Ft. Myers Miracle - 10 G, 0.68 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 17 K Hackimer was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2016 as a senior out of St. John’s University. At 5-11 and stocky, Hackimer doesn’t look like a typical Twins pitcher. And he doesn’t throw like one either. Well, literally he throws like one Twins pitcher… Trevor Hildenberger. Hackimer throws from the side which can be real tough on opposing hitters. He ended last year in Cedar Rapids, and that’s where he began this season. With the Kernels, he posted a 1.50 ERA and a 0.58 WHIP in 24 innings before a late-May promotion to the Miracle. In 25.1 innings with Ft. Myers, he’s got a 1.07 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. In July, opponents hit just .095/.220/.095 (.315). #2 - Patrick McGuff - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 9 G, 0.56 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 16.0 IP, 8 H, 4 BB, 25 K A year ago, Patrick McGuff was the Twins 36th-round pick out of Morehead State. He began in the GCL where he threw 5.2 scoreless innings before moving up to Elizabethton. He continued to pitch well there as he picked up nine saves and struck out 33 in 26 innings. He was called up to the Kernels and helped them in the postseason. It was a surprise when he began this season in extended spring training. He was brought up to the Kernels at the end of May. He struggled for a couple of weeks, but the last six weeks, he’s been really good (as indicated by his July numbers). Opponents hit just .148/.220/.222 (.443) off him in the month. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – RHP Nick Anderson - 10 G, 0.87 ERA, 0.39 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 14 K It’s been a wild and interesting ride for Nick Anderson in his career since graduating from Brainerd High School. He went to St. Cloud State for three years before going to Mayville State. He was drafted by the Brewers, but they didn’t even offer him a contract. So, he had to go the independent ball route. Late in the 2015 season, he was signed by the Twins, and he’s been terrific since. He ended that season closing games for the Kernels. He split the 2016 season between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He began this season with the Miracle as well. In 15 games, he posted a 0.89 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. He has pitched in 18 games with the Lookouts and posted a 1.19 ERA with a 0.79 WHIP. And July was a big part of that. Anderson dominated hitters in July. They hit just .088/.139/.147 (.286) off him. He has a good, mid-90s fastball, and he throws a lot of strikes. But he also is able to miss bats. Already 26, he’s one of several Lookouts relievers who are ready for Triple-A, and they all become intriguing options for an organization whose big league club is in need of bullpen options. There were a lot of very strong relief pitcher performances in July throughout the Twins minor league system. There aren’t a lot of months with this many Honorable Mentions. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent month of relief work. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for July 2017, Nick Anderson. Click here to view the article

Short season pitchers can be tough to evaluate. One bad outing when players have limited innings can really skew a player's overall numbers. Should fans only be looking at the players who are starters? Can a relief pitcher be the best player on a short season team and the best short season pitcher? As evidenced by the ballots below, the Twins Daily minor league writing team had a tough time voting for this award. The overall winner was left off one person's ballot, was fifth on another ballot, but he was the only player to make it onto four ballots. The third place winner only made it on to two ballots, but he finished first on both of those ballots. And a relief pitcher came in second place!The five Twins Daily Minor League Report authors were asked to vote for the various awards. For the short-season pitcher of the year, we each voted for five players. The player who was voted as #1 received five points, #2 received four points and so on with the #5 vote receiving one point. Results were tabulated and can be found below. First, a reminder of our previous awards: Short-Season Hitter of the Year – Lewin DiazShort profiles of our top five are to follow, but first, some players worthy of honorable mention. Honorable Mention: Brady Anderson, GCL Twins: 13 G, 9 GS, 5-0, 1.43 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 56.2 IP, 43 H, 0 BB, 42 K.Moises Gomez, GCL Twins: 13 G, 0 GS, 3-0, 1.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 32.2 IP, 29 H, 11 BB, 21 K.Miguel De Jesus, GCL Twins/ Elizabethton Twins : 11 G, 11 GS, 3-3, 2.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 53.0 IP, 37 H, 19 BB, 47 K.Pitcher of the Year Here are the top five vote-getters for Twins Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. #4 (Tie) –Tyler Wells, Elizabethton Twins: 10 GS, 5-2, 3.23 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 47.1 IP, 40 H, 17 BB, 59 K. Wells ended on quite the stretch for the E-Twins. He earned victories in his last four starts (24.1 IP) and he posted a 0.74 ERA and a 27 to 7 strikeout-to-walk ratio during that stretch. He lowered his ERA by 3.24 between July and August while decreasing his walk rate and his WHIP. Wells was particularly effective against right-handed batters as he collected 34 strikeouts compared to six walks over 112 at-bats. #4 (Tie) – Taylor Clemensia, GCL Twins: 11 G, 10 GS, 1-4, 2.47 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 43.2 IP, 27 H, 26 BB, 47 K. Clemensia joined the Twins organization this season after pitching last year in the Dutch Major League. He got off to a strong start as he allowed two earned runs and held opponents to a .083 batting average through his first four appearances. Walks have been the biggest struggle for Clemensia as he has allowed batters to get on base over 31% of the time. #3 – Bo Hellquist, GCL Twins: 11 GS, 3-2, 1.34 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 60.2 IP, 46 H, 15 BB, 49 K. Hellquist, an Edina native and a University of Minnesota-Duluth product, has been very consistent this season as he didn't allow more than one earned run in his first 10 appearances. In his last outing, he allowed three earned runs but he struck out six on the way to his fifth victory. His ERA was 2.50 or lower in each month of the season. Even though he is a lefty, Hellquist fared better against right-handed foes. Lefties posted a .705 OPS and a 9 to 2 strikeout to walk ratio (56 AB) while righties had a .571 OPS and a 37 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio (156 ABs). He struck out five or more batters in four of his eleven appearances and he never walked more than two batters in a game. #2 – Patrick McGuff, Elizabethton Twins/GCL Twins 22 G, 17 GF, 2-0, 2.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 26 H, 10 BB, 42 K. During his professional debut, McGuff has shown plenty of positive signs. He started the year with four appearances out of the GCL Twins bullpen. He picked up two saves and only allowed three base runners during that stretch. He struck out nine and didn't issue a walk before being promoted to the E-Twins. He continued his hot pitching after being promoted. Through his first six appearances with Elizabethton, he didn't allow an earned run and he posted a 17 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio. Over his next four games, he allowed a pair of earned runs but he was still able to pick up saves in two of those outings. Across his last eight games (11.0 IP), he has earned a save or victory as the E-Twins were in the midst of the playoff hunt. Opponents were limited to a .275 SLG during this stretch and he had a 12 to 2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Pitcher of the Year – Huascar Ynoa, GCL Twins : 11 G, 11 GS, 3-5, 3.88 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 51.0 IP, 44 H, 12 BB, 51 K. In his first year of baseball in the United States, Ynoa took a while to get the ball rolling. Through his first five appearances (27.1 IP), he had an 0-4 record but combined for a respectable 2.96 ERA with a 31 to 7 strikeout to walk ratio. Opponents were hitting .241/.299/.287 against him during this stretch but he wasn't able to earn a win. As the calendar flipped to August, Ynoa began to find his groove. He reeled off three straight wins to start the month when he pitched five innings in every outing and allowed only one earned run. He collected 13 strikeouts and only two walks through those three games as opponents were limited to a .426 OPS and a .243 BABIP. His last two starts were not as clean as he allowed nine runs (eight earned runs) in 8.2 innings of work. Batters were getting on over 32% of the time and he allowed more than a hit per inning. Even with this rough end to the season, Ynoa did well enough to be the Twins best short season pitcher. There you have it, the top pitchers in the short season leagues. The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Patrick McGuff, 2.) Moises Gomez, 3.) Huascar Ynoa, 4.) Jordan Balazovic, 5.) Taylor ClemensiaJeremy Nygaard – 1) Huascar Ynoa, 2.) Taylor Clemensia, 3.) Brady Anderson , 4.) Miguel De Jesus, 5.) Patrick McGuffCody Christie – 1) Bo Hellquist, 2.) Tyler Wells, 3.) Huascar Ynoa, 4.) Tyler Beardsley, 5.) Miguel De JesusSteve Lein – 1) Brady Anderson, 2.) Patrick McGuff, 3.) Tyler Wells, 4.) Miguel De Jesus, 5.) Huascar YnoaEric Pleiss – 1) Bo Hellquist, 2.) Taylor Clemensia, 3.) Colton Davis, 4.) Tyler Wells, 5.) Moises GomezFeel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look? Click here to view the article

Several of the Twins 2016 draft picks, and a few undrafted free agents, have had very nice starts to their professional careers. Some in the GCL. Some in Elizabethton. And several have already spent time in Cedar Rapids. On Thursday night in Burlington, North Carolina, Patrick McGuff picked up his sixth save for the Elizabethton Twins. The right-hander was the Twins 36th-round pick in June out of Morehead State. He began his pro career in the Gulf Coast League where he threw 5.2 shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out nine. He was promoted to Elizabethton where his scoreless streak at the start of his career reached 15 innings. In total with the E-Twins, he has given up just two earned runs in 18.2 innings (0.82 ERA). He has walked seven and struck out 27.Recently, McGuff was kind enough to answer some of our questions about his two-month pro career and what led him to this point. Thank you Patrick, for your time and thought-filled responses. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Ohio, what was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Patrick McGuff (PM): Growing up around Cincinnati I was a huge Reds fan throughout my life. I always loved watching Ken Griffey Jr. play. He was definitely my favorite player. SS: What were some of the better memories of your high school baseball career? Did you play other sports or were you involved in other activities? PM: Some of the better memories of my high school baseball career came from being a younger guy on the varsity baseball team. I really enjoyed hanging out with the older guys as a freshman and sophomore on the varsity team and the guys really made me feel like I belonged. My junior and senior years were a blast too, I really enjoyed the staff there we always had a lot of fun. I also played basketball in high school up until my junior year when I decided to not play my senior year and focus on baseball. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and what was it about Sinclair that made you want to go there? PM: The recruitment process for me wasn’t very active in high school. I had no Division 1 offers. I had a lot of D2 and D3 offers to play as a position player but I felt my future was in pitching so I decided to go with the junior college route. I originally started at Wabash Valley College in IL my freshman year but decided to transfer to Sinclair for my sophomore season. Sinclair had a very good history of winning and sending guys to quality schools, Coach Dintaman is an incredible coach. I loved my time at Sinclair and would consider it to be one of the best baseball decisions in my career. SS: What were a couple of your highlights from your two college years at Morehead State? PM: Winning our conference tournament my junior year was a big highlight for my career at Morehead State. With that win it led us to a regional at Louisville which was also an incredible experience. I had a ton of fun that year and winning came so easy to our team it was extremely fun to watch and be a part of. A highlight from my senior year was for three of our guys to go in this past year’s draft. Matt Anderson (Pirates) and Tyler Keele (Diamondbacks) were some of my closest friends, and I was extremely happy all three of us got the opportunity to play at the next level. Morehead State was filled with many good memories. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? Did you have any idea where in the draft you might be selected? What was your interaction with the Twins scout? PM: I didn’t have a whole lot of interaction with scouts until the end of the season. I started the year slow but finished very strong which put a good impression on a few scouts. I had an idea I would go late but honestly did not know if I would go at all. I filled out some paperwork for the scout that drafted me (Alan Sandberg) after I threw in our conference tournament but didn’t hear from him again until draft day. SS: The Twins took you in the 36th round. How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy was your phone at that moment? PM: I found out I had been drafted from Alan giving me a call saying that he thought they were going to take me with their next pick. I was sitting on our couch at home with my mom and dad and we heard it over the radio broadcast of the draft and we went crazy. It was one of the happiest days of my life. After I had been drafted Alan called me back and my phone was going crazy. It was a good feeling and a good reminder of how much support I have throughout this journey. SS: What has the adjustment like for you, from the amateur/college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? PM: At first the adjustment was a little tough going into college. I was a little bit of a hot head in high school so realizing how much I represented on and off the field and how I need to present myself in a professional matter at all times was different. Luckily I had very good college coaches to guide me throughout the processes on and off the field. Coach McGuire at Morehead constantly preaches on how to be a professional on and off the field and I was lucky to have him guide me throughout the process. SS: You put up great numbers in five appearances in the GCL, and now have been very good in Elizabethton. You had the long 15 inning scoreless streak to start your pro career. Are you at all surprised to have experienced such success already, and what do you think has been the biggest reason for the success? PM: I have been very blessed to start my career with the success I have had. It was a good feeling to have and a feeling that I did belong in professional baseball. I believe my biggest reason for my success so far has been my aggressiveness at everyone I face. I pride myself in attacking the zone and being able to throw all four of my pitches for strikes. SS: At this very early stage in your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths? PM: I think my biggest strength is my mentality. I feel like I have a good mentality on going at every hitter and not allowing a free pass. Another strength is the ability to throw four pitches for strikes in any count. SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve? PM: I would definitely like to improve my velocity in the off season. Adding some more sharpness to a couple of my pitches will also definitely help me be a better pitcher. SS: Do you know if you’ll head to Instructs, or will you be going back to school in the offseason? What was your major in school? PM: I am heading back to school once the season is done. I was pursuing a health and physical education degree but I have changed my major to University Studies due to the fact I will graduate this December. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? PM: My parents have definitely helped me get to this point in my career. They have been very supportive throughout my life and I could never thank them enough. Also coach McGuire at Morehead and Coach Dintaman at Sinclair, they were phenomenal coaches and I couldn’t have been in better hands throughout my college career. Another person is Alan Embree my summer pitching coach the past 2 summers, he helped me so much with my mentality and how to go about getting batters out. SS: Favorite baseball movie? PM: Definitely Bull Durham. Again, thank you to Patrick McGuff for taking time to answer our questions. Please feel free to ask any questions you would like in the comments. Click here to view the article

After reviewing the top hitters in the Twins system in June yesterday, it’s time to consider who the top pitchers were in July. Tomorrow we’ll take a lot at the top starting pitchers, but today you’ll be able to see which relief pitchers performed well in July. There were quite a few solid performances.In case you missed them here are the previous July winners, we named Cedar Rapids Kernels first baseman Zander Wiel the Hitter of the Month. First, a number of relievers worthy of mention: RHP DJ Baxendale (Rochester) - 11 G, 1.64 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 11.0 IP,9 H, 3 BB, 11 KLHP Sean Burnett (Rochester) - 10 G, 1.74 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 10 KLHP Ryan O'Rourke (Rochester - 11 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 12 KRHP Marcus Walden (Rochester) - 10 G, 2.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 13 H, 2 BB, 12 KRHP Zack Jones (Chattanooga) - 11 G, 1.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 17 KRHP Jake Reed (Chattanooga) - 10 G, 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 8 H, 6 BB, 18 KRHP Thomas Hackimer (Cedar Rapids) - 8 G, 1.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, H BB, 5 BB, 10 KLHP Anthony McIver (Cedar Rapids) - 8 G, 2.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 12 H, 4 BB, 13 KRHP Colton Davis (Elizabethton) - 8 G, 3.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 18 KRHP Moises Gomez (GCL) - 6 G, 0.60 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 15.0 IP, 16 H, 4 BB, 13 KRHP Callan Pearce (GCL) - 9 G, 0.73 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 14 KTHE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS Number 5 - Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids – LHP Andrew Vasquez - 7 G, 2.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 9 H, 6 BB, 24 K Andrew Vasquez was the Twins 32nd round pick in 2015 out of Westmont College in California. He began in the GCL last year where he walked 15 and struck out 22 in 12.1 innings. The 6-6 left-hander began this season in extended spring training and then started games in Elizabethton where he pitched four games. A week into July, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids. There, he has 15 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. Overall for the month, he was 3-0 in the month. Opponents hit .170/.279/.226 (.505). Number 4 – Rochester – RHP JT Chargois - 8 G, 1.54 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 12 K Chargois has been a regular in these monthly relief pitcher reports. He has had a tremendous year . In July, he pitched in the Futures Game. While that didn’t go so well for him, the regular season games went better. Opponents hit just .214/.250/.286 (.536) against him. The 25-year-old has continued to show good control throughout the season. He recorded three saves in July. The team’s 2012 second-round pick has one big league appearance, but he should be up again in the very near future. Number 3 – Rochester – RHP Alex Wimmers - 10 G, 1.42 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 7 H, 6 BB, 13 K Wimmers was the Twins 1st-round draft pick in 2010 out of Ohio State. He has certainly had problems through his professional career. He’s had control issues. He’s had Tommy John surgery. Through all the struggles, however, he appears to have found a role and experienced a lot of success in the Red Wings bullpen. Overall, he’s posted a 3.35 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 32 games and 43 innings in Rochester. He was even better in July. Opponents hit just .159/.260/.182 (.442) during the month. He was 1-0 with two saves. He may not be the mid-rotation starter that people envisioned when he was selected late in the first round six years ago, but it is possible that the now-27-year-old can reach the big leagues in the bullpen. He can become a free agent at the end of the season unless he’s on the 40-man roster. Number 2 –GCL/Elizabethton – RHP Patrick McGuff - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 22 K McGuff was the Twins 39th-round pick in June out of Morehead State. After four games and 5.2 scoreless innings in the GCL, he was promoted to Elizabethton. He finished July with 8.2 scoreless innings for the E-Twins. For the month, he went 0-0 with two saves and 12.1 scoreless innings. He also struck out 22 batters in those innings, a 16.1 K/9 rate. Oppenents hit just .159/.245/.159 (.404) against him. He did give up one run in his first appearances of August to end his scoreless streak at 15.0 innings to start his career. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – RHP Trevor Hildenberger - 11 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 16 K For the second straight month, Hildenberger is our choice for pitcher of the month. He has been a regular on these relief pitcher of the month posts all season, and all of 2015 when he was the Twins Daily Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015. He was the Twins 22nd-round pick in 2014 after five seasons at Cal-Berkeley. After spending that summer in the GCL, he began last year in Cedar Rapids where he posted a 0.80 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP in 28 games (45 innings). He was promoted to the Miracle where he had a 3.32 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in 13 games and 19 innings. He went to the Arizona Fall League where he had a 2.13 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in 12.2 innings. He began 2016 in Ft. Myers where he continued to dominate. He posted a 0.96 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in six games before being promoted to Chattanooga. In 32 games (38.2 innings), he is 2-3 with 16 saves. He has a 0.70 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP. He has 10.5 K/9 and throws a ton of strikes, walking just 1.4 per nine innings. At the end of last week, Hildenberger was placed on the Disabled List with right elbow tendinitis. Hopefully it will be a short stint on the DL and he can get to Rochester before the season ends. There were several very strong relief pitcher performances in July. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent month of July. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for July 2016, Trevor Hildenberger. Click here to view the article