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We are just about two months into the regular season, and the Minnesota Twins are under-performing. When the Twins are pitching well, the offense is non-existent and when they are hitting well, the pitching has been bad. However, it is not all bad for the organization. The minor league system has been solid, with many of the organization’s top prospects playing like it. As in the past two seasons, here is my list of the top five prospects who should be promoted. Some of the top players like Stephen Gonsalves and Nick Gordon have already been moved up a level, so we'll see who will follow shortly.Important note on the selection process: In this list, I avoided putting players in their first year with the level. Because of that, I did not put Alex Kirilloff on this list, even though he has been the best player in the organization this season. Other players who were not added because of this stipulation are Zander Wiel, Tyler Wells and Brusdar Graterol. Perhaps they could be added to my next one in late July or early August if they keep performing. Here is my list... Honorable Mentions: Tyler Jay, LHP, Chattanooga Jordan Gore, 2B, Cedar Rapids Bryan Sammons, LHP, Cedar Rapids 5. Ben Rortvedt, C, Cedar Rapids Everyone knows how much of a fan I am of him. My last article for Twins Daily raved about Rotvedt as the catcher of the future. It has been an up and down season for the Verona, Wis., native. At the time I wrote my Rortvedt piece, the catcher was hitting .471 through his first four games of the season. But apparently I was the kiss of the death, as he went on a month-long slump. In a stretch that saw his batting average plummet down to .225 on May 10, Rortvedt only had eight hits in 54 at-bats (.148). In addition to his .148 batting average, his OBP slipped down to .286 and he had an OPS of just .624. After having three extra- base hits in his first four games, he had just three during that 15-game stretch. But Rortvedt has since rebounded. In the three weeks (17 games) since the slump ended, he has hit .333 (21-63) with five of the 21 hits being extra-base hits. His batting average has ballooned up to .276 with an OPS of .719. The 2016 second round pick has improved in every single area. His average has improved by 52 points, his OBP by 47 points and his OPS by an incredible 122 points. Despite his homer numbers being down a bit, his extra-base numbers are up. His strikeout numbers are up a bit, but I think it is time to move up the 20-year-old to Fort Myers. 4. LaMonte Wade, OF, Chattanooga Wade is one of the more under-the-radar prospects in the Twins organization. With Byron Buxton on the disabled list once again, I wish they would put Wade up in the majors instead of rolling with Ryan LaMarre. The 24-year-old was drafted in the ninth round in 2015 and has been as consistent as any player in the system. After dominating the Florida State League in the last half of 2016, Wade played the entire 2017 season in Double-A Chattanooga. All he did there was hit .292 with seven homers and an OPS of .805. Wade started this season in Chattanooga once again, and has done as well, or maybe even better. Currently, his average sits at .289, but has struggled a bit since coming off the DL (1-11). However, the Baltimore native was hitting .305 before the injury with an OPS of .864. That is promotion worthy. In a weird stat, he has hit six homers this year after hitting seven in 2017, but Wade does not yet have a double. Gordon was promoted to Rochester in May, and I have a feeling the former Maryland Terrapin is not far away. 3. Andrew Vasquez, LHP, Fort Myers Vasquez has pitched 1 1/3 innings with Chattanooga this year, but I do not count that as primarily being a member of the Lookouts. So, I am putting the 24-year-old as No. 3 on this list. I am a bit surprised he didn’t start the season with the Lookouts, even if he only pitched 35 2/3 innings with the Miracle in 2017. But the 24-year-old started this season in Florida, and has done even better. In 27 1/3 innings this season, Vasquez has a minuscule 0.66 ERA, along with a .210 batting average and a 1.06 WHIP. Last year, in his 35 2/3 innings, he had a 1.51 ERA and a .241 opponents batting average. His strikeout numbers are a bit down from last year, but still very good. In 2016, Vasquez struck out 52 batters in the 35 2/3 innings, and in 2017, he has struck out 30 in 27 1/3 innings. I know he was promoted to Chattanooga for a game, but then he went back to High-A Fort Myers. It is time to promote him for good. Chattanooga has a few relievers who are worthy of a promotion, so he might be promoted for good once that happens. 2. Royce Lewis, SS, Cedar Rapids Many probably think I am crazy for not putting him at the top spot. I mean, it would make sense. He has been really good for the Kernels this year. After hitting .296 last year for the Kernels in 18 games, Lewis has been on fire in 2018. In 41 games this year, last year’s top overall pick has hit .307. Lewis, who turns 19 on Tuesday, has hit three homers in 163 at-bats after hitting one in 71 last year. He only has 13 extra base hits, but that will come in time. He still has an OPS of a solid .775, including a slugging percentage of .423. Last year, in 36 games in the Gulf Coast League, Lewis had 15 stolen bases, but only three in 18 games with the Kernels. However, he has 15 in 41 games in Iowa this season, and has only been caught once. It is just a matter of time before he gets promoted to High-A Fort Myers. I am biased, so I hope he at least is in Cedar Rapids until after next weekend since I will be in Appleton for the Saturday and Sunday games. I will say, I think he will be with the Miracle by my birthday (June 16). 1. Todd Van Steensel, RHP, Chattanooga Some may think Lewis should be higher, but I chose Van Steensel since he has been so dominant with the Lookouts the last two-plus seasons. It has been a weird trip through the system for the Australian. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009, but he was released after a year. Van Steensel then signed with the Twins in 2011, but then was cut after a year. After a few years in the Australian Baseball League, Minnesota signed him back and he has been with the organization ever since. With the exception of a year in which he had an ERA of 3.46 with Fort Myers in 2016, he has been lights out. He has been especially great for Chattanooga. In eight games for the Lookouts in 2016, he allowed two runs in eight innings. Coming back with the Lookouts in 2017, he was even better. In 58 2/3 innings, he only allowed nine runs and struck out 59. His opponents batting average was just .207 with a WHIP of 1.14. Even though he was outstanding in 2017, he has been even more amazing in 2018. In 15 (29 2/3 innings) games, the 27-year-old is 5-1 with an ERA of 1.82. The opposing batting average against Van Steensel is just .152 and his WHIP is a microscopic 0.78, which are both career-bests. He should be in Rochester at some point this season, which would open the door for Andrew Vasquez to be promoted. As always, feel free to tell me which Twins prospects you hope to see promoted soon. Click here to view the article

The Twins bullpen generally pitched quite well in May. More exciting, the Twins have lots of depth as they had several relievers in Rochester that had fantastic months. Were any of them our choice for Twins Daily Minor League Reliever of the Month, as Nick Anderson was in April? Well, you’ll just have to keep reading to find out. Today, we start our May Award series with the Twins minor league relief pitcher of the month. We’ll count down the Top 5 Twins minor league relievers, and there are enough good bullpen performances that we’ll include some honorable mentions.Before we share our choices for the Twins Minor League Top Five Relievers for April, here are some terrific bullpen performances that just missed the cut. HONORABLE MENTION John Curtiss, Rochester Red Wings, 8 G, 2.61 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, 10.1 IP, 6 H, 7 BB, 14 KLuke Bard, Rochester Red Wings, 8 G, 3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 12.0 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 13 K.Cody Stashak, Chattanooga Lookouts, 7 G (1 GS), 1.88 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 14.1 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 17 KRyan Mason, Ft. Myers Miracle, 8 G, 2.51 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 14.1 IP, 14 H, 3 H, 14 KJovani Moran, Cedar Rapids Kernels, 8 G (1 GS), 2.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 13.0 K/9, 14 H, 7 BB, 26 K.THE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS #5 - Gabriel Moya - Rochester Red Wings - 8 G, 1.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 9 H, 3 BB,18 K Moya made the Twins Opening Day roster wen Phil Hughes began the season on the disabled list. He was sent down to Rochester in late April. The 23-year-old southpaw from Venezuela had a strong first month in Rochester (remember, he jumped up to the big leagues directly from Double-A last year). Along with the solid numbers and striking out 12.5 batters per nine innings, opponents hit just .196/.260/.326 (.586) off of him in May. #4 - Andrew Vasquez - Ft. Myers Miracle - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 15 H, 2 BB, 18 K Another left-hander, Vasquez had a one-game stint in Chattanooga already this year. The Twins 32nd round pick in 2015 out of Westmont College has been moved along slowly, in large part due to some inconsistent control. After ending 2017 with the Miracle, he pitched well in the Arizona Fall League last year. He has returned to the Miracle, but he’s in need of a promotion to AA. In May, he struck out 11 batters per nine inning. He’s blessed with what should be a dominant slider. #3 - Nick Anderson - Rochester Red Wings - 8 G, 1.46 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 19 K Anderson was the Twins Daily April reliever of the month, and he was nearly as good in May. The Brainerd (Minnesota) native signed with the Twins out of the independent ranks late in the 2015 season. He has been blowing hitters away ever since and now finds himself one promotion from his big league dreams. In May, opponents hit a miniscule .077/.182/.154 (.336) off of him. He’ll turn 28 in early July. It’d be great to see him debut his big fastball/slider combination by then. #2 - Alan Busenitz - Rochester Red Wings - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 19 K It is inexplicable to the writer of this article why Busenitz is not in the big leagues. He dominates AAA, and he pitched very well last year and he got just four innings early this year in the big leagues. He’s got the big fastball and what can be a very good slider. In May, opponents hit just .159/.213/.159 (.372) against him. His 13.2 K/9 shows the type of dominance that he can have. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – RHP Todd Van Steensel - 8 G, 1.13 ERA, 0.44 WHIP, 16.0 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 17 K Van Steensel is the kind of player that you just can’t help but cheer for. Signed originally by the Phillies, he was released after one year. The Twins signed him, but after one season in Elizabethton, they released him. He played in Europe and in his native Australia and a couple of years later, the Twins brought him back, this time as a reliever. Since returning, Van Steensel has been one of the best relievers in the organization. He made over 100 appearances in Ft. Myers and despite a fantastic 2017 in Chattanooga, he’s there again in 2018. He put up incredible numbers again in May. Opponents hit just .100/.148/.120 (.268) off of him. He continues to rack up big strikeout numbers and his walk rate has certainly come down this year. Van Steensel frequently shows up in these reports, but he is very worthy of this award for May. There were several very strong relief pitcher performances in May throughout the Twins minor league system. As you can see from their representation, the Red Wings have had a strong bullpen this month. It was a good month for each of these pitchers mentioned today, but again, congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for May 2018, Todd Van Steensel. Click here to view the article

We are just about two months into the regular season, and the Minnesota Twins are under-performing. When the Twins are pitching well, the offense is non-existent and when they are hitting well, the pitching has been bad. However, it is not all bad for the organization. The minor league system has been solid, with many of the organization’s top prospects playing like it. Like the past two seasons, this is a list of my top five prospects who should be promoted. Some of the top players like Stephen Gonsalves and Nick Gordon have already been moved up a level, so we'll see who will follow shortly. In this list, I avoided putting players in their first year with the level. Because of that, I did not put Alex Kirilloff on this list, even though he has been the best player in the organization this season. Other players who were not added because of that are Zander Wiel, Tyler Wells and Brusdar Graterol. Perhaps they could be added to my next one in late July or early August if they keep performing. Here is my list... Honorable Mentions: Tyler Jay, LHP, Chattanooga Jordan Gore, 2B, Cedar Rapids Bryan Sammons, LHP, Cedar Rapids 5. Ben Rortvedt, C, Cedar Rapids Everyone knows how much of a fan I am of him. My last article for Twins Daily raved about Rotvedt as the catcher of the future. It has been an up and down season for the Verona, Wis., native. At the time I wrote my Rortvedt piece, the catcher was hitting .471 through his first four games of the season. But apparently I was the kiss of the death, as he went on a month-long slump. In a stretch that saw his batting average plummet down to .225 on May 10, Rortvedt only had eight hits in 54 at-bats (.148). In addition to his .148 batting average, his OBP slipped down to .286 and he had an OPS of just .624. After having three extra base hits in his first four games, he had just three during that 15-game stretch. But Rortvedt has since rebounded. In the three weeks (17 games) since the slump, he has hit .333 (21-63) with five of the 21 hits being extra base hits. His batting average has ballooned up to .276 with an OPS of .719. The 2016 second round pick has improved in every single area. His average has improved by 52 points, his OBP by 47 points and his OPS by an incredible 122 points. Despite his homer numbers being down a bit, his extra-base numbers are up. His strikeout numbers are up a bit, but I think it is time to move up the 20-year-old to Fort Myers. 4. LaMonte Wade, OF, Chattanooga Wade is one of the more under-the-radar prospects in the Twins organization. With Byron Buxton on the disabled list once again, I wish they would put Wade up in the majors instead of rolling with Ryan LaMarre. The 24-year-old was drafted in the ninth round in 2015 and has been as consistent as any player in the system. After dominating the Florida State League in the last half of 2016, Wade played the entire 2017 season in Double-A Chattanooga. All he did there was hit .292 with seven homers and an OPS of .805. Wade started this season in Chattanooga once again, and has done as well, or maybe even better. Currently, his average sits at .289, but has struggled a bit since coming off the DL (1-11). However, the Baltimore native was hitting .305 before the injury with an OPS of .864. That is promotion worthy. In a weird stat, he has hit six homers this year after hitting seven in 2017, but Wade does not yet have a double. Gordon was promoted in May to Rochester, and I have a feeling the former Maryland Terrapin is not far away. 3. Andrew Vasquez, LHP, Fort Myers Vasquez has pitched 1.1 innings with Chattanooga this year, but I do not count that as primarily being a member of the Lookouts. So, I am putting the 24-year-old as No. 3 on this list. I am a bit surprised he didn’t start the season with the Lookouts, even if he only pitched 35.2 innings with the Miracle in 2017. But the 24-year-old started this season in Florida, and has done even better. In 27.1 innings this season, Vasquez has a miniscule 0.66 ERA, along with a .210 batting average and a 1.06 WHIP. Last year, in his 35.2 innings, he had a 1.51 ERA and a .241 opponents batting average. His strikeout numbers are a bit down from last year, but still very good. In 2016, Vasquez struck out 52 batters in the 35.2 innings, and in 2017, he has struck out 30 in 27.1 innings. I know he was promoted to Chattanooga for a game, but then he went back to High-A Fort Myers. It is time to promote him for good. Chattanooga has a few relievers who are worthy of a promotion, so he might be promoted for good once that happens. 2. Royce Lewis, SS, Cedar Rapids Many probably think I am crazy for not putting him at the top spot. I mean, it would make sense. He has been really good for the Kernels this year. After hitting .296 last year for the Kernels in 18 games, Lewis has been on fire in 2018. In 41 games this year, last year’s top overall pick has hit .307. Lewis, who turns 19 on Tuesday, has hit three homers in 163 at-bats after hitting one in 71 last year. He only has 13 extra base hits, but that will come in time. He still has an OPS of a solid .775, including a slugging percentage of .423. Last year, in 36 games in the Gulf Coast League, Lewis had 15 stolen bases, but only three in 18 games with the Kernels. However, he has 15 in 41 games in Iowa this season, and has only been caught once. It is just a matter of time before he gets promoted to High-A Fort Myers. I am biased, so I hope he at least is in Cedar Rapids until after next weekend since I will be in Appleton for the Saturday and Sunday games. I will say, I think he will be with the Miracle by my birthday (June 16). 1. Todd Van Steensel, RHP, Chattanooga Some may think Lewis should be higher, but I chose Van Steensel since he has been so dominant with the Lookouts the last two-plus seasons. It has been a weird trip through the system for the Australian. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009, but he was released after a year. Van Steensel then signed with the Twins in 2011, but then was cut after a year. After a few years in the Australian Baseball League, Minnesota signed him back and he has been with the organization ever since. With the exception of a year in which he had an ERA of 3.46 with Fort Myers in 2016, he has been lights out. He has been especially great for Chattanooga. In eight games for the Lookouts in 2016, he allowed two runs in eight innings. Coming back with the Lookouts in 2017, he was even better. In 58.2 innings, he only allowed nine runs and struck out 59. His opponents batting average was just .207 with a WHIP of 1.14. Even though he was outstanding in 2017, he has been even more amazing in 2018. In 15 (29.2 innings) games, the 27-year-old is 5-1 with an ERA of 1.82. The opposing batting average against Van Steensel is just .152 and his WHIP is a microscopic 0.78, which are both career-bests. He should be in Rochester at some point this season, which would open the door for Andrew Vasquez to be promoted. As always, feel free to tell me which Twins prospects you hope to see promoted soon.

As Memorial Day approaches, it’s noteworthy the the first halves of the Kernels, Miracle and Lookouts seasons are coming to an end. Soon, we’ll hear which players are going to play in the All Star game. Often, that milestone also means that it is promotion time for some of the prospects. Today, I’ll mention six Twins minor leaguers that I think are ready for the next level.I believe that the below six players are ready for the next challenge in their careers and on the ladder up the Twins minor league system. Check out my list of a half-dozen players, and then add others that you would like to see promoted. Rochester to Minnesota: Pitcher: Aaron Slegers Trevor May will likely be back in a Minnesota Twins uniform, and Ervin Santana isn’t too far behind him. Those two MLB veterans are returning to a starting rotation that is already full. Stephen Gonsalves and Zack Littell are also in the Rochester rotation and, especially Gonsalves, appear close to big-league ready. Slegers isn’t the big prospect. He was a fifth-round pick and basically moved up one level each year. All the while, he put up good numbers. But Slegers is a legit MLB prospect. He can pitch in the big leagues, and frankly, he’s got little left to prove in AAA. Over his first eight starts in 2018, he is 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA. That is after going 15-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 2017 with the Red Wings. If an organization has a pitcher like Slegers in AAA providing depth, that organization is pretty solid. Chattanooga to Rochester: Hitter: LaMonte Wade Yes, he’s been on the 7-day disabled list for a week now with a shoulder injury, but if not for that, he might have joined Nick Gordon on the trip up to Rochester. Wade had a solid 2017 in Chattanooga when he hit .292/.397/.408 (.805) with 22 doubles and seven home runs. As he has done at every level, he walked more than he struck out. It’s that plate discipline and approach that make me think he might even be ready to move up to the big leagues if needed. For whatever reason, he was returned to the Lookouts to start 2018. Maybe it was to work on something, possibly adding more home run power to his game. If that’s the case, well, he’s already got six home runs this year. There’s little doubt in my mind that Wade is ready for Triple A, if not the big leagues. Pitcher: Todd Van Steensel Van Steensel signed with the Twins a long time ago. Way back in 2011, to be exact. He was a starting pitcher at that time and was released after the Elizabethton season. Fast-forward to 2014, and the Twins brought Van Steensel back, this time as a reliever. Ever since then, he has been one of the best relievers in the Twins system. For whatever reason, he has not been promoted quickly. He posted a 2.62 ERA over 101 games in Ft. Myers (157 strikeouts in 144 1/3 innings). He pitched in Chattanooga last year and posted a 1.38 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings. Yet he finds himself back with the Lookouts again this year. He’s got 28 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings, but he also has just seven walks. If anything was holding him back in the past, he was some control issues. If that’s a thing of the past, Van Steensel deserves to move up. Ft. Myers to Chattanooga: Hitter: Jaylin Davis The Twins drafted Davis late in the 2015 draft. He was hurt, so his playing career didn’t start until the Elizabethton season started in 2016. He hit 16 home runs in 64 the rest of that season (between E-Town and Cedar Rapids). He hit 15 homers in 2017, splitting the season between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He’s hit for power, but he’s also swung and missed a lot. So far in 2018, Davis has cut down on his strikeout rate while increasing his walk rate. He’s hitting .285/.385/.431 (.806) with the Miracle. He may be in line for another midseason promotion. Pitcher: Andrew Vasquez (or Sean Poppen) Vasquez was another late-round pick in 2015 (32nd round) out of Division III Westmont College. He split 2017 between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, and ended the year with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League. After 23 games in Ft. Myers in 2017, he began there again in 2018. He spent a few days in Chattanooga, but he’s ready to be sent there full-time. In a combined 15 games (14 with the Miracle), he’s posted a 0.68 ERA. In 25 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 28 and walked just seven (something he struggled with in the past). He’s got a good fastball, but his slider can be a wipe-out pitch, and he should soon be making the move to Double-A permanently. Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers: Hitter: Alex Kirilloff While Royce Lewis has garnered a lot of the headlines, and deservedly so, Alex Kirilloff has provided the Kernels with average, extra base power, and he’s driven in a ton of runs. After missing all of 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, it didn’t take Kirilloff long to get rolling in 2018. He is currently hitting .325/.373/.584 (.957) with 13 doubles, seven home runs and 35 RBI. He’s played well in the outfield and notes that his arm is feeling strong. I would expect Kirilloff, along with Lewis, to move up to Ft. Myers at or around the All-Star break. So there are six Twins minor leaguers who are making a strong case for promotion. Certainly, there are others who are deserving as well for performance or other reasons. Click here to view the article

Last year at this time, there were five players from the 2011 draft still in the Twins minor league system. At the end of the 2017 season, they became minor league free agents if they were not on a 40-man roster. None of those five players remains in the Twins organization at this time. The 2012 draft has produced several major leaguers already. There are nine players from that draft who are still in the Twins organization. Let’s take a look at those players.Players can become a minor league free agents after having played six full season of minor league ball, unless they are added to the 40-man roster. So it is fair to say that it is a big year for a handful of Twins minor leaguers. Let’s start by considering the players from the 2012 draft who are currently on the Twins 40-man roster. It was an impressive draft, despite the fact that injuries have really hurt several of the players. With the #2 overall pick, the Twins selected outfielder Byron Buxton. It hasn’t always been pretty, but Buxton broke out late in the 2017 season and won a Gold Glove and the Platinum Glove as the best defensive player in the big leagues. The Twins also received the 32nd overall pick because of losing Michael Cuddyer to free agency. With the pick, the Twins selected right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios. He debuted in 2016. He began 2017 in Rochester (in large part due to his participation in the WBC), but he came up soon and pitched well much of the season. The Twins received another supplemental draft pick, the 42nd pick, for having lost Jason Kubel to free agency. With that pick, they took right-hander Luke Bard from Georgia Tech. While he fought injuries the first several years of his career, he really took off in 2016 and then struck out a ton of batters between AA and AAA in 2017. He was selected by the Angels in the Rule 5 draft in December, but he could return to the Twins if he is not on the Angels big league roster all season. The Twins received an additional second -ound pick from the Rockies because of the Cuddyer signing. With the pick, they selected hard-throwing right-hander JT Chargois out of Rice University. He missed the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He worked back in 2015 and debuted with the Twins in 2016. Unfortunately, he missed the 2017 season as well. With their fifth-round pick, the Twins selected Chargois’s co-closer at Rice, Tyler Duffey. He came up in 2015 and was impressive in the rotation. In 2016, he struggled, and in 2017, he moved to the bullpen. Finally, in the 11th round, the Twins selected left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers. He worked his way up the system as a starter, but when the Twins had a need early in the 2016 season, they called Rogers up to work out of the bullpen. He pitched well as a rookie. He was tremendous in the first half of 2017, though he may have tired due to overuse in the second half. He may be the top left-hander in the Twins bullpen in 2018 and could learn more from Zack Duke. The Twins have had five players from their 2012 draft already play in the big leagues, which is remarkable. Clearly Buxton and Berrios are the stars, but Rogers, Chargois and Duffey have a chance to contribute for years to come too. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So while it would be great for these players to have big seasons in 2018 and force the Twins hand, doors could open up for them after the season via free agency, or they could choose to stay in the Twins organization. MASON MELOTAKIS The Twins first second-round pick was Melotakis, 63rd overall out of Northwestern State in Louisiana. The Twins gave him the opportunity to start, but in early 2014, he was moved to the bullpen. Following that season, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2015 season. He was added to the 40-man roster after the 2015 season. However, early in 2017, he was removed from the roster and cleared waivers. He split the 2017 season between Chattanooga and Rochester. He’ll likely begin 2018 with the Red Wings with the hopes of getting a shot to get added back to the 40-man roster and get to the big leagues. ZACK JONES The Twins foourth-round pick in 2012 out of San Jose State, Jones burst onto the season late that year when he was hitting triple digits in Beloit. Really since then Jones has spent more time on the disabled list than on the field. He’s had a variety of injuries in and around his shoulder. He was selected by the Brewers in the Rule 5 draft and went to spring training with Milwaukee in 2016. Unfortunately, he was hurt and had to rehab. After a couple of appearances with the Brewers AA team, he was returned to the Twins. He had shoulder surgery after the 2016 season and as he was set to return in 2017, he needed another surgery. When healthy, he’s got a big arm and a sharp slider. DJ BAXENDALE Baxendale was selected by the Twins in the 10th round out of the University of Arkansas after leading them to the College World Series. In less than a year, he was starting at AA Chattanooga. Things kind of plateaued for Baxendale there, and he fought some lingering injuries. But in 2016, he made the Southern League All-Star Game as a starter. He moved up to AAA and moved to the bullpen. He’s had some good success in that role. In 2017, he worked in a variety of roles from middle relief to long relief to making spot starts. ALEX MUREN Muren was the Twins 12th-round pick out of Cal State-Northridge. He put up great numbers in the lower levels despite a low strikeout rate. Unfortunately, he missed the 2016 season after having thoracic outlet surgery. He returned, but was limited some, in 2017. When on, Muren is a ground ball machine. Earlier, he would be brought on with runners on with the goal of getting a double play. In addition to the draft picks, a couple of players who signed as international free agents in 2012 will also become free agents. JHON ALVAREZ The Twins signed Alvarez out of Venezuela in July of 2012. He spent three seasons in the Dominican Summer League, and has spent the last two seasons in the Gulf Coast League. He did play one game for the Miracle in 2017 as well. RAINIS SILVA Like Alvarez, the Twins signed Silva in July of 2012, also out of Venezuela. A defense-first catcher, Silva played 11 games for the Kernels in 2015, and spent his 2016 in Cedar Rapids as well. As a 21-year-old in 2017, he played for Elizabethton, and he showed some offense. He hit .356/446/.446 (.892) for the E-Twins with four doubles, a triple and a homer. He will turn 22 right before Opening Day and should spend the year with a full-season affiliate. The Twins will hopefully have a tough decision to make on him. TODD VAN STEENSEL Finally, Australian Todd Van Steensel can finally become a minor league free agent following the 2018 season if he’s not added to the 40-man roster. The right-hander spent a year with the Phillies, and then a year with the Twins, and then he didn’t pitch for an affiliated team for a few years. He returned to the Twins in 2014 and pitched in Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He spent all of 2015 with the Miracle as well and posted a 2.32 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 66 innings. For some reason, he went back to the MIracle for most of 2016 but ended the year with a handful of outings in Chattanooga. That’s where he spent the 2017 season where he posted a 1.38 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 58.2 innings. While he doesn’t show up on prospect lists, he continues to put up great numbers every year. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Obviously all of these guys are “prospects’ as they have yet to play in the big leagues. It’s a big year for each of them. Not only are they working for a big league opportunity with the Twins, but they will have another season to be monitored by scouts and coaching staffs from the other 29 organizations as well.. So what are your hopes or expectations for these guys? Will any of them get to the big leagues in 2018? Could any be found on the 40-man roster after the 2018 season? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOOKING BACK Levi Michael went back to Chattanooga before ending the season with a month in Rochester. He has not yet signed a 2018 contract.Travis Harrison wasn’t able to get the bat going and was released with about a month to go in the season. He has not yet signed a minor league contract.Dereck Rodriguez had another solid campaign, splitting the year between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga. He has signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants.Jason Wheeler made his major league debut for the Twins in May but was DFAd and claimed by the Dodgers after pitching twice. Soon after, they DFAd him and he was claimed by the Orioles where he ended the season. After the season, he signed a one year deal with the Hanwha Eagles in Korea.David Hurlbut put together a full season at Rochester. Following the season, he signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. Click here to view the article

I wrote one of these a few months ago and of the list of five I made back in May, three were promoted and two are on the disabled list or else they would have been promoted. There are only a few months left in the season, but I still decided to make another list. There is still time for promotions as the minor league affiliates enter the stretch drive. I avoided putting rookies on here, like Royce Lewis, although he may or may not be promoted to Elizabethton before the end of the season. 5. Clark Beeker, SP, Cedar Rapids He may have a name that sounds like it would be a name from the 1920s, but Beeker has pitched well everywhere he has been, and that includes Cedar Rapids in 2017. In 17 starts so far, the 24-year-old is 9-3 with an ERA of 2.51. The Twins front office can be more aggressive, as he is already 24 and is still in low-A, much like what happened with Randy LeBlanc a season ago. In 104 innings pitched, he has an impressive 70-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The 70 strikeouts are a little lower than you would like for a pitcher older than most of the hitters he is facing with the Kernels, though. His WHIP is impressive at 1.00, which is worthy of a promotion by itself. He is part of a solid Cedar Rapids pitching staff, which could have multiple pitchers promoted by end of the season. 4. Colton Davis, RP, Cedar Rapids Here is another good pitcher from that aforementioned Cedar Rapids staff. He is one of many relievers worthy of a promotion in this minor league system. His impressive 1.79 ERA speaks for itself, but his WHIP is also great at 1.04 ERA. He appeared in two games last year, pitching scoreless two innings for the Kernels. He had a 3.26 ERA in Elizabethton last season before being promoted to Cedar Rapids. The 23-year-old has struck out 45 in 45.1 innings, but he will need to work on his control, as he has walked 18. Like Beeker, they can be aggressive with him since he is already 23. He also has a pair of saves as well. 3. Todd Van Steensel, RP, Chattanooga Van Steensel has been good, but not great the past few years, but has had a tremendous year for the Lookouts this year. In 43 innings (25 games), he has a tremendous 1.47 ERA. The Australian has struck out 47 in those 43 innings, but has walked 17, so he will have to improve his control, like Davis. Those walks are the reason why his WHIP is at 1.19. He pitched five games (eight innings) with the Lookouts last year, and allowed two earned runs (2.25 ERA). He is already 26, so he is major league ready right now. Before Chattanooga, he spent parts of three seasons with the Miracle. He was fantastic in 2014 and good in 2015, but his numbers went up last year. Despite that, he was promoted to Chattanooga and has never looked back. I doubt he gets promoted this year, but it would not surprise me to see him start in Rochester next season. 2. Hector Lujan, RP, Cedar Rapids This is the last of the Cedar Rapids pitchers on this list. He has been a pleasant surprise for the Kernels this year, as he didn't have an ERA under 5.00 in either of his first two seasons in the organization. His WHIP, as you might imagine, was not desirable in either of those two years either, as it was 1.39 both seasons. Despite struggling in both GCL and Elizabethton, he made an appearance last year for Fort Myers in May and gave up a homer to lose the game. That was his only appearance for the Miracle, and he has rebounded nicely this season. Since being in Cedar Rapids, he has given up just two homers in 38.2 innings. I mentioned earlier that his ERA was not below 5.00 in either of his first two years. Well, he has had an impressive 1.63 ERA in his 28 games this year. His WHIP has been spectacular as well at 0.91. Part of that has to do with just walking four in his 38.2 innings. That has been a significant improvement over his previous seasons, as he walked 15 in 54.1 innings. While a walks per nine innings rate of 2.485 is not terrible, it is not great, which his rate of .0931 is. He turns 23 next month, so I doubt he moves up this year, but I expect him to make a return trip to Fort Myers and start with the Miracle next season. 1. Mitch Garver, C, Rochester I still have no idea why Garver has not been promoted yet. The 26-year-old is batting .286 in Rochester after hitting .329 for the Red Wings last year. However, even with the average down a bit this year, his power has picked up in a big way. His 14 homers is the most he has hit since he hit 16 back in 2014 with Cedar Rapids, and even that was in 430 at-bats. So far in 2017 with the Red Wings, he has hit 14 in just 248 at-bats. He has also hit 21 doubles, which is closing in on the most he has hit in a season, which is 30 in 2016 spanning two levels. With his power surge, he has crushed his previous high in OPS. His OPS this year is .933, which obliterates his previous high of .880 in Cedar Rapids. With his ability to play multiple positions (C, 1B, some LF), he would be a perfect call-up. The Twins struggle mightily against lefties, and that is one thing Garver excels at. In 59 at-bats against lefties, the catcher has a slash line of .322/.452/.610. If Max Kepler, Joe Mauer or either catcher needs a day off (all of whom are poor against southpaws), Garver is a more than capable replacement. I don’t think we’ll see him really soon, but there is a high probability he will be on the team in September. As always, you are always welcome to state who you think I left off.

Despite four wins from affiliates on Thursday, the games didn't produce a lot of stand-out performances. A couple key hits here and there, some solid relief work, and that's sort of how things worked out across the system.Transaction Report:Alan Busenitz promoted to Rochester, Omar Bencomo demoted to Chattanooga, Todd Van Steensel promoted to Chattanooga, Mason Melotakis placed on 7-day disabled list (Chattanooga), Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Buffalo Bisons @ Rochester Box Score The Red Wings fell behind 3-0 in the top of the second inning but got a run back in the bottom half of the inning, and then used a 3-run Reynaldo Rodriguez home run to pull ahead in the third. Rodriguez was 1-3 and also walked. Mitch Garver was the only Red Wings player with multiple hits, 2-4 with an RBI and a pair of strikeouts. Despite giving up those three early runs, Jason Wheeler pitched well enough for the victory, moving to 10-4. He pitched 6.0 innings, gave up five hits, three runs, walked no one and struck out six. The bullpen locked things down the rest of the way, with 2.0 scoreless innings from D.J. Baxendale, and Alex Wimmers put the Bisons to bed with a scoreless ninth inning. Final: Bisons 3, Red Wings 6 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Montgomery Biscuits @ Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts gave up a run in the top of the first inning and were not able to come back the rest of the way. Starter Aaron Slegers dropped to 9-7 with the loss. He pitched 5.1 innings and gave up five hits, six runs (five earned), walked four and struck out just three. With Slegers out of the game, the bullpen held the Biscuits in place, with 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball from Brandon Peterson, and a clean 1-2-3 ninth for Todd Van Steensel, making his AAA debut. The Lookouts combined for five hits and struck out ten times on the evening, failing to really get things going except for a run here and there while already behind. No Lookouts hitter had more than one hit, and if I had to pick the top performer, I'd probably give it to Zach Granite, 1-3, but he had both RBIs. Final: Biscuits 6, Lookouts 2 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ St. Lucie Mets Box Score The Miracle were outhit 6-5, and committed a pair of errors, but still came away with a 1-0 shutout victory, thanks in large part to Fernando Romero. Romero pitched 6.1 innings of three-hit baseball, walking two and striking out eight. Romero's bullpen buddies Randy Rosario and Nick Anderson finished out the final 2.1 innings, giving up three more hits, walking one, and striking out five combined. This was the 16th shutout on the season for the Miracle staff. The Miracle's lone run was scored in a pretty unexciting fifth inning that started with a single, then a walk, a hit batsman, and another walk. Christian Ibarra and Daniel Kihle both led the way, each with a pair of hits, going 2-3 with a double. Nick Gordon was 0-4 as the DH, with a strikeout. Final: Miracle 1, Mets 0 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Peoria Chiefs Box Score The Kernels were up 2-1 after the fourth inning and things held there until the Chiefs came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth. With Tom Hackimer on the mound, Peoria quickly put the first two men on via walks, and then a single tied the game and another single gave Peoria the victory. Cedar Rapids starter Sean Poppen pitched 5.0 innings, gave up four hits, a run, walked three and struck out five. He was replaced by Andrew Vasquez who went 2.2 innings, gave up one hit and struck out six. Vasquez was lifted with two outs in the eight and Hackimer entered and produced a strike out to get the Kernels out of a jam, before giving the game away in the ninth. Travis Blankenhorn was 1-4 but had both RBIs for the Kernels. Nelson Molina was 2-4 with a run scored and Casey Scoggins was 2-3 with a walk. Final: Kernels 2, Chiefs 3 E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton @ Burlington Royals Box Score The E-Twins scored a run in the top of the first and pushed their lead to 4-1 after six innings. Each team put a two-spot on the board in the eighth to end the scoring. Twins hitters racked up eight hits, one walk, and struck out ten times. Amaurys Minier hit a 3-run homer in the sixth, his only hit of the night. Alex Kirilloff was 2-4 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored. The Twins used 5.2 innings from starter Alex Schick to get him the victory. He gave up just two hits, one run, walked two and struck out seven. Hector Lujan and Patrick McGuff did enough to keep the Twins ahead the rest of the way with 2.0 innings from Lujan and 1.1 from McGuff. Final: E-Twins 6, Royals 3 GCL TWINS TALK GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (Game 1) Box Score In the first game of a doubleheader, the GCL Twins scored six runs on just four hits, enough to earn a victory. All four of the Twins' hits were single, and no batter had more than one. Starting pitcher Tyler Fox went just 4.0 innings, gave up five hits, three runs and struck out four. He was replaced by Moises Gomez who earned a win with 3.0 hitless innings. He walked one and struck out three. Final: GCL Rays 3, GCL Twins 6 GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (Game 2) Box Score Again, not much for production with the bats in game two, as the Twins managed just four more hits, again all singles, and again spread out to four different players. This time they could not find a way to score. The Twins did not walk at all and struck out six times. Twins starting pitcher Bo Hellquist was tagged with the loss, giving up two runs in 4.2 innings. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out three. He was replaced by Zach Strecker who pitched the final 2.1 innings, giving up a pair of hits and striking out three. Final: GCL Rays 2, GCL Twins 0 DSL TWINS TAKES DSL Twins @ DSL Rojos Box Score Eight hits each for the Twins and the Rojos, but the Twins scored their only two runs in the top of the ninth, which was too few runs to earn a victory. The Twins were led by Darling Cuesto who was 2-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored. Twins starter Juan Mojica left in the fifth with the score still 0-0. He walked two, struck out seven and gave up just three hits. Luis Bellorin gave up four runs in an inning to take the loss, and Andriu Marin finished things out, giving up another run to give the Rojos five. Final: DSL Twins 2, DSL Rojos 5 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Alex Kirilloff - Elizabethton Pitcher of the Day - Fernando Romero - Fort Myers FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester - David Hurlbut (0-1, 6.00) Chattanooga - Kohl Stewart (6-6, 3.25) Fort Myers - Dereck Rodriguez (1-1, 1.98) Cedar Rapids - Lachlan Wells (4-3, 2.36) E-Twins - TBD GCL Twins - TBD DSL Twins - TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. Click here to view the article

Despite four wins from affiliates on Thursday, the games didn't produce a lot of stand-out performances. A couple key hits here and there, some solid relief work, and that's sort of how things worked out across the system. Transaction Report:Alan Busenitz promoted to Rochester, Omar Bencomo demoted to Chattanooga, Todd Van Steensel promoted to Chattanooga, Mason Melotakis placed on 7-day disabled list (Chattanooga), Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Buffalo Bisons @ Rochester Box Score The Red Wings fell behind 3-0 in the top of the second inning but got a run back in the bottom half of the inning, and then used a 3-run Reynald Rodriguez home run to pull ahead in the third. Rodriguez was 1-3 and also walked. Mitch Garver was the only Red Wings player with multiple hits, 2-4 with an RBI and a pair of strike outs. Despite giving up those three early runs, Jason Wheeler pitched well enough for the victory, moving to 10-4. He pitched 6.0 innings, gave up five hits, three runs, walked no one and struck out six. The bullpen locked things down the rest of the way, with 2.0 scoreless innings from D.J. Baxendale, and Alex Wimmers put the Bisons to bed with a scoreless ninth inning. Final: Bisons 3, Red Wings 6 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Montgomery Biscuits @ Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts gave up a run in the top of the first inning and were not able to come back the rest of the way. Starter Aaron Slegers dropped to 9-7 with the loss. He pitched 5.1 innings and gave up five hits, six runs (five earned), walked four and struck out just three. With Slegers out of the game, the bullpen held the Biscuits in place, with 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball from Brandon Peterson, and a clean 1-2-3 ninth for Todd Van Steensel, making his AAA debut. The Lookouts combined for five hits, but struck out ten times on the evening, failing to really get things going except for a run here and there while already behind. No Lookouts hitter had more than one hit, and if I had to pick the top performer, I'd probably give it to Zach Granite, 1-3, but he had both RBIs. Final: Biscuits 6, Lookouts 2 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ St. Lucie Mets Box Score The Miracle were out hit 6-5, and committed a pair of errors, but still came away with a 1-0 shut out victory, thanks in large part to Fernando Romero. Romero pitched 6.1 innings of 3-hit baseball, walking two and striking out eight. Romero's bullpen buddies Randy Rosario and Nick Anderson finished out the final 2.1 innings, giving up three more hits, walked one, and striking out five combined. This was the 16th shutout on the season for the Miracle staff. The Miracle's lone run was scored in a pretty unexciting fifth inning that started with a single, then a walk, a hit batsman, and another walk. Christian Ibarra and Daniel Kihle both led the way, each with a pair of hits, 2-3 with a double. Nick Gordon was 0-4 as the DH, with a strike out. Final: Miracle 1, Mets 0 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Peoria Chiefs Box Score The Kernels were up 2-1 after the fourth inning and things held there until the Chiefs came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth. With Tom Hackimer on the mound, Peoria quickly put the first two men on via walks, and then a single tied the game and another single gave Peoria the victory. Cedar Rapids starter Sean Poppen pitched 5.0 innings, gave up four hits, a run, walked three and struck out five. He was replaced by Andrew Vasquez who went 2.2 innings, gave up one hit and struck out six. Vasquez was lifted with two outs in the eight and Hackimer entered and produced a strike out to get the Kernels out of a jam, before giving the game away in the ninth. Travis Blankenhorn was 1-4 but had both RBIs for the Kernels. Nelson Molina was 2-4 with a run scored and Casey Scoggins was 2-3 with a walk. Final: Kernels 2, Chiefs 3 E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton @ Burlington Royals Box Score The E-Twins scored a run in the top of the first and pushed their lead to 4-1 after six innings. Each two put a two-spot on the board in the eighth to end the scoring. Twins hitters racked up eight hits, one walk, and struck out ten times. Amaurys Minier hit a 3-run homer in the sixth, his only hit of th enight. Alex Kirilloff was 2-4 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored. The Twins used 5.2 innings from starter Alex Schick to get him the victory. He gave up just two hits, one run, walked two and struck out seven. Hector Lujan and Patrick McGuff did enough to keep the Twins ahead the rest of the way with 2.0 innings from Lujan and 1.1 from McGuff. Final: E-Twins 6, Royals 3 GCL TWINS TALK GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (Game 1) Box Score In the first game of a double-header, the GCL Twins scored six runs on just four hits, enough to earn a victory. All four of the Twins' hits were single, and no batter had more than one. Starting pitcher Tyler Fox went just 4.0 innings, gave up five hits, three runs and struck out four. He was replaced by Moises Gomez who earned a win with 3.0 hitless innings. He walked one and struck out three. Final: GCL Rays 3, GCL Twins 6 GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (Game 2) Box Score Again, not much for production with the bats in game two, as the Twins managed just four more hits, again all singles, and again spread out to four different players. This time they could not find a way to score. The Twins did not walk at all, and struck out six times. Twins starting pitcher Bo Hellquist was tagged with the loss, giving up two runs in 4.2 innings. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out three. He was replaced by Zach Strecker who pitched the final 2.1 innings, giving up a pair of hits and striking out three. Final: GCL Rays 2, GCL Twins 0 DSL TWINS TAKES DSL Twins @ DSL Rojos Box Score Eight hits a piece for the Twins and the Rojos, but the Twins scored their only two runs in the top of the ninth, which was too few runs to earn a victory. The Twins were led by Darling Cuesto who was 2-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. Twins starter Juan Mojica left in the fifth with the score still 0-0, he walked two, struck out seven, and gave up just three hits. Luis Bellorin gave up four runs in an inning to take home the loss, and Andriu Marin finished things out, giving up another run to give the Rojos five. Final: DSL Twins 2, DSL Rojos 5 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Alex Kirilloff - Elizabethton Pitcher of the Day - Fernando Romero - Fort Myers FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester - David Hurlbut (0-1, 6.00) Chattanooga - Kohl Stewart (6-6, 3.25) Fort Myers - Dereck Rodriguez (1-1, 1.98) Cedar Rapids - Lachlan Wells (4-3, 2.36) E-Twins - TBD GCL Twins - TBD DSL Twins - TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf

It has been more than 24 hours since the last time the Twins lost, which is a pretty big deal here in Twins territory. The Twins MiLB affiliates went 1-3 on the day but they had a couple of nice performances to make up for the poor results. Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett Braves @ Rochester Box Score Byron Buxton, heard of him? He hit leadoff for the Wings and was 2-5 with a run scored and a strike out. He also stole a base. Speed kills, you guys. James Beresford had himself a day, 3-4 with a double and a run scored. Buck Britton, who, I assume, is hoping to capitalize on the excellent alliteration that he shares with Byron Buxton, was 2-4 with a double and a run scored, the only other Rochester hitter with multiple hits. As a squad, the Red Wings struck out six times and walked three times. Rochester starter David Martinez (who?! 2005 international free agent signee by the Astros, bounced to the Texas Rangers MiLB system in 2015 before joining the Twins in 2016) fell behind early, giving up a pair of runs in the first, another in the third, and a fourth in the fifth (which proved to be the game winner) before being lifted. Martinez finished with four runs, all earned, on nine hits, a walk, a dinger, and he struck out five. The bullpen was dominant behind Martinez, giving up just one hit over the next four innings, with 1.1 innings from Dan Runzler, 1.2 from Alex Wimmers, and a scoreless ninth from Buddy Boshers. Boshers now owns a 1.15 ERA and could be the next man up if the Twins bullpen continues to struggle. Final: Braves 4, Red Wings 3 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Pensacola Blue Wahoos @ Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts dealt with a mid-game rain delay in the sixth inning, then turned in a strong bullpen performance and nearly put the game into extra innings, making the final out with the game-tying run in scoring position. 'Nooga took an early lead in the bottom of the first on a Ryan Walker RBI single that scored Zach Granite, but they fell behind the Blue Wahoos after surrendering a run each in the second and third innings and they never regained the lead. Chattanooga managed eight hits and five walks, but just didn't have enough to overcome that early deficit. Zach Granite (2-5, with a run scored) and Stuart Turner (3-4 with a solo home run) were the only Lookouts hitters with multiple hits. Shannona Wilkerson had a solo home run of his own as well, hitting in the nine-spot. Aaron Slegers was the pitcher of record for the Lookouts, he started and went 4.1 innings with four earned runs off of six hits. He also walked four and struck out three. In the middle of the fifth, Mike Strong took over for Slegers and induced a double play to get the Lookouts out of a jam, but then gave up a run in the sixth, to put Chattanooga down 5-3. Luke Westphal then pitched three scoreless innings of one-hit baseball, giving up a walk and striking out four. Westphal now owns a 1.80 ERA. Final: Blue Wahoos 5, Lookouts 4 MIRACLE MATTERS Bradenton Marauders @ Fort Myers Box Score The Miracle used a three-run seventh inning to secure a victory, despite being outhit 14-10. Of the 10 Miracle hits, 5 were clustered between just two hiiters, Edgar Corcino (2-4 with a double and a run scored) and Max Murphy (3-3 with a double and a walk). No other Miracle hitter had multple hits. As a team, Fort Myers struck out twelve times and walked just twice, so they're clearly learning from the Big League club! Miracle Starter Keaton Steele pitched six innings of two-run baseball but left without a decision, despite earning a quality start. Brandon Peterson vultured a W to move to 2-0 thanks to that big seventh inning. Brian Gilbert came on to start the eighth and laid an egg, giving up a run and two hits, and walking a pair without recording a single out. Todd Van Steensel came in to save the day with a two inning save, his third of the year. Van Steensel gave up just one hit and struck out three, facing the minimum thanks to a pitcher-friendly double play. Final: Marauders 3, Miracle 4 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Box Score It does not seem fair to say that a team of young men working as hard as they can to win a game don't deserve a victory, but it sure felt like the Kernels tried their best to give this game away. Up 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Kernels gave up a leadoff home run to the Rattlers' cleanup hiiter and then gave up the game winner an inning later to lose in walk-off fashion. The Kernels tallied 12 hits on Thursday evening, two each from Luis Arraez and Sean Miller, and three from J.J. Fernandez, who had the best night in the system (3-4, two doubles, two runs scored, a walk and a strike out). On the bump, the Kernels went with a bullpen game, giving two innings to "starter" Andro Cutura, who walked three and struck out three but kept Wisconsin off the board. Kuo Hua Lo gave up three runs, all UNEARNED, over 2.2 innings, but he walked four along with the four strike outs he recorded. Sam Gibbons was then charged with a blown save (his first of the year) giving up a run before turning the game over to C.K. Irby. Irby, ever the competitor, made sure to outdo Gibbons, and Irby picked up both a blown save and the loss, giving up a run in the ninth and tenth innings to lose the game. Irby struke out five, walked one and gave up three hits. Final: Kernels TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - J.J. Fernandez - Cedar Rapids Kernels Pitcher of the Day - Todd Van Steensel - Fort Myers Miracle FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Syracuse Chiefs @ Rochester (6:05pm) - A.J. Cole vs. Jason Wheeler (1-1, 1.80) Pensacola Blue Wahoos @ Chattanooga (6:15pm) - Amir Garrett vs. Ryan Eades (1-2 5.70) Fort Myers @ St. Lucie Mets (5:30pm) - Felix Jorge (2-2, 1.38) vs. Scarlyn Reyes Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (6:35pm) - Sam Clay (2-1, 0.95) vs. Miguel Diaz Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf

It’s just two weeks from the start of spring training in Florida and Arizona. However, if you like watching baseball, there is a WBC Qualifier tournament that started on Thursday in Australia (Wednesday night in the States). There are 14 players with Minnesota Twins ties in this tournament (11 from Australia, 3 from South Africa). As you recall, the first World Baseball Classic was in 2006. Japan topped Cuba for that championship. In 2009, Japan won again. In 2013, it was the Dominican Republic that claimed the title. Team USA has finished fourth place once, their only trip to the Final Four.Certainly there is no surprise that Team Australia is littered with players with Twins connections. The Twins and legendary scout Howie Norsetter have always signed players from Down Under. Briefly, here are the players who have spent time in the Twins system who are on the Australian team. James Beresford played in the ABL after the holidays for Joe Vavra’s Melbourne Aces team. First, it allowed Beresford more time in front of one of the Twins coaches, but it also helped him prepare for this tournament. Beresford has been in the Twins organization since signing in 2005. He was an International League All-Star for the Rochester Red Wings in 2015 and will return again to the organization in 2016. Todd Van Steensel has been in the Twins organization twice. He pitched for Elizabethton in 2011 but was released after the season. He returned before the 2014 season after becoming a strong relief pitcher prospect while pitching in the ABL and in Europe. He has put up strong numbers the last two seasons, including more than a strikeout per inning. He should move up to Chattanooga for the 2016 season. Sam Gibbons has a nice showing once he was promoted to Cedar Rapids in 2015. He posted a 2.89 ERA as a 21-year-old in 15 starts. He signed with the Twins in July of 2011. He is certainly one to watch in 2016. Logan Wade signed with the Twins as a 19-year-old in 2011. He was the number three hitter and shortstop for the Brisbane Bandits team that just won the Claxton Shield (ABL championship) last week. Apparently his father has five Claxton Shield titles. Wade played in Ft. Myers last year. Aaron Whitefield was also on that championship Brisbane team. He is a 19-year-old who signed with the Twins in May. He has been playing baseball now for about a year now after playing softball for years. In fact he’s represented Australia in international softball tournaments. At 6-4 and 200 pounds with very good speed, he is certainly intriguing. He played in just seven games in the GCL in 2015. Luke Hughes signed with the Twins in 2002 and gradually worked his way up the system.In 2010, as a 25-year-old he made his major league debut and in his first at-bat, he homered against Max Scherzer. He played in 96 games for the Twins in 2011 and hit seven homers. He played just four games for the Twins in 2012 before being DFAd and claimed by the A’s. He has not played in the big leagues since 2012. He has played for Perth each winter. Allan de San Miguel signed as a 16-year-old catcher in 2004. Out of necessity, he played 11 games for Ft. Myers as a 17-year-old in 2005, but overall, his progression through the Twins system was slow. An organizational player, in 2009 he actually played games for Beloit, Ft. Myers, New Britain and Rochester. After the 2010 season he moved on to the Orioles. In 2015, he was back with the Twins, providing some catching depth and getting a few games in for Rochester. He remains a free agent. Peter Moylan may not be a name you necessarily associate with the Twins. However, that is where he made his US start. Kind of. He signed with the Twins as a 16-year-old in 1995. He pitched for the GCL Twins in 1996 and 1997, and posted ERAs of 4.08 and 4.05. The Twins let him go, and he did not play again in the States until 2006 when he went to AAA for the Braves and despite a 6.83 ERA in 35 games, he debuted in the big leagues with 15 games. He has played in eight big league seasons since, only missing the 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery. Trent Oeltjen signed with the Twins in 2000. He slowly worked his way up the system. Two years in Elizabethton. Two years in Quad Cities. Two years in Ft. Myers. He had a strong 2006 in New Britain and was solid in Rochester in 2007, but he became a free agent and signed with the Diamondbacks. He played 24 games for the Diamondbacks in 2009 and a combined 75 games for the Dodgers between 2010 and 2011. He continued playing AAA ball through the 2014 season. He played for Sydney in the ABL after the 2014 season but announced that it would be his final season. He retired and didn’t play in 2015 but he’s still on their roster. He is one of the more respected players in Australia. Matt Williams pitched in the Twins minor league system starting in 2005 and culminating with 28 games in New Britain in 2010. Since then, he has been one of the better relief pitchers in the Australian Baseball League and has competed in many international competitions. He is arguably best known, however, for a fantastic beard. Download attachment: Matt Williams.jpg Ryan Rowland-Smith never pitched in a regular season game for the Twins or any of their minor league affiliates. However, the Twins picked the then-22-year-old in the December 2004 Rule 5 draft. He went to spring training with the Twins but was returned to Seattle in late March. He debuted with the Mariners in July of 2007 and pitched 115 games for the Mariners between 2007 and 2010. He played AAA ball for five organizations between 2011 and 2013. Arizona signed him before 2014. He made the Opening Day roster but he was released early in the season and hasn’t played since. The Twins have signed a lot of players from Australia and several of them have pitched in the big leagues. Many played for the Twins including Grant Balfour, Glenn Williams, Michael Nakamura, and even Melbourne Ace’s GM Justin Huber. The Phillipines and New Zealand are also in the Sydney WBC Qualifier but they don’t have any Twins connections. However South Africa does have three players with Twins ties. Here is a little bit on each. (Quick Update/Correction - Eric Farris, who got a couple of cups of coffee with the Brewers in 2011 and 2012 and spent 2013-2015 with the Red Wings, was added to the Phillipines roster.) Hein Robb signed with the Twins in 2008 but spent a year pitching in Australia before coming to the States in 2010. He pitched for the GCL Twins in 2010 and 2011. He was with Elizabethton in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he also pitched in three games for Cedar Rapids. He played independent ball in 2014. He has been on the South African WBC teams since 2009 when he was just 17 years old. Callan Pearce signed with the Twins in July of 2013. He has pitched in the GCL the last two years. He is a great athlete and can throw into the low-90s but he has struggled with his control. 19-year-old Rowan Ebersohn was the starting left fielder and seventh-place hitter for South Africa in their first game of the tournament. Just 5-9 he is stocky, strong and still fast. He played in just 27 games in the GCL and hit just .193, but he showed great improvement even during the three months he was with the team. (In Game 1, Ebersohn went 0-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch.) So there you have it, plenty of reasons to watch the WBC qualifying tournament the next few days. Sure, Team Australia’s games will be played at 2:30 a.m. (Central time) in the United States, but they will be fun to watch. Next month, there will be two more WBC Qualifier Tournaments. In Mexicali, Team Mexico will host the Czech Republic, Nicaragua and Germany. We have already been told that Max Kepler will not be playing for the German team as he will be at Twins big league camp, hoping to earn an Opening Day roster spot. Also in mid-March in Panama City, Panama will host Colombia, France and Spain. The games will be played at Rod Carew Stadium. The fourth WBC Qualifier will not be until late September. In the Bronx, teams from Brazil, Great Britain, Israel and Pakistan will compete for the fourth Qualifier spot in the 2017 WBC. The four teams to win the Qualifiers will join the teams that finished in the top 12 of the 2013 WBC. Those countries are the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan, the Netherlands, Cuba, the United States, Italy, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Venezuela, and Canada. Again, the World Baseball Classic will begin in 2017. Click here to view the article

Relief pitchers can get a tough rap, with one bad outing resulting in inflated numbers that they have to work to improve for the rest of the season. With a limited amount of appearances to leave their mark, relievers need to show their stuff in short appearances in order to continue their path to the major leagues. The Twins Minor League Report authors each voted for the five awards being handed out this week. Today, we'll take a look at the top relief pitchers in the Twins minor league system for 2015. We each voted for out top six performers in this category.You'll see short profiles of our Top 6, but first, here are some honorable mentions. Honorable Mention Michael Theofanopoulos - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 37 G, 5-3, 3.82 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 68.1 IP, 68 H, 29 BB, 74 KCameron Booser - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 32 G, 1-2, 3.72 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 46.0 IP, 31 H, 40 BB, 64 KNick Burdi - Chattanooga Lookouts/Fort Myers Miracle - 43 G, 5-6, 3.82 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 63.2 IP, 52 H, 35 BB, 83 KAlex Muren - Chattanooga Lookouts/Fort Myers Miracle - 44 G, 3-3, 3.03 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 71.1 IP, 62 H, 24 BB, 54 KRandy LeBlanc - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 33 G, 9-5, 3.03 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 89.0 IP, 78 H, 28 BB, 69 KLuke Bard - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 28 G, 7-1, 2.41 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 52.1 IP, 45 H, 15 BB, 47 KRELIEF PITCHER OF THE YEARHere are the top six vote-getters for the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. #6 - JT Chargois - Chattanooga Lookouts/Fort Myers Miracle - 48 G, 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 48.0 IP, 38 H, 25 BB, 53 K In his first professional action since the Appalachian League in 2012, Chargois made a strong impression back on the mound. He underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2013 and he enter the season with a lot of buzz out of the Instructional League. In his second appearance back on the mound, he was lit up for four earned runs on five hits while only recording one out. Over his next 14 appearances with Fort Myers, Chargois did not allow an earned run while holding opponents to a .137/.214/.196 batting line. His streak continued after being promoted to Chattanooga and it only came to an end after two months and 20 appearances. He ended the year with another impressive run as he gave up one earned run on 11 hits over his last 19.2 innings with 24 strikeouts. #5 - Todd Van Steensel - Fort Myers Miracle - 46 G, 2-4, 2.32 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 66.0 IP, 53 H, 32 BB, 81 K Van Steensel started back in the Florida State League after finishing the 2014 campaign with the Miracle. Fort Myers relied a lot on the Australian native throughout the year as he compiled the best professional numbers of his career. He got off to a strong start in the month of April with a 1.35 ERA and 22 strikeouts in just over 13 innings. June was also be a good month as he held opponents to a 0.796 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. Right-handed batters actually hit worse against the righty as their OPS was 17 points lower. He led the Miracle in saves, games finished, appearances, and he finished second on the team in strikeouts even though he never made a start. #4 - AJ Achter - Rochester Red Wings - 43 G, 4-2, 2.63 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 48.0 IP, 28 H, 13 BB, 47 K The Twins have gotten quite the run out of the 46th round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. Achter has made appearances with the big league club in each of the last two seasons and he continued to improve himself in the minor leagues. Throughout the entire season, he only allowed opponents to hit over .190 against him in one month (June) and that was the month he made his fewest number of appearances. Achter put up some crazy numbers in May (12 appearances) with a 0.75 ERA and a 0.42 WHIP while opponents hit .103/.125/.179 against him. He tied for Rochester's team lead with 14 saves and lead the relief pitching core with 48 total innings. #3 - Brandon Peterson - Chattanooga Lookouts/Fort Myers Miracle - 41 G, 2.07 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 61.0 IP, 44 H, 28 BB, 77 K After some up and down appearances through the first month of the season, Peterson hit a nice groove near the beginning of May and stretched it all the way to July. During that time he didn't allow a run over 26.0 innings while striking out 33 and holding opponents to a .103/.161/.115 batting line. During that stretch he was promoted from Fort Myers to Chattanooga where he'd finish the season. His time in the Florida State League was outstanding as he posted a 0.85 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. The jump to the Southern League saw his ERA jump to 3.38 and his WHIP bump up 55 points. Peterson was almost a year and a half younger than the other pitchers at Double-A so it was an overall very impressive season. #2 - Michael Tonkin - Rochester Red Wings - 33 G, 2-1, 1.10 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 41.0 IP, 25 H, 5 BB, 46 K Tonkin hasn't been able to stick at the big league level over the last handful of years but he showed that he can thoroughly dominate hitters at the Triple-A level. Tonkin changed rosters nine different times this year including one stretch where four straight appearances on different teams between Rochester and Minnesota. From June 30 to August 29, he allowed two earned runs in 28.0 innings with 28 strikeouts and two walks. Opponents hit .160/.186/.202 against him during that stretch and Rochester handed over the closer role to him to end the year. Even with all the trips to Minnesota, Tonkin stilled tied Achter for the Rochester team lead with 14 saves and he had the best ERA of any pitcher on the staff. Tonkin doesn't have much left to prove at Triple-A so it will be up to the Twins to find him a big league role for 2016. Relief Pitcher of the Year - Trevor Hildenberger - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Fort Myers Miracle - 41 G, 3-2, 1.55 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 64.0 IP, 39 H, 7 BB, 80 K Hildenberger, a 22nd round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, spent all of his debut season pitching for the Twins two rookie league affiliates. His numbers were good but that can be expected for an experienced college pitcher going against younger hitters. He finished the 2014 season with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP with 32 strikeouts in 29 innings. This year would be a test as he would be asked to make the jump to the full season leagues and test his stuff against some older competition. He wasted very little time making his mark in Cedar Rapids. In the month of April, he allowed one earned run on six hits in ten innings with 13 strikeouts. He continued his masterful mound performance into May as he didn't allow a run for the entire month while striking out 23 in 18.2 innings. In fact, Hildenberger had a stretch from April 19 to June 21 (31.1 IP) where he allowed one run on 11 hits with 40 strikeouts and four walks. Batters could only compile a .107/.148/.117 line against him and he struck out 36% of hitters during this impressive run. Hildenberger's numbers jumped up a little during his 13 appearances in the Florida State League and he has been older than the competition at every stop along the way. Next year will be huge for him as he will likely spend some time back in the Florida State League before making a jump to the higher levels of the minors. It was a very impressive season but there's still room for him to grow in the coming years. THE BALLOTS In an attempt to be transparent, here are the ballots from our Twins Daily minor league writers. Seth Stohs - 1.) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) Michael Tonkin, 4.) AJ Achter, 4.) Brandon Peterson, 5.) Todd Van Steensel, 6.) JT ChargoisJeremy Nygaard - 1.) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) Michael Tonkin, 3.) AJ Achter, 4.) Todd Van Steensel, 5.) JT Chargois, 6.) Nick BurdiCody Christie - 1.) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) AJ Achter, 3.) Brandon Peterson, 4.) Todd Van Steensel, 5.) Cameron Booser, 6.) JT. ChargoisSteve Lien - 1.) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) Michael Tonkin, 3.) Brandon Peterson, 4.) AJ Achter, 5.) JT Chargois, 6.) Todd Van SteenselEric Pleiss - 1.) Trevor Hildenberger, 2.) Brandon Peterson, 3.) Michael Tonkin, 4.) Michael Theofanopoulos, 5.) JT Chargois, 6.) Todd Van SteenselFeel free to start the discussion and explain who you think should be on the ballot Click here to view the article

The big news of the day was obviously the 2015 MLB draft and the Twins selection of Illinois pitcher Tyler Jay (whose pre-draft profile you can read here, and talk about the pick here). Instant and meaningless analysis: I love the pick! But like every other day during the summer, there also was plenty of action for the Twins affiliates, where Jay will (hopefully) soon be playing. There was one top prospect making his first start in a new league, a rain postponement that pushed out the start of another, and a standout individual performance and football game score from our friends in the Dominican Republic worthy of mention.Read on to find out about all the action on Monday night! TRANSACTIONS It was known yesterday, but became official today that the Twins have sent shortstop Danny Santana down to AAA, and recalled Kennys Vargas in his place. Some of the league All-Star rosters have also been released, with pitchers Chih-Wei Hu, Brandon Peterson and J.T. Chargois, along with catcher Alex Swim, representing the Fort Myers Miracle in the Florida State League game to be played on June 20th. In the Midwest League, pitchers Felix Jorge, Cameron Booser, and Trevor Hildenberger, along with first baseman Trey Vavra, will represent the West Division squad and the Cedar Rapids Kernels in their game on June 23rd. RED WINGS REPORT Indianapolis 6, Rochester 3 Box Score It was International League division leaders squaring off as the Red Wings lead the North Division, and the Indians the West Division. It did not start out well for Rochester, as Indianapolis jumped out to 3-0 lead after the second inning, and made it 4-0 after four. All four of those runs were charged to starter Jason Wheeler, who went on to finish the fifth inning. He allowed those runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out two. The Red Wings lineup struggled to get anything going against Indians starter Clayton Richard, who has been a MLB starter for several seasons with the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres. He came to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization this year after shoulder surgery limited him to just four starts in the minors in 2014. He appears to be back on his way to the majors as he now sports a 1.69 ERA for Indianapolis. Over Richard’s seven innings, the Wings managed just five hits and two walks. The lone unearned run came in his final inning, when Richard committed a throwing error to move Jose Martinez to third base and in position to score on a sac fly from Wilkin Ramirez. In the ninth inning, doubles from Oswaldo Arcia, Eric Fryer and Wilkin Ramirez made the score 6-3, but they weren’t able to do any more damage. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-4 on the night to lead the offense, and Ramirez had two RBIs. In relief for the Red Wings, Logan Darnell allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out three. Mark Hamburger and Ryan O’Rourke each pitched a scoreless inning, with Hamburger picking up two K’s. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga @ Jackson, Postponed (Rain) Starter Jose Berrios was looking for a bounce back start after he suffered his worst outing of the year (relatively speaking) in his last one, but he was forced to wait another day due to rain in Jackson, Tennessee. The game will be made up tomorrow as part of a double-header, with both games going seven innings. The first game will start at 5:05 PM CST. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Lakeland 3 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves was on the mound for the Miracle, making his Florida State League debut. H picked up his first FSL win. Overall, the start wasn’t as good as his starts in the Midwest League were, but that’s not unexpected with a guy making his first start at a new level. Gonsalves finished 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two, as reported by MiLB.com (or five, if the game report from Miracle play-by-play man Bryce Zimmerman is to be believed). In his final inning, a walk and a two-run home run got the bullpen active, and he left the game with runners on the corners. Alex Muren came on and got the final two outs to keep Gonsalves in line for the win. The Miracle took a 2-0 lead in the second inning with two-out rally started by Bryan Haar with a single. Marcus Knecht followed with a single of his own and they moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Chad Christensen brought them home with a single to center field. Fort Myers added three runs in the top of the sixth inning which was begun with a single from Ryan Walker. FSL All-Star Alex Swim brought him home with his first triple of the season to chase Lakeland’s starter from the game. Mitch Garver greeted his replacement with a single to bring Swim in. Niko Goodrum followed with a single to put Garver on third, and he raced home on Haar's groundout to make it 5-1. Muren finished the seventh inning before relinquishing duty to Todd Van Steensel, who picked up his sixth save with two innings of scoreless ball. He struck out three according to MiLB.com. Walker, Goodrum, Haar, and Christensen each collected two hits on the night, and Christensen’s two RBI’s led the team in the victory. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, West Michigan 2 Box Score The Kernels completed a come-back victory with a single run in the sixth inning to narrow their deficit to 2-1, and added three in the seventh to take the lead for good. West Michigan got out to the 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when starter Jared Wilson ran into his first trouble of the night. Up to that point, the only runner for the Whitecaps had reached on an error by Kernels third baseman T.J. White. It was a triple with one out that got the first runner of the game in scoring position. A single brought that runner in for a 1-0 lead, then a single and walk loaded the bases and the second run scored on a wild pitch. Wilson recovered to pitch scoreless fifth and sixth innings, ending the game with six innings pitched, allowing the two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out four. The win brought Wilson’s record to 5-1 on the season, and lowered his ERA to 3.10. When Wilson exited, the game was left up to the unhittable, long-named, and University of California alumni duo of Michael Theofanopoulos and Trevor Hildenberger. Theo went two perfect innings, striking out one to pick up his fourth hold of the season, while Hil pitched a scoreless ninth, walking one and striking out two to pick up his sixth save. The Cedar Rapids scoring was started in the sixth inning by Nick Gordon, who brought home newly minted lead-off man Edgar Corcina with a single. Corcina had singled and stolen second base to put himself in scoring position. In the seventh, a two-out, three-run rally was started when Brett Doe was hit by a pitch. This was followed by a White single, a Blake Schmit two-RBI double, and a Brian Navaretto RBI single to make the final score of 4-2. Gordon, White, and Schmit were all 2-4, with Schmit’s two-run double being the Kernels only extra-base hit of the evening. DSL TWINS SPECIAL REPORT DSL Twins 21, DSL Yankees (team 1) 14 Box Score It’s really hard to make anything out of the young players who make up the roster of the Minnesota Twins Dominican Academy team, but it’s hard not to notice a baseball game score with an NFL-like final of 21-14. The DSL Twins took advantage of sixteen hits and twelve walks to come away with the victory. As a team they were 8-15 with runners in scoring position and four hitters in the lineup racked up multiple hits. There was also just one hitter in the lineup who did not score multiple runs. Even more notable was the batting line of first baseman and clean-up hitter Jorge Parra, as he hit for the cycle and tallied six RBIs. He was 4-6 on the night as a whole and also scored three runs. Quite a performance no matter the level or competition! TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Todd Van Steensel, Fort Myers Miracle (W, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R’s, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Jorge Parra, DSL Twins (4-6, 3 R’s, 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers (5-3, 3.09 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jackson, Double-Header (Game 1: 5:05 PM CST, Game 2: 30-45 min after end of Game 1) – RHP Jose Berrios (6-3, 3.25 ERA) and TBD Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CST) – LHP Mat Batts (0-1, 2.13 ERA) Cedar Rapids – Scheduled day off. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

I've always assumed that I'd invariably get my baseball news second hand from my younger brother, a fanatical baseball fan and true stats geek, until we no longer lived in the same household and I would be obliged to do the research on my own. That is, until he finally managed to talk me into starting a Twins Daily account last November. At first I rarely visited the site, only doing so when he succeeded in persuading me to post an idea I'd have now and then, but, as time went on and baseball came back for good this spring, I got more consistent and even learned to broaden my horizons to other baseball websites and look up more than just the Twins score every day. When this year's minor league season started, my brother was super excited since it was his first year to be able to participate in Twins Daily's "Adopt a Prospect" feature. He was hoping to be able to take Kohl Stewart, but though he got on just minutes after the thread started, he was disappointed to see that Stewart had already been claimed by another member. But then he noticed that Byron Buxton, the top prospect in baseball, hadn't been claimed yet; I guess everyone else, like my brother, was assuming that he'd already be taken by the time they had a chance to make a pick. Naturally he immediately jumped at that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and took him. I was pretty excited for him. Writing about baseball was something he'd dreamed about doing for some time, and to get Byron Buxton on such a prestigious website as Twins Daily was a huge deal. He told me that I should take someone, but I kind of shrugged it off and said that I wouldn't have time. However, he kept pushing the point, and finally I decided to just take a look at the prospects still available. At the time, I hardly knew anything about the players, and only recognized the top names from hearing him talk about them so much. I decided to choose in an unorthodox manner; scrolling through the Twins minor league rosters, I looked for a player who wore the number 33 on his jersey (I go by "always33" on Twins Daily since Justin Morneau has always been my favorite ballplayer, and I thought it would be kind of fun to have my prospect wear 33, too). The player on the Fort Myers Miracle who wore 33 was at the bottom of the pitchers. It was a name I'd never heard before, Luke Westphal. "Is he any good?" I asked. "Well, it's a kind of cool story," my brother responded. "He's from Wisconsin, but he never got drafted, and then he went to play winter ball in Australia last year, and the Twins signed him during the offseason." That was enough for me. The story caught my attention, and I suddenly wanted to write about this guy who had to go all the way to the other side of the world to sign with a team not four hours from his native town. I signed up and got to work. The next day I spent hours researching Westphal's career from college to independent baseball to Australia winter ball to Fort Myers. I scrolled through pages of Google results and read everything I came across until there wasn't another page to be found. With pages and pages of notes, I organized my information as best I could and put together my first ever Adopt a Prospect page...and my first ever article about a baseball player, much less a minor leaguer who had only made one appearance so far. By the time I was done and had it posted, I was feeling pretty exhausted. My brother, who had also adopted Zach Jones, wanted me to take a second player as well, but I put my foot down and said no. One was enough...at least for the time being. But maybe five weeks later, I became interested in another minor leaguer's career: Trey Vavra, son of Twins' bench coach Joe Vavra. He was terrorizing pitchers in low A and had just been awarded Twins Minor League Player of the Week after posting 10 hits (1 double), 8 runs, 2 RBI, and 6 walks in just 19 at bats, earning a .560 batting average on the week. I got excited about him and decided to adopt him, too...and then when I started doing research about him I discovered that he not only wore 33 but had been drafted in the 33rd round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. I was pretty thrilled, to say the least. How cool was it that I now had two prospects who shared jersey numbers with my favorite all-time player, however short the time would be that they'd keep them? I got Trey's page up and was rewarded when Seth Stohs, my new writing hero whose articles I always read with enthusiasm almost equal to watching the Twins play, thanked me for doing so and told me that I had done a great job. I don't mean to brag about myself, but I was so excited that I adopted D.J. Baxendale, a starting pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts, not twenty-four hours later if my memory serves me right. And he wasn't the last one, either. Just a few days ago I got Todd Van Steensel's page going, and now I have four prospects to follow and update on a minimum of a weekly basis. It's been a lot of fun, and while I was right that it would be time consuming, it's well worth it. I've developed a sort of sentimental attachment for each and every one of those players, and it's going to be pretty sad if I can't get them all again next year, for whatever reason. But I'm enjoying following them now (and all the rest of the Twins' minor leaguers, even though I can't adopt them all), and I'm going to relish every moment of it while it lasts. I've included brief overviews of each of my prospects below, and if you're interested in learning more about them, you can click on their names to read their Adopt a Prospect pages. It's been a lot of fun reading about their careers, and I hope you enjoy reading the pages I've put together for them! D.J. Baxendale, right-handed starting pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts, was drafted in the 10th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Arkansas by the Minnesota Twins. Since then, he has worked himself up to Double A, and this year he has made nine starts and posted a 3.47 ERA over 49.1 innings pitched, striking out 42 and walking 16. His record currently stands at 3-1. Luke Westphal, left-handed pitcher for the Fort Myers Miracle, was signed by the Twins in early 2015 after being discovered by Twins scout Howard Norsetter when he was pitching for the Doncaster Dragons of Australia’s Baseball Victoria Summer League where he started 14 games and collected 141 strikeouts with an ERA of 0.49 in 80 innings pitched. He was assigned to High A to start the season, and so far he has made 12 appearances, starting 5 games and picking up 2 wins and 2 losses. He currently has 20 strikeouts and 13 walks over 29.2 innings pitched. Todd Van Steensel, right-handed closer for the Fort Myers Miracle, has had a somewhat rocky minor league career but was given a second chance with the Minnesota Twins when they signed him to a minor league deal on February 6, 2014. This year he has played in 16 games at Fort Myers and is currently 1-2 with 4 saves out of 6 opportunities. He has allowed just 24 hits over 29.1 innings pitched, and he already has 42 strikeouts whilst walking 17. Trey Vavra, first baseman, left fielder, and designated hitter for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, was selected by the Twins in the 33rd round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida Southern College. His father, Joe Vavra, and older brother, Tanner, were already parts of the Twins organization, so it was pretty special for Trey to come to the Twins, too. This year he has played in 42 games at Class A, batting 319./.392/.454 (.846) with 10 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, 28 RBI, and 29 runs scored. Unfortunately he was placed on the 7-day DL on May 27 due to a sprained left ankle after banging into the tarp down the left-field line chasing a foul ball. However, the week is almost up, and I'm eagerly anticipating his return to the field. --- Read full entry here: Twins Daily's "Adopt a Prospect" - How I Became Addicted

Chattanooga got three hits from Byron Buxton and a big home run in a one-run win over Tennessee. One pitching prospect made his debut at a new level. Another top prospect had a rough outing for the first time this season. Nick Gordon had another multi-hit game. He has a six-game hitting streak and is hitting .400 (8-20) during that stretch. Check out all that happened in the Minnesota Twins farm system on Friday night. A reminder, check back here on Saturday morning for the updated Minor League Leader Board.RED WINGS REPORT Pawtucket @ Rochester Box Score They were able to play just two innings before the rains came, causing the game to be suspended. The Red Wings had a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Oswaldo Arcia. Lefty Pat Dean gave up two hits, but no runs, in two scoreless innings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Tennessee 5 Box Score It was a back and forth game, but fortunately, the Lookouts came out the winner in this game. They got things going right away in the first inning. Byron Buxton led off with a single and then scored immediately on a triple by Jorge Polanco. Max Kepler singled in Polanco and the Lookouts had a 2-0 lead. Going into the sixth inning, the score was tied at two. Mike Gonzales came to the plate with Travis Harrison on base. Gonzales launched his fourth home run of the season and second straight game with a homer. Brett Lee made his AA debut on this night. The left-hander gave up two runs through the first five innings. He went back out for the sixth inning and the first three batters reached base. Jake Reed came in with two runners on base and gave up a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Lee was charged with four runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out one. The game was tied heading into the eighth inning. Jorge Polanco led off with a walk which was followed by a single from Travis Harrison. With runners on first and third, Max Kepler flew out which allowed Polanco to score, but Harrison was doubled off. The Lookouts had a lead, but there were two outs. Next batter was Adam Brett Walker and he hit his second triple of the year. Michael Gonzales continued his big night. He singled in Walker to give the Lookouts a two-run lead. Reed got one out in the seventh inning, and JT Chargois got the final two outs. With a lead, Cole Johnson came in for the final two innings. He gave up one run on one hit. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out three for his first save of the season. Buxton went 3-5. Adam Brett Walker went 2-4 with the triple. Gonzales had two hits including his fourth home run. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Bradenton 6 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu has been one of the top pitchers in the Twins system through the season’s first two months. At some point, even the best guys have an off day. For Hu, that came on Friday night against the Marauders. The right-hander gave up six runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks in just 3.2 innings. He struck out three. It increased his season ERA with the Miracle from 1.10 to 2.01. He was replaced by Alex Muren who gave up just one hit over the next 2.1 innings. He struck out two. Todd Van Steensel pitched the final two innings. He walked one and struck out four. The Miracle offense managed just four hits in the game. Zach Granite had two of them. The speedy outfielder also stole his seventh base for the team. Mitch Garver walked twice. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, South Bend 9 Box Score Keaton Steele was terrific in his first couple of appearances with the Kernels, but he really struggled on this night. He gave up six runs on nine hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out one. Jose Velez came on and gave up two runs on one hit and three walks. He did strike out four batters. Trevor Hildenberger gave up a run for the first time in over 25 innings. Amazingly, he gave up as many runs in this game as he had in the entire season before it. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out four. He saw his ERA rise from 0.31 to 0.59. Nick Gordon led the Kernels’ offense. He went 2-4 with a walk and his sixth double. Brett Doe went 2-3 with a walk. Edgar Corcino moved from the 9-hole in the lineup to the third spot and went 2-5. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Todd Van Steensel, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Gonzales, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:05 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Cedar Rapids @ West Michigan (6:00 CST) – RHP Zach Tillery Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

The Twins were off on Thursday, so a lot of people spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the heck Torii Hunter was doing when he scampered towards home plate on Wednesday night, attempting a straight steal of home. If that doesn't do it for you, you can get your baseball fix from the newest Talk to Contact podcast featuring TwinsDaily's own Jeremy Nygaard talking about the MLB draft and the Twins' payroll.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Syracuse Chiefs The Red Wings and Chiefs were postponed due to inclement weather. LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Chattanooga @ Mississippi Braves Box Score Byron Buxton had the night off, which likely ruffled the feathers of a few of the 2,735 packed into Trustman Park in Pearl, Mississippi, but the Braves came away with the victory, so the home crowd went home winners. Max Kepler replaced Buxton in center field and went 0-4 on the evening. The only real bright spot for Chattanooga was Mike Gonzales, we picked up a pair of hits, including a seventh inning solo home run to knot the game at two-two. The Lookouts had just six hits on the evening, none from their second ranked prospect, Miguel Sano, was was 0-3 with a walk and a strike out. Sano is now hitting just .163 but retains an OBP well above .300 thanks to AA pitchers giving him nearly a free pass a game. Greg Peavey, a name all but the most die-hard Twins fans might not be familiar with (2014 Rule 5 draftee from the Triple-A portion of the draft), started for the Lookouts but failed to make it through the sixth inning. Over 5.2 innings, Peavey gave up a pair of runs, walked four, struck out four, and surrendered five hits. Peavey left the game with the Lookouts trailing 2-1 but was left out of the decision after that Gonzales homer. Cole Johnson, a former 44th rounder out of Notre Dame, came on in relief to close out the sixth without issue. Johnson came back out for the seventh and ran into trouble, giving up three runs before being bulled for Dallas Gallant with two outs. Gallant quickly retired the side and pitched a perfect eight for good measure. Final Score: Lookouts 2, Braves 5 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ St. Lucie Mets Box Score In front of 1,259 fans at Tradition Field in St. Lucie, Florida, Chih-Wei Hu moved his record to 2-0 with six innings of five-hit baseball against the Mets. Hu struck out four, walked none, and gave up just a single home run, a first inning home run to the St. Lucie leadoff hitter Champ Stuart Stuart owes Kernel's centerfielder Jason Kanzler a beer after the game for the assist on the home run, bouncing from Kanzler's glove over the wall as Kanzler crashed into the padding. After Hu left the game, Todd Van Steensel pitched two perfect innings that included four strike outs. Madison Boer earned earned his first save of the year, but he had to work for it. He gave up a run and three hits before sending the Mets to the showers. Losers of their last three games, the Miracle rallied from the first inning deficit to tie the game in the fourth before taking the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fifth innings. Aderlin Mejia and Engelb Vielma both had a pair of hits and an RBI but Mejia earns hitter of the game honors for me as he reached base a third time with a base on balls. Fort Myers had plenty of opportunities to score more runs, but were just 3-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight men on base and striking out ten times. Final score: Miracle 4, Mets 2 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Box Score Six hits and three runs was plenty of offense for the Kernels as Stephen Gonsalves shut down the Timber Rattlers for seven innings and Trevor Hildenberger slammed the door shut with two shutout innings to earn his first save of the young season. Gonsalves was absolutely brilliant, giving up just a single hit and a single walk, and he fanned eleven of the twenty-four batters he faced. At one point Gonsalves retired ten consecutive batters. Gonsalves has been nearly unhittable this season, he has fanned 30 in just 20 innings spread over three starts and his ERA is just 0.90. Hildenberger kept Wisconsin guessing as well, adding in another pair of strike outs. Cedar Rapids' number nine hitter, Jonatan Hinojosa was the only batter from either team to collect multiple hits, finishing the night two for three with a couple of singles. Brian Navarreto provided the game's only extra base hit, his first double of the year. Without much in the way of a hitting display, this game went quickly, just 2:07 in front of a mid-week day game crowd of 476 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, WI. Final Score: Kernels 3, Timber Rattlers 0 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Mike Gonzales, Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Syracuse @ Rochester - Scott McGregor vs. Mark Hamburger (0-1, 9.35) Chattanooga @ Mississippi - D.J. Baxendale (2-0, 0.00) vs. Ryan Weber Fort Myers @ St. Lucie - Ethan Mildren (0-2, 5.79) vs. Logan Taylor Kane County @ Cedar Rapids - Brent Jones vs. Michael Caderoth (0-1, 4.50) Click here to view the article