Search the Community

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' offseason needs, limited free agent starting pitching options, Miguel Sano's surgery to insert a titanium rod into his leg, Twins Daily's Offseason Handbook, losing Daniel Palka and Randy Rosario on waivers, Rick Anderson joining Ron Gardenhire in Detroit, Duck Duck Gray Duck, Francisco Liriano winning a World Series, and reviewing the preseason AL Central over/under picks. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link.http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article

Prospect rankings are always fun. I choose to update my personal Top 40 Twins prospect rankings before the draft, before an influx of 25 or so new prospects. Obviously the draft, particularly the #1 overall pick but also several others in the top rounds, will affect any organization’s rankings. When the season is complete I do a quick preliminary Top 50 rankings before diving deep into the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It is in that publication where you can find my “official” preseason rankings.Let’s take a quick look at my choices for Twins Prospect 31-40, and I certainly encourage your questions and any discussion on the players. (I have included my preseason rankings. Note that I do a Top 30 list in the Prospect Handbook, but I keep and update occasionally a ranking of all of the Twins prospects. However, for this, I will put NR if they were outside my Top 50.) 40. Alex Robinson, LH RP, 22 Robinson was the Twins fifth-round draft pick in 2015 out of Maryland.He spent the last two years at Elizabethton where he struck out 67 batters combined in 45 innings. So why was he there for two years? It might have something to do with the 50 walks. He’s worked hard to harness some incredible stuff, including a fastball that sits 96-97 and touches 98-99. He also has a slider that is nearly unhittable. He’s currently in the Cedar Rapids bullpen where he has seven walks and 28 strikeouts in 20 innings. Continued improvement of those two pitches as well as some semblance of command, and Robinson could be another dominant relief option. Preseason Ranking: NR 39. Mitchell Kranson, C/3B/1B/DH, 23 Kranson was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2016 out of Cal-Berkeley. Kranson is a hitter. That is what his position is. However, he has made himself valuable by being able to play all over the field. While he has DHd a lot, he’s also spent multiple games behind the plate, at first base and at third base this season. In college, he also played some in the outfield. In 38 games for the Kernels, he is hitting .262/.314/.421 (.735) with 12 doubles, a triple and three home runs. Kranson has a high baseball IQ as well, and his offseason demonstrates his drive to be better. He lost 25 pounds without losing any muscle. Preseason Ranking: NR 38. Mason Melotakis, LHP, 25 “Melo” was the Twins second-round draft pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State in Louisiana. He had a year as a starter before moving to the bullpen. And, soon after, his elbow required Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound for the 2016 season. He spent the year in Chattanooga. This season, he returned to Chattanooga where he didn’t give up a run for the first five weeks of the season. He has struggled more in the past two weeks, but his stuff is still good. He’s another lefty reliever who throws in the mid-90s with a strong slider. If needed, he can still work more pitches into the mix as well. (Here is a One To Watch story on Melotakis from Twins Fest 2015, shortly before his return from surgery) Preseason Ranking: 31 37. Jaylin Davis, OF, 22 Davis was the Twins 24th-round pick in 2015 out of Appalachian State. He likely would have been drafted about 15 rounds sooner if not for an injury that cost him the rest of that year. He returned to action last year and hit seven home runs in 12 games for Elizabethton. He then hit nine more homers in 52 games in Cedar Rapids. That’s where he started the 2017 season. In 46 games, he’s hitting .256/.309/.506 (.815) with six doubles and ten home runs (most in the Twins minor leagues so far this year). While he strikes out a lot, Davis has tremendous power. He’s actually become a real solid right fielder as well. He should get a midseason promotion to the Miracle. (Here is his Get to know ‘em Q&A) Preseason Ranking: 39 36. Eduardo Del Rosario, RHP, 22 Eduardo Del Rosario signed with the Twins way back in December of 2012 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent 2013 in the DSL, 2014 in the GCL. He split 2015 between the GCL and Elizabethton. Last year, before the short-season started, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids. He returned to the Kernels to start this season. He is currently 3-2 with a 4.69 ERA in eight starts and 40.1 innings. He’s got 43 strikeouts but also 18 walks. He’s listed at 6-0 and 145 pounds. He is more than 145 pounds, but he is very thin. He’s got a good, whip-like action in his delivery. He throws in the low 90s with a good slider/breaking ball and a decent changeup. He’ll have to keep improving those pitches, but the potential is there. Preseason Ranking: 44 35. Trevor Hildenberger, RHP, 25 Hildenberger was the Twins 22nd-round draft pick in 2014 after five years at Cal-Berkeley. He has been the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year the last two seasons, 2015and 2016. He is now with the Rochester Red Wings. In 16.2 innings, he has walked six and struck out 16 batters. The side-winding right-hander We’ve written a lot of words on this site about Hildenberger over the years, but now he is at the point where he’s nearly ready, and he’s just waiting for an opportunity. He could be a good seventh inning guy who could also pitch in the eighth frame. Preseason Ranking: 42 34. Tyler Wells, RHP, 22 Wells was the Twins 15th-round pick in 2016 out of Cal State San Bernadino. He made ten starts last year in Elizabethton and went 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA. In 47.1 innings, he struck out 59 and walked 17. He began this season in Cedar Rapids where he went 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA in six starts. In 34 innings, he has walked ten and struck out 45 batters. At 6-8 and 265 pounds, Wells is a big man, and can be somewhat intimidating on the mound. He’s got a fastball that sits 91-93 and touches 94 and even 95 at times. He’s also got a couple of breaking pitches that can be very good. A sharp slider and more of a 12-6 curveball. (Here is his Get To Know ‘Em Q&A from this past offseason.) Preseason Ranking: NR 33. Aaron Slegers, RHP, 24 Twice already this season, Aaron Slegers has taken a no-hitter through six innings. In his first AAA start, he threw six no-hit innings before being removed from the game due to pitch count. And he went into the eighth inning once before losing the no-hitter. Last night, he had yet another quality start. Slegers was the Twins’ fifth- round pick back in 2013 out of Indiana where he was the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. He has moved up one level per year. In eight starts so far this year with Rochester, he is 4-3 with a 3.72 ERA. In 48.1 innings, he has nine walks and 34 strikeouts. Slegers sits 90-93 but he has hit 94 and 95 on occasions. At 6-10, Slegers has smooth mechanics and good control. (Here is the story on Slegers discussing his big league spring training.) Preseason Ranking: 36 Pre-2016 Ranking: 28 32. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, 18 The Twins used their fifth-round pick in 2016 on the St. Martin Secondary School in Mississauga high school in Ontario, Canada. After signing, he went to the GCL and made eight appearances including six starts. He went 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA. In 32 innings, he walked just five (though he also hit seven) and struck out just 16. But reports on him were glowing. Observers saw a fastball that could reach up to 94-95 mph with good secondary pitches. He also was described as having a bulldog like attitude on the mound. Still so young, at 6-4 and 175 pounds, Balazovic has plenty of projection remaining. (Here is his Get to Know ‘Em Q&A) Preseason Ranking: 30 31. Randy Rosario, LH RP, 23 Rosario signed with the Twins in August of 2010. He had Tommy John surgery after just three starts in Cedar Rapids in 2014. He missed the remainder of that season. He did return to the Kernels midway through the 2015 season and flashed a fastball that touched 96-97 mph. It was enough to get added to the 40-man roster. He pitched to mixed results last year in Ft. Myers. He throws hard and has a good slider, but he didn’t rack up many strikeouts. He came to spring training this year and was moved to the bullpen full time, something he was happy about. With the big fastball and sharp slider, it’s a great role for him. He’s pitched well this season in AA Chattanooga. (Here is his Get To Know ‘Em Q&A from late 2015.) Preseason Ranking: 33 Pre-2016 Ranking: 19 So there you have it, the start to my personal midseason Top 40 Twins prospect rankings. Today’s installment covered my choices for Twins prospects 31-40. Over the next week or two, there’ll be several more installments until we reach #1. Hopefully you will enjoy the series and will leave comments and discuss the prospects mentioned and the order they are in. Click here to view the article

It’s hard to believe that the baseball season is already nearly two months complete. The calendar has turned to June, and it is again time to hand out some awards. Today we start with the relief pitchers. Over the next few days, we’ll also post our top starting pitchers and hitters in the Twins minor leagues in May. As bad as the final four May games were for the Twins bullpen, they had been fairly solid up until that point. There have been several transactions in recent days, and that will likely continue. Ironically, this was a terrific month for minor league relievers in the Twins system. Most important, several of those strong bullpen performances came from the upper levels of the system, AAA and AA. It was hard to cut down the honorable mention group, but it had to be done.Before we share our Twins Daily Minor League Top 5 Relievers for May, here are some terrific bullpen performances that just missed the cut. HONORABLE MENTION Nick Anderson - Ft. Myers - 9 G, 1.64 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 13 KLuke Bard - Chattanooga - 7 G, 2.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 12 H, 3 BB, 20 KSam Clay - Ft. Myers - 10 G, 1.17 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 10 H, 9 BB, 17 KColton Davis - Cedar Rapids - 10 G, 1.08 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 16.2 IP, 10 H, 9 BB, 12 KHector Lujan - Cedar Rapids - 9 G, 1.23 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 12 H, 2 BB, 15 KWilliams Ramirez - Ft. Myers - 11 G, 2.93 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 9 H, 10 BB, 16 KAlex Robinson - Cedar Rapids - 10 G, 1.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 20 KAndrew Vasquez - Cedar Rapids - 9 G, 1.26 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 21 KTHE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS #5 - John Curtiss - Chattanooga - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 9.1 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 12 K John Curtiss was named the Southern League Relief Pitcher of the Month of May on Thursday. His month was terrific. His scoreless innings streak to start the season is now at 17.2 innings and 16 appearances. He is 1-0 with nine saves for the Lookouts. It’s hard to put up those numbers, not give up a run for the season’s first two months, and not be the choice for relief pitcher of the month. But Curtiss will be fine. The former Texas Longhorn has really taken off since moving to the bullpen full time at the beginning of last season. He throws hard, often hitting 97 and 98. He should be moving up fairly soon, I would think. In the month of May, opponents hit .133/.235/.233 (.469). #4 - Trevor Hildenberger - Rochester - 9 G, 1.29 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 14.0 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, 14 K Speaking of guys who need to move up, Trevor Hildenberger is no stranger to the Twins Daily relief pitcher awards. He was our choice for Relief Pitcher of the Year the last two seasons. He’s been just so consistent since he was drafted in 2014. This month, opponents hit just .128/.226/.128 (.354) off of him for the month. He is used in a variety of roles for the Red Wings. And seriously, it’s time for him to get an opportunity with the Twins. #3 - Tom Hackimer - Cedar Rapids - 9 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 18 K Hackimer was the Twins fourth-round pick a year ago after four seasons at St. Johns. He went right to Cedar Rapids and began the 2017 season there as well. In May, opponents have hit just .114/.204/.136 (.340). He did not give up a run during the month. He also went 2-0 with four saves for the Kernels. As the month came to an end, he received his promotion to Ft. Myers. Through his two months with the Kernels, he went 3-1 with six saves. He posted a very good 1.50 ERA, and a miniscule 0.58 WHIP. Definitely promotion-worthy. #2 - Alan Busenitz - Rochester - 8 G, 0.73 ERA, 0.49 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 15 K When we heard the news that Ryan Pressly had been optioned and Jason Wheeler had been DFAd, speculation began about who would be called up. One of the names most often mentioned with hard-throwing right-hander Alan Busenitz. He came to the Twins with Hector Santiago from the Angels last August. He was solid in April, but in May, he has been nearly unhittable. Opponents hit just .125/.167/.125 (.292). While he’s not much over 6-0 tall, Busenitz sits in the mid-to-upper 90s with his fastball. He is a guy who should be up with the Twins at some point in the near future. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – LHP Randy Rosario - 6 G, 0.66 ERA, 0.44 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 18 K Rosario signed with the Twins way back in August of 2010 out of the Dominican Republic. He slowly worked his way up the system. In 2014, he was starting in Cedar Rapids, but after just a few starts, he had Tommy John surgery and missed just over a year. He returned to the Kernels in 2015 and was flashing 97 at times with his fastball. He was added to the 40-man roster after that season. Last year, he began the season in the Ft. Myers rotation where he spent most of the year. Late in the year, he was moved to the bullpen and headed up to Chattanooga. This year at spring training, he learned when he was sent down to minor league camp that they were moving him to the bullpen full time. I chatted with him right after that, and he was very excited about the move saying he thought it was the best thing for him. After a strong May, he finds himself in the big leagues two months later. He pitched in just six games during the month of May, but he worked 13.2 innings during those outings. Opponents hit just .087/.143/.130 (.273) off of him in the month. They were just 4-46 off of him, and he walked just two batters while striking out 18 hitters. He actually began the season at Ft. Myers, but after just two appearances, he was moved up to Chattanooga where he has pitched quite well. How long will he be in the big leagues? I guess that depends a lot on how he performs. The left-hander hits 97 mph with his fastball and has the makings of a very nasty slider. While he has been in the organization nearly seven years, he only turned 23-years-old two weeks ago. He is certainly a part of the future. There were so many great relief pitcher performances in May throughout the Twins minor league system. It’s encouraging that several of them are in the upper levels as well. My sense is that we will see several of them before the season is over. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent first month to their seasons. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for May 2017, Randy Rosario. Click here to view the article

In the last two day, lefties Lewis Thorpe and Stephen Gonsalves have returned to the mound. Several hitters have started heating up. In one week, you’ll notice there have been some changes in the Twins Minor League Leaderboard. Find out who is leading the Twins minor leagues in a variety of statistics, and then feel free to discuss.But first, let’s take a quick look at how the Twins’ affiliates currently stack up in their leagues. Rochester is 19-18. The Red Wings are 6.5 games back in the International League North Division. They’re in fourth place in the division.In the first half, Chattanooga is 23-20. That puts them tied for second place, 2.0 games in the Southern League’s South division.Ft. Myers has won seven straight games and is 23-20 and in second place in the Florida State League’s South division.Cedar Rapids is 25-17 so far this season. They are currently tied with Kane County (19-14) at the top of the Midwest League’s Western Division.With that, let’s look at the minor league statistical leader board (through games on Saturday, May 20). THE HITTERS (Rate numbers- minimum 114 plate appearances) Plate Appearances - Chris Paul (179), Nick Gordon (178), Zander Wiel (172), Max Murphy (171), Jermaine Palacios (168). Batting Average - Chris Paul (.337), Jermaine Palacios (.325), LaMonte Wade (.314), Edgar Corcino (.303), Nick Gordon (.300). On-Base Percentage - LaMonte Wade (.442), Chris Paul (.380), Edgar Corcino (.371), Jermaine Palacios (.369), Nick Gordon (.365). Slugging Percentage - Jermaine Palacios (.535), Lewin Diaz (.500), Jaylin Davis (.497), Aaron Whitefield (.477), Nick Gordon (.475). OPS - Jermaine Palacios (.904), LaMonte Wade (.896), Nick Gordon (.840), Chris Paul (.828), Lewin Diaz (.815). Hits - Chris Paul (55), Jermaine Palacios (51), Nick Gordon (48), Lewin Diaz (45), Max Murphy/Edgar Corcino (40). Doubles - Lewin Diaz (16), Chris Paul/Zander Wiel/Mitchell Kranson (12), Tommy Field (11). Triples - Jermaine Palacios/Zander Wiel/Nick Gordon (5), Rafael Valera (4), eight with 2. Home Runs - Jaylin Davis (9), Daniel Palka (7), Jermaine Palacios/Aaron Whitefield/Lewin Diaz (5), five tied with four. Runs Scored - Jermaine Palacios (32), LaMonte Wade (27), Max Murphy (26), Jaylin Davis (24), Jonathan Rodriguez/Chris Paul (23). RBI - Lewin Diaz (27), Zander Wiel (26), Jaylin Davis/Nick Gordon (23), Chris Paul (22). SB - Zach Granite (9), Tanner English (8), Aaron Whitefield (7), Jermaine Palacios/Jaylin Davis/Max Murphy (6). . THE STARTING PITCHERS (Rate number - minimum 32.0 innings) Innings Pitched: Dereck Rodriguez (50.0), Clark Beeker (45.2), Sean Poppen (45.1), Aaron Slegers (42.1), Randy LeBlanc/Lachlan Wells (41.0). ERA: Jose Berrios (1.13), Sean Poppen (2.38), Randy LeBlanc (2.41), Tyler Wells (2.65), Clark Beeker (2.76). WHIP: Jose Berrios (0.81), Clark Beeker (0.99), Tyler Wells (1.09), Sean Poppen (1.103), Cody Stashak (1.105). K/9: Tyler Wells (11.9), Eduardo Del Rosario/David Fischer (9.6), Jose Berrios (8.8), Sean Poppen (8.7). BB/9: Clark Beeker (1.4), Dereck Rodriguez/Sean Poppen (1.6), Tyler Beardsley/Jose Berrios (1.8). K: Nik Turley (54), Tyler Wells (45), Sean Poppen (44), Eduardo Del Rosario (43), Dereck Rodriguez/Jose Berrios (39) THE RELIEF PITCHERS (Rate numbers - minimum 13.0 innings, and less than 2 starts) Innings Pitched: Brady Anderson (30.0), Randy Rosario (26.0), Sam Clay (24.0), Anthony McIver (23.0), Williams Ramirez (21.1). ERA: John Curtiss (0.00), Nick Burdi (0.57), Nick Anderson (1.04), Williams Ramirez (1.69), Randy Rosario (1.73). WHIP: Nick Burdi (0.64), Tom Hackimer (0.65), Nick Anderson (0.75), Alan Busenitz (0.81), Randy Rosario (0.85) K/9: Andrew Vasquez (14.3), Luke Bard (13.7), Alex Robinson (13.5), Alan Busenitz (11.8), John Curtiss/Todd Van Steensel (11.7). BB/9: Brady Anderson/Tom Hackimer (0.9), Nick Anderson (1.0), Drew Rucinski (1.4), Hector Lujan (1.6) K: Luke Bard (31), Andrew Vasquez (26), Alex Robinson (25), Sam Clay (24), Tom Hackimer (22). Saves: John Curtiss/Tom Hackimer (6), Alex Wimmers (4), Mason Melotakis/Jonny Drozd/Max Cordy (3). Feel free to ask questions about any of the players or teams. Click here to view the article

All four Twins affiliates were back on the field on Wednesday. Chattanooga made the off day trek down to Jacksonville to start a new series against several old friends. Lefty Randy Rosario joined the team there and will work out of their bullpen. The Kernels played a getaway game in Kane County before heading home for a weekend series. The Red Wings, like the Twins, are playing a lot of afternoon games, and they did so again on Wednesday. Jose Berrios will make his second start of the season on Thursday afternoon in Buffalo.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 5 Box Score David Hurlbut was the one starting pitcher who hadn’t made a start, until Wednesday. He worked 5.1 innings and was charged with four runs, though none of them were earned. The Red Wings defense committed four errors in the game. Hurlbut gave up five hits, walked two and struck out four. He was replaced by Raul Fernandez, who made his AAA debut. The right-hander allowed the inherited runners to score and later one of his own in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Buddy Boshers worked a perfect inning, striking out one. Offensively, the Red Wings weren’t able to score until after they were down 5-0. In the eighth, they got RBI singles from Leonardo Reginatto and Matt Hague, but it wasn’t enough. Hague went 2-4. Ben Paulsen was also 2-4. Niko Goodrum went 2-4 and is now hitting .381 on the young season. Chad Allen argued a strike call early in the game. The umpire didn’t like that and ejected the Red Wings hitting coach. With the loss, the Red Wings are now 4-2 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Jacksonville 7 Box Score The Lookouts took their show on the road for the first time this season with a series at Jacksonville against the Jumbo Shrimp. Jacksonville has four players on their roster with Twins ties. LHP Matt Tomshaw will start for them on Thursday. Jeremias Pineda is an outfielder. Omar Bencomo split last season with the Lookouts and Red Wings. He signed with the Marlins after pitching for Venezuela in the WBC. He’ll start on Friday night. Finally, RHP Chris Mazza is also on their roster. The biggest bit of news is from tonight’s game is that Nick Gordon started at second base. After starting all five games in Chattanooga at shortstop, he moved to the other side of second with Engelb Vielma taking over at shortstop. We will see how it plays out over the next weeks and even the next few games. It makes more sense to let them settle in at a position for several games rather than moving back and forth too often. Now to the game. Frankly, it didn’t go well. Kohl Stewart was on the mound for his second start. The right-hander went just 2.1 innings. He was charged with seven runs on four hits. He walked five and struck out three. Just 37 of his 75 pitches were strikes. But the bullpen kept things where they were, combining for 5.2 scoreless innings. Todd Van Steensel came on and struck out six batters in 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked none. Randy Rosario, who came up from the Miracle earlier in the day, worked two perfect innings. Nick Burdi gave up a hit, but struck out two, in a scoreless eighth inning. The offense managed just five hits in the game. Engelb Vielma went 2-4. The Lookouts scored their lone run in the fourth inning. Dan Rohlfing hit a triple and scored on a Jonathan Rodriguez groundout. Dan Gamache was 1-2 with a walk. The loss evened the Lookouts record at 3-3. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 3 Box Score The Miracle got a tremendous start, and they had a late lead, but in the end, they lost in walk-off fashion. Down 1-0 after three innings, the Miracle scored on in the fourth. Chris Paul and Rafael Valera led off the inning with walks. Brian Navarreto advance them with a bunt, and Trey Vavra drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly. An inning later, Casey Scoggins drove in Nelson Molina with a single to give the Miracle a lead. Dereck Rodriguez was terrific. Through seven innings, he gave up just one run. He gave up a solo home run to lead off the top of the eighth inning which tied the game at two. He got through the inning. On the night, Rodriguez went eight innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk. In the bottom of the ninth, Michael Theofanopoulos came on. He gave up a one-out double. With two outs, he gave up a single that scored the winning run. The Miracle fell to 1-6 on the young season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 1 Box Score The Kernels played a morning game, got a win and will start a homestand against Wisconsin on Thursday night. Eddie Del Rosario started out well. He struck out three in the first inning. Through three innings, he faced nine batters and had five strikeouts. However, he struggled in the fifth inning, loading the bases and allowing a run before being removed. His final line was one earned run on three hits, two walks and a hit batter in 4.2 innings. He struck out seven. Andrew Vasquez came on and got out of the fifth and worked three more innings without allowing a run. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out three. Colton Davis worked a perfect ninth frame, striking out two. The offense was pretty spread out. Jermaine Palacios led off and was 2-4 to raise his early-season average to .360. Mitchell Kranson went 2-4, and his first homer of the season came right after Kane County had tied the game at one. Jaylin Davis added his first homer of the year in the eighth inning. He also stole his second base. Ariel Montesino went 1-3 with a walk. The win pushes the Kernels back over .500 at 4-3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mitchell Kranson, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios Chattanooga @ Jacksonville - (6:05 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Tyler Wells Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

On Monday morning, the Minnesota announced that four players were sent to minor league camp. Officially, Stephen Gonsalves and Aaron Slegers were reassigned to minor league camp. Mason Melotakis was optioned to AAA Rochester. Fernando Romero was optioned to AA Chattanooga. Following the game, the team announced that lefty Randy Rosario and right-hander Felix Jorge had been optioned to Chattanooga.As expected, the Twins started cutting down their spring training roster as six pitchers were told by manager Paul Molitor and members of the front office that their time in big league camp has come to an end. The cut list includes the team's top two pitching prospects. Twins Daily's #1 Prospect Fernando Romero had a strong showing this spring. In three games, he worked three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. He impressed with his upper-90s fastball and a sharp upper-80s slider. Romero is on the 40-man roster, hence his first option has been used. Molitor discussed the idea of Romero as a starter or a reliever. "Very confident kid, who we still think has the potential as a starter. I can see him as a reliever, but I think that people envision him being a very high-end starter, so we're going to stick with that here in the short-term and try to get him stretched out." He continued, "I asked because I see the power, and you can see how he could be a late-inning game guy, but they say he's got sustainability in terms of being able to carry that kind of stuff throughout the course of a game. He'll be able to get more work and more innings and more experience. I can see down the line with innings and his injury past that you could protect his workload sometime during the season." Twins Daily's second-ranked prospect is lefty Stephen Gonsalves. He also pitched well in his first big league spring training. He worked 3.1 innings over three appearances. He also did not give up a run. In fact, he didn't even give up a hit. He walked one (Gregory Polanco) and struck out three. He missed time the last few days with a soreness in the back of his shoulder, though he is expected to resume pitching today. Gonsalves is not on the 40-man roster. Molitor said, "He had a nice go until he had the flare up there." (referring to his shoulder) Aaron Slegers was also a non-roster invite to spring training. He took the loss in yesterday's game in Ft. Myers against the Orioles. But the tall right-hander also showed glimpses of big league potential. He worked 2.2 innings over three appearances. He gave up two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out one. Molitor said, "Slegers came even better than advertised for me. I'd heard a lot of very positive things about makeup. But the way that he threw the ball was good." Mason Melotakis strained his oblique just before spring training started. On Sunday, he worked some live BP down on the minor league fields and said he felt really good. This morning I asked him if he had any soreness. He said that his oblique felt great and his soreness today was simply day-after-bullpen soreness that he expected from his outing. He was hoping to get a chance to pitch in a big league game, but he was optioned to AAA. It is his second option as he was also optioned in 2016. Molitor said, "Melotakis unfortunately didn't get to show us too much." Felix Jorge had pitched very little in spring training, but Molitor said, "We all realize that he's someone we think highly of. We need to get him on track to start the season." Randy Rosario finished out the game with a scoreless ninth and was told after the game that he would be optioned as well. Before the game, I chatted with him. I asked whether he preferred to start or pitch out of the bullpen. He said, "Relief. No question." He thought that it would be better for him and his arm. He said that his elbow was feeling very strong. Following the game, he told me that he was told that he will spend the season in the bullpen, so he was very happy. Molitor noted, "He's still trying to figure out his routine and the differences between relieving and starting. But we all see that he's got a lot of potential too." Feel free to discuss. Certainly a lot fewer players sent down than I would have guessed, but it is a new regime. It will be interesting to see how it plays out with them. Click here to view the article

Today, I’m sharing Part 2 of my prospect countdown, prospects 31-40. In Part 1, welooked at my choices for prospects 41-50. This is an interesting group of prospects as well. There are a couple of starting pitchers who have produced numbers as they’ve moved up the ladder without being credited with great stuff. There are a couple of starting pitchers and relievers who have electric stuff and have either struggled some or been injured. There is a hitter who really struggled in 2016 and ended the season injured. It is another group where there are some future big leaguers. In fact, there is a current big leaguer on the list too.Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at-bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2017 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 31-40 #40 – Cody Stashak - 22 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle Stashak was the Twins 13th-round pick in 2015 out of St. Johns (NY). He went 5-2 in ten starts in Elizabethton. He began the 2016 season at extended spring but was quickly promoted to Cedar Rapids. There, he went 8-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 18 games (17 starts). Late in the season, he was promoted to Ft. Myers where he 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA in 16.2 innings for the Miracle. Stashak fits into the mold of Twins starter in the last decade. He’s not real tall and he’s thin. He throws 90-92 and has good command of a three-pitch mix. #39 – Eduardo Del Rosario - 21 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins signed the very skinny Del Rosario in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent a year in the DSL. He pitched out of the GCL bullpen in 2014. He returned to the GCL in 2015 to start, nearly doubling his innings count. He ended the season with one start in Elizabethton. He began 2016 in extended spring but he was promoted to the Kernels in early June. In his first six Kernels starts he went 0-2 with a 6.25 ERA and opponents hit .314 (.882) off of him. Then he figured something out. Over his final 10 starts, he went 6-0 with a 2.09 ERA. In 51.2 innings in those starts, he walked 20, but he struck out 64. He is 6-0 all and 170 pounds. He throws a good fastball and is mixing in some improving secondary pitches as well. #38 – Jordan Balazovic - 18 – RHP - GCL Twins Balazovic was committed to Auburn, but the Twins' fifth-round pick is out of high school in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He was one of the last 2016 picks to sign, and when he did, he reported to Ft. Myers to play in the GCL. While the organization was obviously, wisely, very cautious with him in his debut, Balazovic pitched quite well. In 32 innings over eight games (six starts), he went 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He struck out just 16 batters but the youngster (just turned 18 after the season) worked on just throwing strikes with an upper-80s fastball (touching 90-91). His breaking pitches have a way to go also. But size (6-4) and mechanics indicate that he has a ton of potential. #37 – Jaylin Davis - 22 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels Davis was the Twins 24th-round draft pick in 2015 out of Appalachian State. He fell in the draft because he was injured and, in fact, didn’t play in the Twins rookie leagues at all last year. He began this season in extended spring training and actually ended up starting his playing season in Elizabethton. He spent just 12 games there and hit seven home runs before moving up to Cedar Rapids for the remainder of the season. With the Kernels, he hit .250/.339/.469 (.808) with 13 doubles, a triple and nine home runs. At 6-1 and nearly 200 pounds, Davis’s best tool is clearly his power. He has the potential to strike out a lot, walk a bit, display some speed and hit a lot of home runs. #36 – Edgar Corcino - 24 – OF – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Corcino was originally the 26th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2009. He remained in that organization through the 2012 season. He spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons playing independent league ball. The Twins signed the Puerto Rican before the 2015 season. After spending some time in EST, he spent the final three months of the season in Cedar Rapids where he displayed tremendous defense all around the outfield. He began 2016 in Ft. Myers. In 74 games, he hit .266 (.760) with 24 extra base hits. He was promoted to Chattanooga and played in 50 games. He hit .280 (.754) with 15 extra base hits. He’s got good speed and makes a ton of web gems. #35 – Aaron Slegers - 24 – RHP – Chattanooga Lookouts Slegers was the Big 10 Pitcher of the Year in 2013, his junior season at Indiana. Following the college season, he was the Twins fifth-round pick. He has consistently moved up one level each year. In 2016, he spent the full season in Chattanooga. He went 10-7 with a 3.41 ERA. In 145.1 innings, he walked 46 and struck out 104 (6.4 per nine). From mid-May until just after July 4th, he posted nine straight quality starts. Unfortunately, he then went on the disabled list and missed about three weeks. He did end the season strong. At 6-10, we all are aware that he doesn’t throw real hard, topping out at about 91-92. But he knows out to pitch and has improved each year. #34 – Pat Light - 25 – RHP – Pawtucket Paw Sox/Boston Red Sox/Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins The Twins finally got the guy they drafted seven years earlier. Late in the 2009 draft, the Twins selected Light out of high school. He wisely chose to go to college and three years later, he was a supplemental first-round pick of the Red Sox. He worked his way up the ladder there, first as a starter, but more quickly as a reliever. Blessed with a fastball that can reach into triple-digits at times, he came to the Twins at the July trade deadline in exchange for Fernando Abad, who has an ERA over six since joining the Red Sox. In Rochester, he was still hitting 100 mph with regularity, but with the Twins, he’s been sitting 93-96. Could just be tiring at the end of a season, but his struggles and the velocity drop have me a little nervous. He struggles with command and control, but he does have the ability to miss bats, so it would be silly to give up on him at this point. #33 – Mason Melotakis - 25 – LHP – Chattanooga Lookouts Melotakis was the Twins’ second-round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State University of Louisiana. The hard-throwing left-hander spent about a year given the opportunity to start, but he was moved back to the bullpen (which is where he performed in college). Unfortunately, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2015 season. He came back for Instructs and was throwing in the upper 90s. Wisely, the Twins were patient and cautious with “Melo” during the 2016 season. He struggled early, and then spent seven days on the DL. When he returned, he pitched much better. He spent one more stint on the disabled list later in the season, but they were able to get him through the season healthy. And he pitched fairly well for the most part. In 33.1 innings (over 36 games), he posted a 2.97 ERA, walked 12 and struck out 42. He is now essentially where JT Chargois was a year ago at this time. Look for Melotakis to start next season in Chattanooga with the opportunity to quickly get up to Rochester before getting an opportunity with the Twins. #32 – Jermaine Palacios - 20 – SS – Cedar Rapids Kernels Palacios came into the 2016 season as one of the most interesting, intriguing prospects in the Twins minor league system. He came to the States in 2015 and put on an offensive display in the rookie leagues. In the GCL, he hit .421 in 26 games before moving up to Elizabethton where he hit .336 in 31 games. At 19, he moved up to Cedar Rapids in 2016 and to call it a struggle might be putting it kindly. Palacios got off to a slow start in the cold weather and saw his batting average hover around the Mendoza line. He ended at .222/.276/.287 (.564) thanks to his final ten games of his season when he hit .349. Unfortunately, his season came to an end when he was hit in the wrist by a pitch on July 16. His defense is still suspect, though he has the ability to improve. I wouldn’t give up on him. I suspect he’ll return to Cedar Rapids in 2017, still just 20. He has a chance to move back up this list quickly due to the lumps he took in 2016. #31 – Randy Rosario - 22 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts The Twins signed Rosario out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2010. He has gradually moved up the ladder. As he continued to grow, his velocity continued to rise. Unfortunately, early in 2014, Rosario hurt his elbow and had Tommy John surgery early in the 2014 season. He returned to the Kernels midway through the 2015 season, and he was throwing hard, touching 97 at times. He was added to the 40-man roster following the 2015 season and went to spring training with the big league club in 2016. He started the season in the vaunted Ft. Myers rotation and had some ups and downs, but in 21 games (16 starts), he went 6-6 with a 3.34 ERA. In 94.1 innings, he walked 34 and struck out 68. He ended the season with four relief appearances in Chattanooga. In his first outing, he gave up two hits and walked two before leaving the game without recording an out. He threw two shutout innings in each of his next two appearances for the Lookouts before another tough one in his fourth and final outing. Rosario has electric stuff so I believe he has a chance to make a big jump forward in 2017. He’ll head to the Arizona Fall League next month for an opportunity to keep working on things. So what do you think of Part 2, Prospects 31-40? Next up will be prospects 26-30. Click here to view the article

On Wednesday afternoon, MLB announced the rosters for the 2016 Arizona Fall League. Six players in the Twins organization will join Chattanooga pitching coach Ivan Arteaga as members of the Surprise Saguaros.The Twins are sending three position players and three pitchers to the Fall League this year. Maybe the biggest surprise is that catcher Mitch Garver will be returning to Arizona. The Albuquerque, NM, resident caught there last year along with teammate Stuart Turner. Garver moved up to AA Chattanooga to start this season and has now done well since being promoted to Rochester last month. This does not necessarily mean that Garver will not be a September call-up following the Red Wings final game on September 5th as the Fall League doesn't start until October. (the ability to trade Kurt Suzuki is a much bigger factor). Garver was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2013 out of the University of New Mexico. Shortstop Nick Gordon will get another 70-80 plate appearances this fall after a successful season in the Florida State League. The Twins top pick from the 2014 draft has struggled some in August, though he had a five-hit game on Monday night. He is one of the Twins top position player prospects. It was an injury-plagued 2016 for outfielder Tanner English. The terrific defensive centerfielder started the season with the Miracle. He had Lasik eye surgery and on his final day of rehabbing before he would return to the Miracle, he injured his ankle in an extended spring training game. He finally returned to the Miracle lineup earlier this month and will now make up some lost at-bats. English was the Twins 11th- round pick in 2014 out of the University of South Carolina. Lefty Mason Melotakis returned this season from Tommy John surgery. The Twins and Lookouts were cautious in his recovery and he has pitched just 32.1 innings this year. He's spent a couple of DL stints as well. This will give him an opportunity against good competition and should prepare him to compete for a Twins bullpen spot sometime in 2017. He was the Twins second-round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Right-hander John Curtiss began 2016 in Cedar Rapids, but after being named our Relief Pitcher of the Month in April, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he has been a solid contributor. He was the Twins sixth-round pick in 2014 out of the University of Texas where he was a closer for the College World Series bound team. Like Melotakis, Randy Rosario is a left-hander who was returning from Tommy John surgery. He pitched half of the 2015 season in Cedar Rapids before being added to the 40-man roster. He started this season in the vaunted Ft. Myers rotation. In the last two or three weeks, he has moved up to the bullpen in Chatanooga. The 22-year-old signed with the Twins in 2010 out of the Dominican Republic. Click here to view the article

Andrew Albers wasn't in the Twins organization the previous two years but he is now back and making a mark on the International League. Entering tonight's contest in Pawtucket, Albers sported a 9-3 record (97.1 innings) with a spiffy 3.14 ERA and a 63 to 23 strikeout to walk ratio. At 30-years old, Albers isn't exactly considered a prospect anymore but he has helped the Red Wings to get off to a fantastic start this season. Rochester entered the night 16 games over .500 (60-44) and they were only 2.5 games out of the wild card race. Players like Albers deserve recognition for their contributions to the Twins organization. That's one of the main reasons we write these daily minor league write-ups. Players throughout the organization deserve to be recognized for their dedication to baseball even though they won't all be superstars.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 4 (11 Innings) Box Score The Red Wings collected seven hits but no player had more than one. In the second inning, Wilfredo Tovar doubled after a Daniel Palka walk to put two runners in scoring position. Carlos Paulino singled in both runners to give Rochester an early 2-0 but the offense went quiet from there. Andrew Albers did his best to put himself in position for his tenth win for Rochester. Albers went 6.2 innings, scattering seven hits and striking out four. It was the fourth straight start where he pitched at least six innings. Neil Ramirez and JT Chargois kept the game tied at two but Sean Burnett took his third loss after allowing a walk-off two-run shot in extra-innings. Rochester dropped to 60-45 with the loss, their third straight defeat. The Red Wings sit 6.5 games behind Scranton/WB for first in the International League North. They are also just three games back of the wild-card spot. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Tennessee 13 Box Score The Lookouts tried their best to overcome a deficit that stretched to 12-0 at one point but the comeback fell short. Aaron Slegers got hit hard over two innings as he allowed six earned runs for his fifth loss. Brandon Peterson didn't fare much better by allowing four runs in his two frames. Ryan Eades slowed some of the bleeding but still gave up two runs across three innings. In the last two innings, Tyler Jay allowed the final run. With two outs in the fifth frame, Zach Granite smacked his fifth triple. Ryan Walker followed with a single to put Chattanooga on the board. Mitch Garver doubled to push across the second run of the inning. Trailing by a score of 13-4, the Lookouts pushed across five runs in the ninth. Granite, Garver, and DJ Hicks all doubled in the frame but a Stuart Turner double play effectively ended the threat. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Palm Beach 1 Box Score T.J. White wasted little time putting the Miracle up in this contest. He took the first pitch of the game and cranked a 381-foot home run to give Fort Myers a 1-0 lead. White finished the game 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs. Four innings later Joe Maloney started a three-run inning with a with a solo-blast of his own. Trey Vavra and Chris Paul joined the hit parade with multi-hit nights. This offensive output was more than enough to back-up a terrific start from Randy Rosario. For only the fifth time this season, he pitched more than six innings. He allowed one earned run over 6.2 innings with three strikeouts and three walks. Luke Bard and Nick Anderson pitched 2.1 shutout innings, each allowing a hit and combining to strike out three. After losing four straight games last week, the Miracle have now won three of their last four and tomorrow they will go for a three-game sweep of Palm Beach. The club (18-5) currently sits 2.5 games behind Jupiter for the second-half title. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 0, Pulaski 7 Box Score The E-Twins offense had a hard time getting things going against the Yankees pitching staff. Elizabethton collected three hits, went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and struck out 14 times. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-for-4 with a double. Bryant Hayman added the other hit, a double, while Amaurys Minier reached base twice on walks. Domenick Carlini was handed his fifth loss after allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and walked one in five innings of work. Hector Lujan gave up four runs in his three frames while striking out two and walking two. With the loss, the E-Twins five game winning streak is over. The team dropped to 15-17 on the season but they have still won seven of their last ten games. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score The GCL Twins took a 5-1 lead into the eighth frame before seeing the GCL Orioles claw their way back into this one. Miguel De Jesus put the Twins in position to win by pitching into the sixth inning without allowing a run. Overall, he tossed 5.1 shutout frames with six strikeouts and three walks. Moises Gomez allowed the tying run to score in the seventh inning but earned the victory by stopping the scoring there. He allowed one run on two hits over 1.2 innings. Onas Fanfar pitched the final two innings and allowed three runs (two earned). Offensively, Tyree Davis led the charge by going 2-for-3 including his sixth double. Akil Baddoo drove in a pair of runs and scored a run. Aaron Whitefield reached base three times, stole two bases, and scored twice out of the lead-off spot. The team combined to go 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position while leaving seven runners on base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy Rosario, Fort Myers Miracle Hitter of the Day – TJ White, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Pawtucket (6:05 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios (10-4, 2.31 ERA) Chattanooga vs Tennessee (6:15 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut (7-5, 3.56 ERA) Fort Myers vs Palm Beach (6:05 CST) -TBD Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (2-11, 5.73 ERA) Elizabethton at Pulaski (6:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells (1-1, 4.80 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. Click here to view the article

With short-season starting on Friday, there is plenty of draft news trickling in. You can keep up with all things draft here. Brice Zimmerman, the voice of the Miracle, tweeted out some news Monday morning, announcing that C Alex Real is retiring and OF Max Murphy has been activated. The Twins had a day off on Monday and will start a three-game home series against the Phillies before hitting the road for six game to close out the month of June. Only two affiliate games on Monday. Let’s check them out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Columbus 2 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to a quick start - thanks primarily to drawing three walks in the first four plate appearances - and never looked back. Eddie Rosario, the first Red Wing to get a hit, drove in two runs. Later in the inning, Buck Britton hit a three-run home run. And before Columbus even came to bat, it was 5-0 Red Wings. A second-inning Jorge Polanco double drove in James Beresford to extend the lead to six. Columbus got a run back with a second-inning home run. Rochester got the run back in the top of the third when Eddie Rosario doubled and later scored on a Tommy Field single. Andrew Albers gave up another run in the sixth and lasted seven innings in all. He gave up two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out six and improved his record to 6-1. Buck Britton drove in another run in the 8th inning to give the Red Wings an 8-2 lead. Britton’s two hits drove in four runs. Eddie Rosario drove in two runs on two hits and also stole his fifth base. Marcus Walden struck out one and allowed one hit in two innings. The Red Wings improve to 43-28. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga - OFF DAY MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Charlotte 2 Box Score After spotting Charlotte two runs in the first inning, the Miracle scored the last seven runs of the game to pull away for the win. Randy Rosario struggled in the first, giving up four hits and two runs, but he settled in nicely after that. A 1-2-3 second was followed by two more hits in the third, but he only walked one batter in his final three innings. In all, Rosario struck out five batters and recorded 11 outs via ground ball, compared to no flyball outs. He improved to 3-5. Fort Myers got on the board in the third inning with a Brian Navarreto two-run home run, his second of the year. They tacked on two more in the fourth inning on a Trey Vavra two-run home run. Navarreto drove in Vavra in the seventh inning to push the lead to 5-2. Vavra drove in two more runs in the eighth inning. Vavra’s three hits produced four runs and he scored twice. Max Murphy doubled in a two-hit game in his return from the disabled list. Edgar Corcino and Navarreto also had two-hit games. Luke Bard struck out three in two innings and Nick Anderson struck out the side - all swinging - in a perfect ninth inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids - OFF DAY TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy Rosario, Fort Myers Hitter of the Day – Trey Vavra, Fort Myers TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Columbus (6:05PM CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler (5-1, 2.17) Charlotte at Fort Myers (6:05 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The draft is complete, 40 rounds in the books. The Twins selected 42 players, and now over the next month (by July 15), they will attempt to sign anywhere from 20 to 30 of them and put them into the minor league system. There was plenty of action in the system as all four full-season affiliates played on Saturday night. On Saturday morning, the DSL Twins played and lost 16-11 in ten innings. Antonio Tovar went 3-6 with his first professional home run. Wander Javier went 2-5 with a walk and his second home run (two games in a row). Check out the Day 3 Draft Picks with some notes on most of them.Here is Saturday night’s Minor League update. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Toledo 5 Box Score Jose Berrios was back on the mound on Saturday and started out great. Through six innings he gave up just one run on three hits and a walk. However, after getting the first two outs of the seventh inning, he gave up a single, walked a batter, another single and back-to-back doubles before Sean Burnett came in to get out of the inning. Berrios’s final line? In 6.2 innings, he gave up five runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out five. Burnett got out of the seventh and then pitched a perfect eighth inning as well. Alex Wimmers came on for the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. He struck out one in a perfect inning to record his fourth save of the year. Adam Brett Walker got things going in style in the second inning. His thirteenth home run of the year gave the Red Wings a 3-0 lead. He went 2-4 in the game. Logan Schafer was also 2-4. Kennys Vargas (10), Jorge Polanco (7) and John Ryan Murphy (5) each added a double for the Red Wings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Tennessee 1 Box Score It was a collective effort by the Lookouts in this win on Saturday night. It started with a strong start. Ryan Eades threw six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, walked none and struck out five to improve to 3-2. Luke Westphal threw two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one. Mike Strong gave up a run in the ninth. Ryan Walker was the Twins 18th-round draft pick in 2013 out of Texas-Arlington. He hit one home run for Elizabethton after signing. One Saturday night he hit his second professional home run. He went 2-4 with his first double and first home run. Travis Harrison was 3-5 with his 12th double and sixth home run. Mitch Garver went 2-3 with two walks. Zach Granite went 2-5 and stole his 27th base. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-5 with his 11th double. Engelb Vielma went 1-3 and is now hitting .323 with the Lookouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Brevard County 2 Box Score Randy Rosario was on the hill for the Miracle on Saturday night and put together a very strong outing. The left-hander gave up one run on seven hits over 6.2 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Brian Gilbert struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked one. Nick Gordon went 2-4 and stole his ninth base of the year. TJ White was also 2-4. The Miracle had just five hits in the game. Chris Paul added two walks. Todd Van Steensel pitched a scoreless ninth inning. However, in the tenth inning, he walked two and had a throwing error and the winning (or for the Miracle, the losing) run scored on a passed ball. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 7 Box Score For the Kernels, it was all about the top of the first inning. Sean MIller led off with a double. Later, AJ Murray hit a two-run double. Then JJ Fernandez and Kevin Garcia each had an RBI double. Finally, Jermaine Palacios drove in two runs with a double. The Kernels had a 6-0 lead before even going out to play some defense. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to do much the rest of the game. Brad Hartong went 2-4. Eduardo Del Rosario started. He gave up three runs on six hits in 4.1 innings. He walked two, hit one and struck out three. Williams Ramirez came in and struggled some. In 2.2 innings he gave up four runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. Mike Theofanopoulos gave up a hit, but struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Eades, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (12:35 p.m. CST) - LHP Logan Darnell Chattanooga @ Tennessee (1:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Lakeland (3:00 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (5:00 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday games. 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