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There’s really no argument to make that the most important positions on a baseball diamond remain the shortstop and centerfielder. Both represent some of a team’s best talents, and their most impactful players. Throw in the starting pitcher and you have a trifecta of needs. For Minnesota, the shortstop position has been a black hole for nearly two decades. Image courtesy of Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports This offseason Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are faced with a decision as to how much money they will offer Carlos Correa to remain in a Twins uniform. It probably won’t be the most money he gets offered, and it’s ultimately unlikely that he returns to Minnesota. Even if he does though, he’d join Jorge Polanco and Pedro Florimon as the only shortstops to start consecutive Opening Day games since Cristian Guzman in 2004. Looking back at the list for Minnesota, it’s been a revolving door at one of baseball’s most important positions. Prior to Correa, it was Andrelton Simmons, Polanco, Eduardo Escobar, Danny Santana, Florimon, Jamey Carroll, Alexi Casilla, J.J. Hardy, Nick Punto, Adam Everett, Jason Bartlett, and Juan Castro. It’s a group that features zero superstars, and even fewer regular talents. Over the past two decades, Terry Ryan, Bill Smith, and Derek Falvey have all but punted on continuity for one of the most important positions on the diamond. Signing Correa to a long-term deal is the only way to snuff this scenario out. The Twins are faced with an interesting situation this offseason. Correa’s $35.1 million deal for 2022 was always looked at like a one-year agreement. Despite being a three-year contract, the player options following each of the first two years allowed the former Houston Astros superstar an opportunity to get paid. Yes, the Twins could’ve done that during the season, or immediately after, but his best bet was always to consult the open market. Yes, Royce Lewis looked the part of an eventual superstar, but we’re dealing with a very small sample size. Austin Martin doesn’t appear to be a long-term answer at shortstop, and while Brooks Lee might be, he certainly isn’t ready to take over the position on Opening Day in 2023. Again, we revert back to Correa as the lone answer for continuity going forward. As good teams go, so do their superstars. The Twins are again in a position to figure out where they turn. Another star starting pitching option is probably necessary, and if Correa isn’t the answer at shortstop, then someone else has to be. They shored up the centerfield position with Byron Buxton, even if he’s only available for a portion of the season. For the Minnesota fan, you have to be hoping an emergence of the next Guzman happens sooner rather than later. To be fair, Guzman was not a good player. He posted an 80 OPS+, well below league average offensively. He held down the position until someone else was available, however, and was a mainstay during a period in which baseball was evaluated differently. Now knowing how integral the up-the-middle positions are, it’s time for Falvey and Levine to get the spot right. If they aren’t going to pay Correa, there better be a rock-solid belief in one of the internal option's ability to be a multi-year starter into the foreseeable future. View full article

It’s been a long time since the Twins have had anything close to a franchise shortstop. After years of drafting and signing possible suitors, however, the Twins may have finally hit on a prospect who can one day man one of the weakest positions in their franchise history. The Twins opted to draft Noah Miller 36th overall in the 2021 draft after taking right-handed pitcher Chase Petty with their first pick. Petty got a deserved amount of hype for his triple-digit fastball and future upside as a stud pitcher, but Miller appears to have gotten overshadowed just a bit too much. Noah Miller boasts fantastic contact ability with a great eye at the plate, average speed, and developing power. He pairs his raw skills with highly touted athleticism and baseball IQ, all of which adds up to a fantastic floor even for a player drafted out of high school. His lack of standout offensive ability would give him the ceiling of a decent major league player if he has to move to a position like outfield or second base, but there appears to be more and more optimism in his ability to remain at shortstop. Miller falls into the mid-teens across most Twins prospect ranking lists. Keith Law of the Athletic, however, recently released his ranking of the Twins system and bumped Miller all the way up to 10. For those unfamiliar with Law, he’s recognized for being particularly pessimistic (or perhaps realistic) when it comes to ranking prospects. Law essentially believes in Miller’s safe offensive profile and more importantly his ability to play a sufficient shortstop. While Miller doesn’t have the ceiling to be the next Fernando Tatis Jr. or Wander Franco, Law believes Miller has an achievable ceiling as an everyday contributor at the position. An evaluator as highly regarded as Keith Law making such a statement should be exciting, and Twins fans in particular should have an appreciation for this possibility playing out. It seems to be a yearly tradition where the Twins either draft or internationally sign a significant number of shortstops and fans ask “Why?”. Despite the perception of casting a wide net at this position, the Twins have made little progress in developing any players who are anywhere near a lock to be the long-term answer. Typically we see these “shortstops” Make a pivot elsewhere on the diamond shortly thereafter. In regards to the history of the Minnesota Twins, Jorge Polanco was the starting shortstop in consecutive Opening Days in 2019 and 2020. Before him Pedro Florimon earned that honor in 2013 and 2014. Since 2004 however when Christian Guzman made his 6th consecutive Opening Day start, the position has essentially been a revolving door. Miller may be a long way off from Major League action at just 19 years old, but his offensive skillset that made him a first round pick is also one that gives him a relatively good shot at an MLB career. Twins fans saw with Aaron Sabato in 2021 that even in the first round there’s significant risk with prospects that have a feast or famine slugger profile. While prospects are always risky, Miller’s contact ability alone may give him a slightly better chance of overcoming the minor league gauntlet over the next few years. The bar is admittedly set quite low when it comes to shortstops in Twins territory. That being said, if Noah Miller has a full 2022 of proving he can do it at shortstop, his notoriety is going to go through the roof. For as much flak as the Twins get for their pitching development, taking a first-round shortstop who actually pans out would be an incredible development for the organization. There are a lot of MLB-ready prospects to watch in 2022, but none have an opportunity to raise their stock quite as much as Noah Miller. We won’t see him in Minneapolis this summer, but we just may be talking about him as the future franchise shortstop by this time next year. — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Follow Cody Pirkl on Twitter here View full article

The Minnesota Twins exploded for six runs in the top of the tenth inning after they squandered three early game runs and beat the Kansas City Royals. Jordan Schafer continues to hit the ball well for the Twins and he had three more hits on Thursday against Kansas City. Down in the minor leagues the season is entering the final weekend. Let's take a look at the affiliates.Red Wings Report Rochester 6, Syracuse 3 Box The Red Wings took the lead in the seventh inning and went on to defeat the Syracuse Chiefs and are now just two games out of the wild card spot with four games to go. The Wings control their own postseason fate and could squeeze into a spot with wins in their final four games, with two against Buffalo and finishing the season with a pair against Wild Card leading Pawtucket. Virgil Vasquez, one of Rochester's most reliable starters, lasted only four innings. He gave up five hits, four walks, two earned runs and he struck out five. Vasquez turned things over to Logan Darnell, making a rare appearance out of the bullpen, and gave the Wings 3.2 innings of one-hit baseball. The one hit went over the fence for a solo home run, but with Rochester scoring five runs between the sixth and eighth innings, Darnell picked up the win. Stephen Pryor pitched a scoreless inning and Michael Tonkin earned a one-out save to close out the victory. Pedro Florimon led the way for the Red Wings, going 3-4 with a run scored, a triple and three RBIs. Chris Herrmann hit a home run for the second night in a row and finished 2-4. Chris Rahl, making his first start since an early August DL trip, was 2-4 as well. Rock Cats Review New Britain 5, Binghamton 3 Box Jason Wheeler pitched seven innings of one run baseball and has nothing to show for it after Edgar Ibarra gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth and left Wheeler with no decision. Wheeler struck out four, walked one and gave up his only run on a solo home run in the first inning. Ibarra, despite blowing the save, earned the win when the Rock Cats scored three runs in the top of the ninth. Ibarra pitched two innings, gave up two runs, struck out two and walked one. The Rock Cats used a slew of singles to score those runs in the ninth, with RBIs coming from Mike Gonzales, Reynaldo Rodriguez and Tony Thomas as part of four consecutive singles for New Britain. Other than those four ninth inning hits, the Rock Cats had just six hits in the first eight innings. Eddie Rosario, headed to the Arizona Fall League in a couple weeks, was 0-4 with a strike out and is hitting just .234/.277/.378 in 75 games in New Britain. In addition to his ninth inning RBI, Tony Thomas had two more RBIs, including a solo home run in the second inning. Miracle Matters The Fort Myers and Jupiter were rained out and the game will be made up on Friday as part of a double header. Kernels Nuggets Cane County 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Having already clinched a postseason birth, the Kernels fell in regulation to the best team in the Midwest League, The Kane County Cougars (89-47). Chih-Wei Hu gave up three first inning runs, all earned, but hung on to pitch four innings. He struck out five, walked three, and scattered four hits. Hudson Boyd pitched three scoreless innings of relief and Chris Mazza pitched the final two innings and struck out five. The Kernels went into the ninth inning down by two runs and despite a late rally could plate only one run and lost 3-2. The Kernels were paced by Jonatan Hinojosa who was 3-4 with a walk and a strikeout. Tanner Vavra had two hits, including a double. E-Twins E-Notes Kingsport 6, Elizabethton 13 Box Kingsport chased starter Derrick Penilla after three innings. Penilla gave up five runs, all earned, on eight hits. He struck out four and walked none. Zach Tillery pitched three innings in relief, giving up one run, no walks and he struck out two. Kuo Hua Low pitched two scoreless innings and was the beneficiary of a nine-run inning from the Twins and he picked up his third win of the year. Keaton Steele pitched the ninth to finish the game. The Twins scored 13 runs on 15 hits, including five for extra bases. Nick Gordon led the way with a 3-5 night. He had a triple, four RBIs and no strikeouts. Will Hurt --GREAT baseball name-- was 3-5 with a run scored. Trey Vavra, Tyler Mautner and Austin Diemer also all had multi-hit nights. Mautner had a big night with both his hits going for extra bases, a double and a solo home run. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 3 Box The GCL Twins were in a hole from the beginning and could not string together enough timely hitting to steal a win from the Rays, going 1-8 with runners in scoring position,. The Twins used only two pitchers, Alexis Tapia, who pitched five innings and gave up three runs and Miles Nordgren who pitched three innings of scoreless relief. Joel Polanco was the only Twins player with multiple hits. He was 2-4 with a run scored and two strikeouts. Jake Barrie had the Twins' only extra-base hit, a double, and Dubal Baez had their only walk. TwinsDaily Minor League Hitter and Pitcher of the Day TwinsDaily Hitter of the Day - Pedro Florimon, Rochester TwinsDaily Pitcher of the Day - Jason Wheeler, New Britain Friday's Probables Buffalo @ Rochester (6:15pm) - Sean Gilmartin New Hampshire @ New Britain (6:05) - Pat Dean Jupiter @ Fort Myers (4:00, Game 2 to follow) - TBD, TBD Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35) - Mat Batts Kingsport @ Elizabethton - TBD Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins exploded for six runs in the top of the tenth inning after they squandered three early game runs and beat the Kansas City Royals. Jordan Schafer continues to hit the ball well for the Twins, and had three more hits on Thursday against Kansas City. Down in the Minor Leagues the season is entering the final weekend, let's take a look at the Affiliates. Red Wings Report Rochester 6, Syracuse 3 Box The Red Wings took the lead late (in the seventh) to defeat the Syracuse Chiefs and are now just two games out of the Wild Card spot with four games to control. The Wings control their own postseason fate and could squeeze in a spot with wins in their final four games (two against Buffalo, and finishing up the season with a pair against Wild Card leading Pawtucket). Virgil Vasquez, one of Rochester's most reliable starters, lasted only four innings. Vasquez gave up five hits, four walks, two earned runs and he struck out five. Vasquez turned things over to Logan Darnell, making a rare appearance out of the bullpen, and gave the Wings 3.2 innings of 1-hit baseball. The one hit went over the fence for a solo home run, but with Rochester scoring five runs between the sixth and eighth innings, Darnell picked up the W. Stephen Pryor pitched a scoreless inning, and Michael Tonkin earned a one out save to close out the victory. Pedro Florimon led the way for the Red Wings, he was 3-4 with a run scored, a triple, and three RBI. Chris Herrmann hit a home run for the second night in the row and finished 2-4. Chris Rahl, making his first start since an early August DL trip, was 2-4 as well. Rock Cats Review New Britain 5, Binghamton 3 Box Jason Wheeler pitched seven innings of one run baseball and had nothing to show for it after Edgar Ibarra gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth and left Wheeler with a no decision. Wheeler struck out four, walked one, and gave up his only run on a solo home run in the first inning. Ibarra, despite blowing the save, earned the win when he Rock Cats scored three runs in the top of the ninth. Ibarra pitched two innings, gave up two runs, struck out two and walked one. The Rock Cats used a slew of singles to score those runs in the ninth, with RBIs coming from Mike Gonzales, Reynaldo Rodriguez and Tony Thomas as part of four consecutive singles for New Britain. Other than those four ninth inning hits, the Rock Cats had just six hits in the first eight innings. Eddie Rosario, headed to the Arizona Fall League in a couple of weeks, was 0-4 with a strike out and is hitting just .234/.277/.378 in 75 games in New Britain. In addition to his ninth inning RBI, Tony Thomas had two more RBIs, including a solo home run in the second inning. Miracle Matters The Fort Myers and Jupiter were rained out and the game will be made up on Friday as part of a double header. Kernels Nuggets Cane County 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Having already clinched a postseason birth, the Kernels fell in regulation to the best team in the Midwest League, The Kane County Cougars (89-47). Chih-Wei Hu gave up three first inning runs, all earned, but hung on to pitch four innings. He struck out five, walked three, and scattered four hits. Hudson Boyd pitched three scoreless innings of relief and Chris Mazza pitched the final two innings and struck out five. The Kernels went into the ninth inning down by two runs, and despite a late rally, could only plate one run and lost 3-2. The Kernels were paced by Jonatan Hinojosa who was 3-4 with a walk and a strike out. Tanner Vavra had two hits, including a double. E-Twins E-Notes Kingsport 6, Elizabethton 13 Box Kingsport chased starter Derrick Penilla after three innings. Penilla gave up five runs, all earned, on eight hits. He struck out four and walked none. Zach Tillery pitched three innings in relief, giving up one run, no walks, and he struck out two. Kuo Hua Low pitched two scoreless innings and was the beneficiary of a nine-run inning from the Twins and he picked up his third win of the year. Keaton Steele pitched the ninth to finish the game. The Twins scored 13 runs on 15 hits, including five for extra bases. Nick Gordon led the way with a 3-5 night. He had a triple, four RBI and no strike outs. Will Hurt (GREAT baseball name) was 3-5 with a run scored. Trey Vavra, Tyler Mautner, and Austin Diemer also all had multi-hit nights. Mautner had a big night with both of his hits going for extra bases with a double and a solo home run. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 3 Box The GCL Twins were in a hole from the beginning and could not string together enough timely hitting (1-8 with runners in scoring position) to steal a win from the Rays. The Twins used only two pitchers, Alexis Tapia, who pitched five innings and gave up three runs, and Miles Nordgren who pitched three innings of scoreless relief. Joel Polanco was the only Twins player with multiple hits, he was 2-4 with a run scored and two strike outs. Jake Barrie had the Twins' only extra base hit, a double, and Dubal Baez had their only walk. TwinsDaily Minor League Hitter and Pitcher of the Day TwinsDaily Hitter of the Day - Pedro Florimon, Rochester TwinsDaily Pitcher of the Day - Jason Wheeler, New Britain Friday's Probables Buffalo @ Rochester (6:15pm) - Sean Gilmartin New Hampshire @ New Britain (6:05) - Pat Dean Jupiter @ Fort Myers (4:00, Game 2 to follow) - TBD, TBD Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35) - Mat Batts Kingsport @ Elizabethton - TBD

A big Thank You to everyone who made it along the path of the Twins Daily Touch ‘Em All Pub Crawl on Saturday. It was great to meet so many of you. It was a busy day in the Twins minor leagues, with two doubleheaders. The Kernels inched closer to clinching an unexpected playoff berth thanks to another tremendously pitched ball game. The Miracle had a couple prospects with three hits.. Virgil Vasquez pitched for the first time since his no-hitter last Saturday, but for a different team. Check out all that and more below in today’s Twins Minor League Report for Saturday's games.RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 – Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score Chris Herrmann led the offense, and the Wings got just enough pitching to pull out Game 1 on Saturday. Herrmann went 3-3 with his 16th and 17th doubles. Chris Colabello hit his 10th double. Pedro Florimon hit his fourth home run of his Red Wings season. Sean Gilmartin started and went 4.1 innings. He gave up two runs on three hits. He walked four and struck out four. Mark Hamburger walked two in 1.2 scoreless relief innings. Michael Tonkin gave up a hit and a walk but recorded his ninth save of the year. He struck out two. Game 2 – Rochester 1, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score The offense struggled in the second game, managing just four hits. Pedro Florimon drove in the team’s lone run with his 16th double. Virgil Vasquez, fresh off of his New Britain no-no, was promoted to start the second game. He was needed because Yohan Pino made the Game 1 start in the Twins doubleheader. He pitched well, giving up just two runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out 11. He gave the Red Wings innings, using 119 pitches to complete the game and save the bullpen. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Altoona 1 Box Score Jason Wheeler posted yet another strong start for the Rock Cats. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out eight. Alex Wimmers gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three. Jim Fuller struck out two in a scoreless ninth. Jorge Polanco went 2-3 with two walks. Levi Michael was 2-3 with one walk. Brandon Waring went 2-4 with his 27th double. Kyle Knudson went 2-3 with a walk and his 11th double. Reynaldo Rodriguez knocked his 36th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Charlotte 7 Box Score Ethan Mildren had a rough start on this day. The right-hander was charged with six earned runs on nine hits and two walks over the first 4.1 innings. He struck out one. BJ Hermsen went the next 2.2 innings and gave up a run on four hits and a walk. Alex Muren pitched a perfect frame. Adam Walker went 3-4 with his first triple of the season. Max Kepler was 3-4 as well with his 16th and 17th doubles. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-3. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Burlington 0 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu was very good. He gave up four hits and a walk over six shutout innings. Brian Gilbert struck out two over two scoreless frames. Jake Reed struck out one in the ninth to record his fourth save with the Kernels. Reed's scoreless streak is now at 19.2 innings and his ERA with the Kernels is just 0.41. The only earned run he has given up with the Kernels came in his June 30 debut with the team. He gave up an unearned run in his second game and that was the last run he's allowed. The Kernels won despite just five hits. Alex Swim went 2-4 with one of the RBIs. The other two Kernels’ runs scored on ground ball double plays. Jonatan Hinojosa had a hit. He has at least one hit in all 11 games since his return to the Kernels. He is 18-49 (.367) over that stretch with two doubles and four triples. The Kernels can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday with a win in Quad Cities or with a loss by Peoria in Clinton. Magic number is one. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Pulaski 2 Box Score The E-Twins had a good mix of offense and pitching in this game. Lefty Derrick Penilla was the pitching half of that equation. He went six innings and gave up two runs on four hits, a walk and five strikeouts. Sam Clay then struck out five over two scoreless innings. Josh Burris struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning. Jeremias Pineda went 2-5 and scored three runs in this game. He also stole his 21st base. Tyler Kuresa went 2-5 with his 12th double and four RBI. He has an impressive 40 RBI on the short-season. Will Hurt went 2-3 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 – GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score It’s been a tough season for the GCL Twins, so Saturday’s double-header sweep had to feel good them. In the first game, Alexis Tapia went the first 5.1 innings and gave up one run on five hits. He walked none and struck out five. Leonel Zazueta gave up an unearned run on one hit and two walks in the final 1.2 innings. Manuel Guzman went 2-4 with his fourth double. He also stole his 17th base. Rainis Silva was 1-3 with a walk and drove in two runs. Tyree Davis hit his second double. Game 2 – GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 0 Box Score Zach Tillery started the second game and threw 5.1 shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out two. Trevor Hildenberger struck out three in the final 1.2 innings to record his ninth save. Amaurys Minier went 2-3 with a walk and his 10th double. Rafael Valera hit his second triple. Manuel Guzman was 1-3 with a walk and his 18th stolen base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Walker/Max Kepler, Ft. Myers Miracle SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (12:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey New Britain @ Altoona (5:00 CST) – Pat Dean Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (4:00 CST) – DJ Baxendale Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) – Mat Batts Elizabethton @ Pulaski (DH @ 4:00 CST) – TBD, TBD GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win in Game 1 on Saturday against the Tigers, it means that on Sunday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article