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Life as a minor league player can be tough. Few players ever get to live out their dream as a regular player at the big league level. For every player who realizes their dream, another player is forced to be released or find another organization to keep his dream alive. Right-handed pitcher Zack Jones was released from the Twins organization on Sunday. The 27-year old was drafted by the organization in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He pitched seven years in the minor leagues and reached Triple-A once in 2016. This actually came in the Brewers organization after being taken by Milwaukee in the Rule 5 Draft. This year with the Lookouts he had a 2.49 ERA in 25.1 innings with a 39 to 25 strikeout to walk ratio. He was over 2.5 years older than the competition in the Southern League.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 3 Box Score Rochester jumped out to a 1-0 lead without recording a hit in the second inning. With one out, Jake Cave and Kennys Vargas coaxed back-to-back walks. Cameron Rupp moved both runners into scoring position with a groundout. Then with Gregorio Petit batting, a wild pitch allowed Cave to scamper home. Aaron Slegers started for the Red Wings and he saw the lead disappear in the bottom half of the second. With two outs, Slegers allowed a solo home run. He walked the following batter and then a throwing error by third baseman Taylor Featherston allowed an unearned run to score. Overall, Slegers lasted five frames, struck out four and walked two. The Red Wings tied the game in the top of the fifth. Zack Granite led off the inning with a walk before moving to second on a LaMonte Wade single. Nick Gordon grounded out into a near double play to allow Granite to score. However, his hustle down the line forced the pitcher to drop the ball while covering first. Jake Reed took over for Slegers in the sixth and promptly gave up a lead-off double. After a ground out and a sacrifice fly, Bufflo had taken a 3-2 lead. Tyler Duffey and Nick Anderson combined for two shutout innings. Anderson pitched a perfect ninth with a pair of strikeouts. Vargas was the lone Rochester hitter with multiple hits. He finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. Granite and Wade both reached base twice. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga --, Birmingham – (Cancelled – Rain) Chattanooga and Birmingham sat in a rain delay before the game was eventually cancelled. The Lookouts finished the first half with a record of 36-33. The club will return home on Thursday to face the Biloxi Shuckers to kick off the second half. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 12 Box Score Cedar Rapids took a first inning lead thanks to back-to-back hits from Jacob Pearson and Alex Kirilloff. Pearson singled with one out before Kirilloff cracked his 19th double of the season. Pearson came all the way around from first to score. Later in the game, Kirilloff collected his 20th double. Jordan Balazovic took his first loss after allowing three earned runs on eight hits. He struck out six and walked two. In relief of Balazovic, Jose Martinez surrendered three earned runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings. Tanner Kiest ran into a little trouble in the late innings as he allowed six earned runs on five hits while recording only two outs. Calvin Fauchers finished off the final two outs for the Kernels and without allowing a run. Pearson and Kirilloff got the offense started again in the sixth. With two outs, both batters walked before a Jose Miranda single singled to drive in Pearson. Cedar Rapids loaded the bases the bottom of the ninth but only pushed across one run. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Alex Kirilloff, Cedar Rapids (2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Aaron Slegers, Rochester (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #3 – Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-4, K #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB #10 – Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-5, BB, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Fort Myers vs. Tampa (6:00 CST) – TBD GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

On Thursday morning in Nashville, baseball’s Winter Meetings will formally conclude with the Rule 5 draft. Teams with fewer than 40 players on their 40-man roster are able to make selections. The Twins have 40 on their roster (at this time) so they will not be able to make a selection in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft without a move. However, it is possible that they could lose a player or two to another team in the draft.The Twins have the 17th pick in the Rule 5 draft based on their finish in the standings during the 2015 season. It’s really impossible to know which players will have already been taken, and Terry Ryan has said that most likely they would not take anyone. The Twins have been pretty clear that they are looking for left-handed relievers and a fourth outfielder in free agency and in trades, so if they do clear room and make a pick, those would be the two areas that they could consider. The Twins have been pretty active in the Rule 5 Draft in recent years, selecting pitchers like JR Graham, Ryan Pressly, Scott Diamond and Terry Doyle. Who typically gets selected in the Rule 5 draft? Here is a rundown of the past five MLB Rule 5 drafts? 2014 – 14 selections – 5 RHP, 4 LHP, 3 Infielders, 1 outfielder, 1 catcher 2013 – 9 selections – 4 RHP, 3 LHP, 1 infielder, 0 outfielders, 1 catcher 2012 – 15 selections – 5 RHP, 3 LHP, 5 infielders, 2 outfielders, 0 catchers 2011 – 12 selections – 5 RHP, 3 LHP, 3 infielders, 1 outfielder, 0 catchers 2010 – 19 selections – 12 RHP, 4 LHP, 3 infielders, 0 outfielders, 0 catchers 5 year – 69 selections – 31 RHP, 17 LHP, 15 infielders, 4 outfielders, 2 catchers. Of course, five years is far too small of a sample size to make any strong opinions. Pitchers accounted for 70% of Rule 5 selections over the last five years. That’s no surprise. Of the selections, nearly half of them were returned to their previous team, and another large group stayed with the drafting team after a trade. Briefly, following the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft, the AAA and AA portions of the draft will take place. The public is not able to see who is on the Rochester or Chattanooga rosters, so it’s impossible to know who might be lost or made available. There’s no way to know who the Twins could add. I’m kind of pathetic, so I’ve already made a 2016 roster projection for all of the Twins affiliates. Frankly, after the Twins re-signed James Beresford and signed infielder Buck Britton, there aren’t any obvious needs in the minor leagues. Maybe a starting pitcher who could pitch in AA or AAA. Maybe another AAA outfield type, similar to Joe Benson. So, let’s take a look again at who the Twins could possibly lose in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft. We’ll look at the above categories. Catchers Eligible: Juan Centeno, Carlos Paulino, Michael Quesada, Jairo Rodriguez It’s quite unlikely that any of these guys will be selected. Outfielders Eligible: Travis Harrison, Edgar Corcino, Joe Benson Look again at the list above. Few outfielders are left unprotected. Harrison is still just 23-years-old. He was a supplemental first-round pick in 2013. Corcino is a great athlete who spent last season in Cedar Rapids, but again, these players are unlikely to be selected. Infielders Eligible: James Beresford, Levi Michael, Buck Britton, Niko Goodrum, Bryan Haar, Dalton Hicks, Aderlin Mejia, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Logan Wade, Stephen Wickens The name to be most concerned about losing is likely Levi Michael. The former first-round pick has endured more than his fair share of injuries. However, when he has been healthy the last two years, he has been productive offensively. He’s played mostly second base, with some shortstop, so could a team stash him in the big leagues as a utility infielder? It’s possible. Niko Goodrum is young and very athletic and there are a lot of people who still believe he will grow more into his frame. His value is that he can play shortstop, and the last couple of seasons, he has played a lot of third base and center field as well as some second base. A team could take a flyer on him developing late. That team would need to be willing to keep him all year. The assumption is, and should be, that James Beresford and Buck Britton will not be taken. However, the Twins have a history of signing a guy to a minor league contract and a week later losing him to the Rule 5 draft. That was R.A. Dickey in an an unusual situation. A team looking for a utility infielder could take one of these guys too. Left-Handed Pitchers Eligible: Corey Williams, David Hurlbut, Brett Lee, Jason Wheeler, Aaron Thompson All four of these guys ended last season with a championship in Chattanooga. Wheeler was the MVP of the championship series. Hurlbut, Lee and Wheeler all were part of a terrific starting rotation. Wheeler was added to the 40-man roster last year but struggled in AAA. Williams is fully healthy and he may be a guy teams are interested in as a long-term lefty bullpen guy. Right-Handed Pitchers Zack Jones, Felix Jorge, Alex Wimmers, Luke Bard, DJ Baxendale, Alex Muren, Dereck Rodriguez, Loek Van Mil, Jose Abreu, Jason Adam, Nick Anderson, Omar Bencomo, Sam Gibbons, Miguel Gonzalez, Cole Johnson, Kuo-Hua Lo, Greg Peavey, Tim Shibuya, Matt Summers, Todd Van Steensel Everyone is talking about Zack Jones, and I would say there is a decent chance that he is selected. If anyone will does get selected, it will be the hard-throwing right-hander. Alex Wimmers and Luke Bard are former first-round picks who are available. Wimmers is already 27 and was average in the Lookouts bullpen. Bard finally was healthy in the second half of 2015 and pitched well in Cedar Rapids. He is a guy who could move fast next year. Felix Jorge is one to watch as well. He has good stuff. He’s young. He was remarkably consistent last year with Cedar Rapids. Could a team stash him in the back of a bullpen, and how would a year in the bullpen affect him long-term? Sam Gibbons was good in the second half for Cedar Rapids as well, but the Australian is probably behind Jorge in the pecking order. Could a team take a flyer on the potential of Dereck Rodriguez who has only two years on the mound under his belt? Loek Van Mil signed back with the Twins late last year. Suddenly, the 7-1, 31-year-old was throwing in the upper-90s. Could be a guy that could contribute right away. Alex Muren isn’t a name that comes up a lot when people talk about bullpen options in the Twins system. However, he is a groundball machine, and last year, he was hitting 95-97 mph with a fastball. DJ Baxendale is a guy someone could take a flyer on as a future bullpen guy. He’s got a nice slider, and the two-pitch mix could make him an effective reliever. Cole Johnson has a unique delivery. The former low-round pick had some success at the AAA level. SUMMARY A team like the Milwaukee Brewers, who have just 35 players on their 40 man roster right now, could take a couple of players. As a team that isn’t likely to win in 2016, they would be OK with using up a couple of roster spots on Rule 5 picks. Other teams that may not plan to truly compete in 2016 could stash players. So, depending upon the team and the situation, the Twins do have a handful of guys that could be taken. Below is how I would rank the top five players who could be taken tomorrow morning: 1.) Zack Jones – I’d put it at about 50-50 2.) Levi Michael – maybe 30% 3.) Corey Williams – maybe 25% 4.) Felix Jorge – maybe 25% 5.) Luke Bard – maybe 20% Of course, these are just guesses. There is really no rhyme or reason to the Rule 5 draft. It will be entertaining to listen to, and I’m sure there will be plenty of discussion with the results. Click here to view the article

All-Star games are over and this means some changes will be coming within the Twins system. Alex Meyer was called-up and he made his MLB debut last night in Milwaukee. There will be other promotions throughout the system as teams start the second half and are looking for a boost. Here is a look at the updated Twins minor league standings and statistical leaders through Friday, June 26. Feel free to discuss. STANDINGS Here is a quick look at where the teams rank in their divisions as the second half of the season kicks off, for many of the full-season affiliates and the rookie leagues are just getting started. Rochester is 37-36, 3-4 since last week. They dropped to 4.5 games behind Scranton/Wilkes Barre in the International League North Division. They are two games ahead of Pawtucket for second place and 4.5 games out of the wild card spot. Chattanooga is 0-2 to start the second half after ending the first half on a four game winning streak. They went 3-2 in the last week and have already clinched a playoff spot after winning their first division title in the first half of the year. Ft. Myers has gone a perfect 5-0 since last week. They are 2-0 to start the second half and tied with Palm Beach for first place in the Florida State League South. They finished the first half of the season seven games behind Charlotte so the Miracle need to win the second half in order to defend their FSL Championship. Cedar Rapids is 1-1 as the second half begins, and they went 2-3 the last seven days. They are one game behind Burlington at this early juncture. They already were able to clinch a first half playoff berth as the runner up in the West Division of the Midwest League. Elizabethton started the season going 2-2 and they are tied with four other teams atop the Appalachian League West Division. The E-Twins went 1-2 in their road series with Bluefield before returning home. Last night, the club defeated Pulaski in their home opener. The GCL Twins are 3-2 as their season begins and they sit two games behind the GCL Red Sox in the GCL South Division. The Twins lost 6-1 to those Red Sox on Friday night. This came on the heels of the club winning three-of-four games from the GCL Orioles including two extra-inning thrillers. HITTERS For batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and IsoP, we used a minimum of 190 plate appearances. Plate Appearances: Zach Granite (301), Travis Harrison (281) , Adam Brett Walker (280), Nick Gordon (279), Jorge Polanco (278) Batting Average: Max Kepler (.332), James Beresford (.323), Alex Swim (.315), Jorge Polanco (.293), Dalton Hicks (.289) On-Base Percentage: Max Kepler (.402), Zach Granite (.371), Travis Harrison (.367), Alex Swim (.360), James Beresford (.359) Slugging Percentage: Adam Brett Walker (.586), Max Kepler (.531), Miguel Sano (.515), Byron Buxton (.489), Danny Ortiz (.441) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.321), Miguel Sano (.252), Max Kepler (.210), Byron Buxton (.207), Danny Ortiz (.184) OPS: Max Kepler (.933), Adam Brett Walker (.911), Miguel Sano (.868), Byron Buxton (.840), Travis Harrison (.756) Hits: Alex Swim (81), Jorge Polanco (76), James Beresford/Zach Granite/Max Kepler (75), Adam Brett Walker (69) 2B: Max Kepler (20), Danny Ortiz (19), Travis Harrison (18), Adam Brett Walker (17), Miguel Sano (16) 3B: Byron Buxton (12), Max Kepler (8), Max Murphy/Tanner English (6), Aaron Hicks/TJ White (4) HR: Adam Brett Walker (20), Miguel Sano (14), Danny Ortiz/Reynaldo Rodriguez (7), Byron Buxton/Trey Vavra/Josmil Pinto (6) Runs: Miguel Sano (50), Adam Brett Walker/Zach Granite (47), Byron Buxton (44), Max Kepler (41), Travis Harrison (40) RBI: Adam Brett Walker (61), Miguel Sano (44), Danny Ortiz (43), Byron Buxton/Zach Larson (37), Reynaldo Rodriguez (36) SB: Byron Buxton/Tanner English (20), Engelb Vielma (17), Nick Gordon (15), Jorge Polanco/Zach Granite (14). STARTING PITCHERS (50 IP) Innings: Taylor Rogers (96.1), Tyler Duffey (90.1), Pat Dean (85.1), JO Berrios (83.2), Greg Peavey (73.1) ERA: Stephen Gonsalves (1.96), Mat Batts (2.02), Chih-Wei Hu (2.34), Felix Jorge (2.37), Ryan Eades (3.09) WHIP: Felix Jorge (0.91), Stephen Gonsalves (0.97), Mat Batts (1.01), Chih-Wei Hu (1.10), Tyler Duffey (1.15), Aaron Slegers (1.16) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (10.8), Alex Meyer (9.7), JO Berrios (9.3), Tyler Duffey (9.2), Mat Batts (8.5), Alex Wimmers (8.4) BB/9: Greg Peavey (1.6), Mat Batts/Tyler Duffey (1.8), Felix Jorge (1.9), Aaron Slegers/Pat Dean (2.0) Strikeouts: Tyler Duffey (88), JO Berrios (86), Stephen Gonsalves (83), Mat Batts/Taylor Rogers (67), Alex Wimmers (65) Wins: Stephen Gonsalves (7-1), JO Berrios (7-3), Jared Wilson (6-2), Greg Peavey (6-3), Taylor Rogers (6-4) RELIEF PITCHERS Games: AJ Achter (30), Alex Muren/Todd Van Steensel (25), JT Chargois/Zack Jones/Brandon Peterson (24) Innings: Alex Muren (44.0), Todd Van Steensel (43.1), Randy LeBlanc (42.1), Madison Boer (39.1), Mike Theofanopoulos (36.2) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.96), Brandon Peterson (0.72), Cameron Booser (1.57), Alex Muren (1.64), Randy LeBlanc (1.70) WHIP: AJ Achter (0.61), Trevor Hildenberger (0.70), Brandon Peterson (0.80), Alex Muren (1.04), Tim Shibuya/Todd Van Steensel (1.13) K/9: Cameron Booser (13.8), Jose Velez (12.9), Brandon Peterson (12.8), Todd Van Steensel (12.5), Trevor Hildenberger (11.8), Lester Oliveros (11.5) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.2), Tim Shibuya (1.5), AJ Achter (1.7), Randy LeBlanc (2.6), Alex Muren (2.7), Lester Oliveros (2.9) Saves: AJ Achter (12), Zack Jones (10), JT Chargois (9), Trevor Hildenberger/Todd Van Steensel (8), Cameron Booser (7) There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, June 26. What are your thoughts? What surprised you? Click here to view the article

Relief pitchers seem to go under the radar when they do their jobs well. On the occasions when they don’t do their job well, then they get noticed. Here at Twins Daily, we want to make sure that the relief pitchers get some positive recognition. Instead of just doing a Minor League Pitcher of the Month, we separate the starters and the relievers because many relievers deserve to be noticed for positive reasons.There were a lot of very strong May performances out of the bullpen at the Twins affiliates. Below, you’ll find the Top 6 Relief Pitchers for the month, but first a few relievers worthy of mention: RHP Nick Burdi – 8 G, 2-0, 2.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 13 H, 3 BB, 15 KRHP JT Chargois – 9 G, 0-0, 2 Saves, 0.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 11 KRHP Madison Boer – 8 G, 2-2, 2.55 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 13 H, 7 BB, 10 KLHP Mike Theofanopoulos – 9 G, 1-0, 1.56 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 17.1 IP, 12 H, 8 BB, 16 KRHP Zach Tillery – 7 G, 2 GS, 1-1, 1 Save, 1.88 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 19.0 IP, 16 H, 6 BB, 19 KNow let's get to the Top 5 Minnesota Twins Minor League Relief Pitchers for May 2015: Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Cameron Booser - 9 G, 0.68 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 5 H, 9 BB, 17 K The Twins signed the left-hander as a non-drafted free agent late in 2012. He turned 23 at the beginning of May. He was terrific in April and even better in May. Overall, he has a record this year of 1-0 with five saves. He has an overall ERA of 0.77 with a WHIP of 0.99. As noticeable, he has struck out 35 batters in 23.1 innings, a rate of 13.5 per nine. He will have to improve his control as he has walked 13 batters. However, his stuff is tremendous and opponents have just ten hits off of him all year. He is blessed with a fastball that easily reaches into the upper 90s and even touches triple figures at times. When I talked to him in Cedar Rapids, he fully acknowledged that he was still learning how to pitch, and that is very exciting. Number 4 – Chattanooga – Zack Jones - 9 G, 1.74 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 9 K Though he hasn’t been talked about as much as some of the other relievers who began the season in Chattanooga, he has been Doug Mientkiewicz’s most consistent, reliable bullpen arm all season. Overall, he is 3-1 with 7 saves. In 17.1 innings (over 16 games), he has a 1.56 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. The biggest improvement this year has been his control. He’s walked just five batters through the season’s first two months. Blessed with a fastball that sits between 95 and 98, Jones was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2012 out of San Jose State. He missed most of last season due to an aneurysm in his right shoulder. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – Brandon Peterson - 11 G, 1.10 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 8 H, 8 BB, 25 K Peterson was the Twins 13th round pick in 2013 out of Wichita State. The Savage, MN, native was our choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2014. He returned to the Miracle to start this season and continues to dominate the league. Overall, he is 1-0 with two saves in his 18 appearances. He has posted an ERA of 1.00 and WHIP of 1.04 in his 27 innings. He has struck out 13.0 per nine innings, which is the same rate he had in 31 games with the Miracle last year. His lone flaw to this point is 15 walks in 27 innings which will need to be addressed. Number 2 – Rochester – AJ Achter - 12 G, 0.75 ERA, 0.42 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 11 K Michael Tonkin and Ryan Pressly were promoted. People talked about Lester Oliveros. All the while, AJ Achter outperformed them all in Rochester. When Tonkin promoted to the Twins, Achter took over as the Red Wings closer and did very well. He was 7-7 in save opportunities. On the season, he has pitched 21.2 innings in 21 games. He is 3-2 with the seven saves. He has a 2.08 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP. He’s walked just five and struck out 20. The 26-year-old debuted with the Twins last September and deserves to be back up with the team in 2015. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – Trevor Hildenberger - 9 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, 18.2 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 23 K Hildenberger was a close runner-up for this award in April, and he dominated the Midwest League in May as well. Not only did he not allow any runs, but opponents hit just .083/.113/.100 (.213) against him. He has worked a few times for just one inning, but for the most part, he is throwing two or three innings at a time. He currently has a streak of 25 innings without allowing a run and has given up just one run in 28.2 innings through the season’s two months. I’m going to make a paragraph just for his 2015 season numbers, just because they are so ridiculous. In 14 games and 28.2 innings, he has an ERA of 0.31 and a WHIP of 0.49. He has been successful using two fastballs (two-seam and four-seam), a changeup and a slider. Hildenberger pitched for four seasons at Cal-Berkeley, so he is already 24-years-old. It is inexplicable to me why he remains in Cedar Rapids, but he is taking it all in stride. He told Twins Daily, “I try not to worry about moving up or not. I just keep getting the next hitter out no matter where we are or what the situation is.” Most likely the day after the Kernels either clinch a playoff berth or after an All- Star game appearance, he will find himself packing and heading back to Ft. Myers, this time to join the Miracle. Who knows? It could be even sooner. Hildenberger was the Twins 22nd round pick last year out of Cal-Berkeley. He pitches from an interesting angle. “I would describe myself as sidearm. I know my release point can rise up from time to time, but I definitely categorize myself as sidearm.” The right-hander hasn’t always thrown from the side. “It started back at the end of my third year at Cal Berkeley when my teammate wore the wrong number jersey to practice. My pitching coach, Mike Neu, commented on what he pictured when he saw my teammate’s number. I asked him what he pictured when he saw my number 26, and he said a sidearm pitcher because UCLA and Washington both had sidearm relief pitchers with the number 26. At that point in time I had thrown a cumulative 12 innings in three years and was clearly not effective enough to compete. So he asked me to throw a bullpen from a lower arm angle. I obliged not realizing it was a permanent change. He liked what he saw and sent me off to summer ball in Bend, Oregon, in the summer of 2012 to refine my new style and experience some growing pains.” As a senior in 2014, he pitched in 28 games. He was 3-3 with 10 saves and a 2.83 ERA. In 47.2 innings, he gave up 41 hits, walked 11 and struck out 48. It was enough to get him drafted by the Twins where he has continued to work on his new delivery while experiencing a ton of success. In that same 2014 draft, the Twins selected Hildenberger’s teammate, LHP Michael Theofanopoulos. If nothing else, the Twins have an advantage on other organizations should a Scrabble tournament be played where only names of players in their organization can be used. It was a positive for both to come to professional baseball together as teammates. “Theo and I were lucky to be drafted together by the same team in the same year. We had known each other for the previous four years playing at Cal together and were friends coming into the draft. It made the transition from college to professional baseball easier and gave me a no-brainer catch partner when we first started. We lived together last summer in the GCL and in instructional league, and now we live together with the same host family here in Cedar Rapids. It's nice to have someone who knows your pitching history to discuss outings or mindsets so candidly.” Hildenberger worked with pitching coach Ehren Wasserman in the GCL last year and has been working with Kernels pitching coach Henry Bonilla this season. He says that he has been able to learn from each. “Luckily, Wass was a sidearm pitcher who pitched with the White Sox in the major leagues, so I was able to learn specific tips to help me improve my slider and fastball command. Henry has taught me a mindset that has helped me become successful at this level. To keep attacking hitters with the same pitch or location until they prove they have made an adjustment. He stopped me from overthinking as I did in 2014 and allowed me to become more relaxed and confident in my approach.” The Kernels are 32-18 at this stage of the season, and as you would expect with a record like that, the clubhouse has a terrific atmosphere. “The Kernels Clubhouse is extremely loose right now (May 31). We're competing with everyone we play. Our starting pitching has been outstanding. Our defense kept us in games. Our bullpen has been magnificent. And our offense has led the way with timely hitting. As a staff, we are aggressive and relaxed, knowing our defense will back us up and our hitters will provide enough offense to win. It’s extraordinarily fun to come to the ballpark every day knowing the starter and every guy in the ‘pen will do his job, giving us a chance to win. Booser, Theo, LeBlanc, Bard, Velez, and Cederoth have all dominated lately, allowing us to win tight games.” Speaking of dominating, did I mention yet that Hildenberger, through two months and 28.2 innings with the Kernels, has an ERA of 0.31 and a WHIP of 0.49? He’s also giving up 3.5 hits per nine, 0.9 walks per nine and striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings. However, Hildenberger has bigger goals for 2015 than just dominating for two months or (gasp) a Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month award. He started with team goals before considering his personal goals. “My goal is to make the playoffs this year. Last year, I spent with the GCL Twins, and we missed out on the postseason. When I got called up to Elizabethton, I got a taste of what the playoffs were like. So hopefully we can keep winning games and clinch a playoff berth in the first half. Personally, my goal is to be in Fort Myers (High-A) by the end of the season and help them reach the postseason as well. Being an older guy, I know getting drafted at 23 isn't exactly an advantage, and that you have to perform right away. Hopefully I can continue the success I've had early here in 2015 and advance towards the ultimate goal of helping the Twins bring a World Series championship to Minnesota.” Count me in on someone that would love to see that as well! Congratulations on a great month of May and a great two month start to the season, Trevor Hildenberger. I’m thinking the Miracle bullpen will be adding a side-armer very soon. So what do you think? I’ve ranked the top five bullpen arms in the Twins organization in May, along with another five that deserve to be recognized for their May performance as well. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? Be sure to check back later for the Starting Pitcher and Hitter of May. 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Each month here at Twins Daily, we will be posting choices for Twins minor league relief pitcher, starting pitcher and hitter of the month. First, I want to share with you some of the top relief pitchers in the Twins minor league system in the month of April. I'll follow up over the next 24 hours with the starting pitcher and hitter of the month. There were a lot of very strong April performances out of the bullpen at the Twins affiliates. Below you’ll find the Top 6 relief pitchers in April.First, a few relievers worthy of mention: RHP Michael Tonkin – 8 G, 0-1, 5 S, 2.45 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 10 KRHP Todd Van Steensel – 7 G, 0-2, 1.35 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 8 H, 8 BB, 22 KRHP Randy LeBlanc – 5 G, 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 15 KRHP Zach Tillery – 5 G, 1 GS, 2-0, 1.88 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 14 KTHE TOP SIX RELIEF PITCHERS Number 6 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Cameron Booser - 6 G, 0.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 10.0 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 18 K The Twins signed the left-hander as a non-drafted free agent late in 2013. In a recent Twins Daily story on Booser, we learned that he’s had a lot of injuries and is now finally healthy. He’s also blessed with an upper-90s fastball and a very good slider. And, he’s still learning. Once he shows that the control he’s shown so far this season is legit, he could move quickly. He turns 23 on Monday. Number 5 - Rochester – Lester Oliveros - 6 G, 1.69 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 21 K The 26-year-old appears to be completely back after having Tommy John surgery and missing the 2013 season. He was very good in 2014, and he’s off to a great start in 2015. Oliveros came to the Twins from the Tigers in August of 2011 in the Delmon Young trade. Oliveros made his first start since he played in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. He went four innings and struck out nine. He is good at missing bats! He should be up with the Twins, or at least he should be soon. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – Brandon Peterson - 7 G, 0.84 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 5 H, 7 BB, 14 K Peterson was the Twins 13th round pick in 2013 out of Wichita State. He went to Burnsville High School. In his first full season, he was the choice for Twins Minor League Reliever of the Year for what he did with Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. In 40 games and 57.1 innings, he posted a 1.57 ERA, 0.98 WHIP. He also walked 19 and struck out 84. The 23-year-old returned to the Miracle to start this season and is experiencing the same success. Number 3 – Chattanooga – Zack Jones - 7 G, 1.29 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 13 K Jones was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2012 out of San Jose State. An aneurysm near his shoulder and a blood clot cost him most of the 2014 season. However, he did return in time to be the Miracle closer for their championship run last year. The hard-throwing righty had a great first month as the closer in Chattanooga. He is 5-5 in save opportunities. The problem he has had in his young career has been throwing strikes, but he did a great job of that in the season’s first month. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – Trevor Hildenberger - 5 G, 0.90 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 13 K Hildenberger was the Twins 22nd round pick a year ago out of the University of California (Berkeley) where he was a very good closer. He throws from a three-quarter arm slot and throws a lot of strikes. For the Kernels, he has thrown in various roles already. Sometimes it’s just one inning, but he has been stretched out and thrown as many as three innings already. He should be the first Kernels reliever promoted to the Miracle when there is a need. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers – Tim Shibuya - 6 G, 0.66 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 13 K Shibuya was the Twins 23rd round pick in 2011 out of UC-San Diego. That season, he was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. Since then, he has continued to pitch well, when healthy. He returned to the Miracle to start the 2015 season. He pitched really well in April with the team, and as soon as there was a need in Chattanooga, he was the one promoted. He has missed at least some time with an injury each of the last three seasons. However, he has had the right mindset in his rehab and come back strong. He told Twins Daily, “It is always frustrating to get hurt, no matter how the results turn up on the field. But it is something you have to get over quickly so it doesn't affect your physical rehab. Having a good mindset each day is vital to being able to get all of your work in each day. ” Shibuya is a tremendous athlete and fields his position very well. A year ago, his manager Doug Mientkiewicz touted him as the best defensive pitcher he’s ever seen. Shibuya takes a lot of pride in his defense and continues to work on it. He said, “Playing defense has always been my favorite part about baseball, and I enjoy being the fifth infielder. My parents constantly hit me ground balls at short so I am very grateful for their commitment over the years. Our coaching staff in the Twins organization also stresses fielding. We typically have some sort of PFP a few times per week to stay sharp.” Shibuya put up great numbers in April. Asked what his keys to success were, he said, “I didn't do anything too much different than my normal pitch plan. I tried to work in and out with the fastball and get quick outs on the ground. I'd use some off-speed in certain situations, but for the most part I located well down in the zone. Our catching core in the organization are phenomenal all around and call a great game so it was nice working in sync with them.” In April, Shibuya pitched in various roles. He can pitch one inning, or as he did more often, pitches two or three innings. It’s a role that he enjoys. “I go into the game with the mentality that my job is to get outs, whether that is in the third inning or ninth inning. I feel like I can be pretty versatile and enjoy the different situations.” He is continuing to work on pitches and just wants to get innings. “I have located my fastball and cutter well so far. I would like to continue to improve my breaking ball to be able to get more comfortable with it in different situations. That will come with time and reps I believe. ” As the calendar turned to May, he was promoted to Chattanooga and threw two scoreless innings in his Double-A debut. If the trend continues, the 25-year-old could keep marching up the organizational ladder. So what do you think? I’ve ranked the top six bullpen arms in the Twins organization in April, along with a few more than deserve to be recognized for their great start to their 2015 season. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? Click here to view the article

After fast starts for most of the minor league affiliates, things have come back down to earth over the last week. Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers and Chattanooga have all lost multiple games in a row, with the Lookouts in the midst of losing six of their last seven games. Top prospect Jose Berrios was on the mound to try to end that streak tonight. Rochester has been picking up some of the slack with a nice little stretch of four wins in their last five games. This includes a two-game win streak to start this week. Would this trend continue or would the Red Wings join the rest of the losing happening on the farm?RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Columbus 1 Box Score A strong pitching performance from Taylor Rogers and a trio of home runs from Doug Bernier, Reynaldo Rodriguez and Brock Peterson helped Rochester push their latest winning streak to three games. Rogers allowed one earned run on two hits over eight strong frames, the first time has he reached the eighth all season. He walked four and struck out four en route to his second win. A.J. Achter finished the game with a perfect ninth, including two punch outs. The Bernier and Rodriguez homers were part of a four-run fifth inning that put Rochester up for good. Peterson's knock, his team-leading fourth of the year, was part of a two-run eighth. Eddie Rosario went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Jose Martinez led the team with three hits including his third double. Outfielder Wilkin Ramirez, who is currently on the disabled list, was with the team on Monday. He has been rehabbing from a pulled muscle injury and he will likely rejoin the team in the near future. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Tennessee 3 Box Score Jose Berrios made his fourth start of the season on Monday night, and he tried to help the Lookouts get back to their winning ways. He did his best to put his team in position to win by throwing six innings of two-hit ball. The only run he allowed was on a solo home run. Berrios danced around a season-high four walks but his five strikeouts helped get out of some jams. Berrios left with 4-1 lead and things got a little dicey with Nick Burdi on the mound. The first batter he faced coaxed a walk and the next batter hit a home run. He got out of the inning with two pop outs, a single and a strikeout. Jake Reed and Zack Jones combined to pitch scoreless eighth and ninth innings to preserve the win. Stephen Wickens drove in two runs and reached base three times to help power the offense. Byron Buxton had multiple hits for the second time in the last three games. Max Kepler collected his first triple of the year and Levi Michael scored a pair of runs. Adam Brett Walker crushed his league-leading 5th home run of the season, a blast to right centerfield. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Palm Beach 4 (11 innings) Box Score This was the fifth meeting between these two clubs this season and the Miracle had yet to find a way to beat the Cardinals. It took another extra-inning affair and a come-from-behind route, but the Miracle finally found a way to come out victorious. Luke Westphal made his third start and lasted four innings while giving up four runs on six hits. He struck out one and walked one. The Miracle bullpen was masterful. Alex Muren, Brian Gilbert, J.T. Chargois, and Tim Shibuya combined to toss eight shutout innings with all but Chargois throwing multiple frames. Shibuya picked up his first win of the season. Alex Swim started the rally in the 11th inning with a one-out single. The Miracle then used three consecutive walks, to Mitch Garver, Niko Goodrum and Marcus Knecht, to score the winning run. Knecht and Bryan Haar had matching 2-5 lines with a double each. Swim and Chad Christensen both collected three hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids- Scheduled Off Day The Kernels are in the midst of a three game losing streak in which they were swept by Kane County. Cedar Rapids entered the day with an 11-7 record. That mark was good enough for second place, two games back, in the Midwest League Western Division. Zack Granite currently leads the team in batting average (.364), OBP (.485), and OPS (.958). Trey Vavra leads the team in home runs (3) and slugging percentage (.589). Granite and Vavra are tied for the team lead with four doubles. Nick Gordon leads the team in triples (2) and RBI (15). Tanner English has stolen seven bases while Granite is not far behind with six steals. Stephen Gonsalves, Mat Batts, and Jared Wilson lead the team's starters with two wins each. Gonsalves leads starters with a 0.90 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 20 IP. Cameron Booser leads the team with two saves and an-eye popping 15 strikeouts in eight innings pitched. Felix Jorge has also been impressive with 24 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched with a 1.50 ERA. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Taylor Rogers, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Stephen Wickens, Chattanooga Lookouts TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Columbus (5:35 CST) – RHP Alex Meyer Chattanooga @ Mississippi (6:05 CST)- RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers vs Palm Beach (6:05 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (11:00 am CST) - RHP Jared Wilson Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games. Click here to view the article

Rain and weather conditions caused postponements in Rochester and in Cedar Rapids. Both teams will try to play doubleheaders on Saturday. Two games washed out, but the Ft. Myers Miracle played almost enough to make up for it. Chattanooga got a home run from Miguel Sano to end their losing streak. Also, today is the first time I’ve provided a Twins organizational statistical leaderboard, so you can see which minor leaguers are leading the way so far.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester, Syracuse Box Score The temperatures hovered right around the freezing mark and there was snow in the air and on the ground in Rochester on Friday. The teams will attempt to play a doubleheader on Saturday CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Mississippi 2 Box Score All series in the Southern League are five-game series. Mississippi had won the first four games of the series, but the Lookouts got some strong pitching, a little power and a clutch hit in the ninth inning to take the final game of the series. D.J. Baxendale got the start for Chattanooga. The right-hander entered the game with 12.1 shutout innings. In the seventh inning, he got a strikeout to start the inning. That put him at 18.2 scoreless innings to start the season. Unfortunately, he gave up a run before recording the second out of the inning and a second run which tied the game at two. Nick Burdi got the final out of the seventh inning and pitched a scoreless eighth as well. The game was scoreless through the first five innings. In the top of the sixth inning, Miguel Sano came to the plate with a runner on base and launched his third home run of the season. (Click here to see Sano's home run) The score remained tied at two until the top of the ninth. Stuart Turner led off the frame with a walk. Stephen Wickens pinch-ran for him. One out later, Jorge Polanco singled Wickens to second base. Max Kepler drilled a single to right field that scored Wickens and gave the Lookouts a 3-2 lead. Closer Zack Jones came in for the ninth inning. He got a strikeout, a groundout and a soft infield pop out to end the game. It was his third save of the season. Max Kepler made his second straight start in center field. Byron Buxton is healthy. Doug Mientkiewicz chose to give Buxton another day off, hoping it will help jump-start his season. The manager also switched up his lineup. He flip-flopped Miguel Sano and Travis Harrison, moving Sano down to fifth in the order. Also, after missing two games, Adam Brett Walker returned to the Lookouts lineup. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 4 (17 innings) Box Score If your team is going to play 17 innings – essentially two games in one – you would sure like to win the game. Unfortunately, that was not to be for the Miracle on Friday night as they lost a heartbreaker to the St. Lucie Mets. Ethan MIldren started and gave up three runs on eight hits. He struck out four batters without issuing a walk. The bullpen took over after that. Down 1-0 after two innings, the Miracle got a leadoff double from Jason Kanzler. He was bunted to third and after a Niko Goodrum walk, Kanzler scored on an infield single by Aderlin Mejia. The Miracle were down 3-1 going into the fifth inning. Niko Goodrum led off that inning by crushing his second home run of the season, cutting the deficit to one. Two innings later, Kanzler got things going again with a leadoff single. After another sacrifice bunt and another Goodrum walk, Aderlin Mejia singled in Kanzler to tie the game at three. That’s where the game remained through 16 innings thanks to an impressive, workman-like effort by the Miracle bullpen. Tim Shibuya came on and threw three, one-hit innings. He struck out six. JT Chargois struck out two batters in his inning. Brian Gilbert got a walk and a strikeout over his two innings. Brandon Peterson threw two scoreless innings, walking two and striking out two. Alex Muren worked out of trouble with scoreless innings in the 15th and 16th. Madison Boer entered the game in the bottom of the 17th. He gave up two hits before issuing an intentional pass to Michael Conforto, his third intentional walk of the game. With one out and the bases loaded, Boer gave up a sacrifice fly that ended the game. Mejia went 3-8 in the game with the two RBIs. Niko Goodrum went 2-5 with three walks and his second home run. Jason Kanzler went 2-6 with a walk and a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids, Kane County Box Score Rain washed out this game on Friday night. The Kernels and Cougars will attempt to play two games on Saturday afternoon in Iowa. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – DJ Baxendale, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dalton Hicks, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (11:35 CST) – RHP Mark Hamburger and TBD Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:05 CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (2:00 CST) – RHP Michael Cederoth & RHP Felix Jorge TWINS MINOR LEAGUE BATTING LEADERS (through Friday, April 24) From time to time, I’ll take a look at the leaderboard in the organization. Below are the top five at several offensive categories: BA: Dalton Hicks (.395), Trey Vavra (.362), Zach Granite (.340), Josmil Pinto (.325), Reynaldo Rodriguez (.319), Nick Gordon (.302) OBP: Dalton Hicks (.480), Zach Granite (.456), Josmil Pinto (.438), Trey Vavra (.388), Aaron Hicks (.375), Niko Goodrum (.364) SLG: Trey Vavra (.660), Dalton Hicks (.558), Adam Brett Walker (.556), Aaron Hicks (.490), Zach Granite (.468), Niko Goodrum (.462) OPS: Trey Vavra (1.047), Dalton Hicks (1.038), Zach Granite (.924), Aaron Hicks (.865), Josmil Pinto (.863), Adam Brett Walker (.832) Hits: Zach Granite, Dalton Hicks, Trey Vavra (17), Nick Gordon, Zach Granite, Alex Swim (16) 2B: Niko Goodrum (7), Travis Harrison (6), Dalton Hicks (5), Zach Granite (4), 10 tied with 3. HR: Adam Brett Walker (4), Brock Peterson, Miguel Sano, Trey Vavra (3), 4 tied with 2. Runs: Zach Granite (16), Trey Vavra (10), Tanner English, Marcus Knecht, Miguel Sano (9), 4 tied with 8. RBI: Nick Gordon (14), Zack Larson, Trey Vavra (12), Dalton Hicks (9), 4 tied with 8. SB: Tanner English (6), Zach Granite (5), Zack Larson (4), 4 tied with 3. Innings: Tyler Duffey (20.2), Kohl Stewart (20.1), Stephen Gonsalves (20.0), DJ Baxendale, Taylor Rogers (19.0), Mat Batts (18.1) ERA >= 12 IP: Pat Dean, Ryan Eades, Felix Jorge (0.75), Stephen Gonsalves (0.90), DJ Baxendale (0.95), Mat Batts (1.47) WHIP >= 12 IP: Chih-Wei Hu (0.61), Stephen Gonsalves (0.65), Mat Batts (0.71), Pat Dean (0.75), Tyler Duffey (0.87), Felix Jorge (0.92) BB/9 > 12 IP: Chih-Wei Hu (0.5), Stephen Gonsalves (0.9), Aaron Slegers (1.2), Tyler Duffey (1.7), Ethan Mildren (1.8), Mat Batts (2.0). K/9 >= 12 IP: Felix Jorge (14.2), Stephen Gonsalves (13.5), Jose Berrios (12.9), Alex Meyer (12.3), Pat Dean (11.2), Chih-Wei Hu (10.0) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games or the leader board. Click here to view the article

One of the highlights of the off-season for a core of Twins fans is the release of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. Seth Stohs has worked to put together this fantastic book for the last seven years. In 2012, he gave me my first taste of helping with the book. By 2013, I was writing an article for the Annual and for the last three years I have been among a trio of writers that includes Jeremy Nygaard, Stohs, and myself.There is a ton of work that goes into the creation of this book. I don't know if we could create this without the help and push from the other writers involved. Besides profiles of all of the prospects in the Twins system and articles on topics from across the baseball world, one of the best sections of the book are our Top 30 Prospect Lists. Over the next few days, I will be counting down my Top 30. I have some differences with the other authors but that's what makes this fun. To see their Top 30's, you're going to have to pick up a copy for yourself. ***Get your copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook now (Paperback or PDF).*** 30 – Brett Lee – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle 2014 Stats: 10-5, 2.45 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 106.1 IP, 33 BB, 54 K Lee pitched all of 2014 for the Fort Myers Miracle. His strikeout rate is terrible and he will need to improve in this area if he is going to find any sort of success in the higher levels of the minors. Saying that, he was able to limit runs scored against him and he posted career best marks in wins and ERA. 29 – Jason Wheeler – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats, Rochester Red Wings 2014 Stats: 11-9, 2.67 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 158.1 IP, 37 BB, 115 K Wheeler had arguably the best professional season of his career as he cruised through three different levels and finished the year at Triple A. He fits the mold of pitching to contact as he throws a lot of strikes and doesn't strike out a ton of batters. Wheeler's impressive season was rewarded as he was added to the 40-man roster so there's a chance he could debut in 2015. 28 – Fernando Romero – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels 2014 Stats: 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 5 BB, 9 K Romero was three years younger than the competition in the Midwest League. He was limited to three starts after tearing his UCL at the end of June. He underwent Tommy John surgery and will likely miss almost all of next season. He threw hard before Tommy John surgery so he could move through the system quickly if he can get back to his previous level. 27 – J.R. Graham – RHP – Mississippi Braves 2014 Stats: 1-5, 5.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 71.1 IP, 26 BB, 50 K The Twins just selected Graham in the Rule 5 draft so there is a chance that he's back with the Braves organization before the season starts. He spent time as a starter and a reliever. His strikeout rate has dropped in recent years. For him to stay with the Twins, he will have to fill a bullpen role for the entire 2014 campaign. 26 – Engelb Vielma – SS – Cedar Rapids Kernels 2014 Stats: .266/.313/.323, 13-2B, 4-3B, 1 HR, 33 RBI Vielma made some huge strides in the jump from rookie ball to a full season league. He got on base over 31% of the time and his batting average increased by 32 points. Vielma's biggest strength might be his defensive ability and his fielding percentage jumped 42 points. If he can continue to make offensive improvements, he could rise in the years to come. 25 – Zack Jones – RHP – GCL Twins, Fort Myers Miracle 2014 Stats: 0-0, 3 S, 1.74 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 6 BB, 14 K Jones got into limited action in 2014 after having shoulder surgery at the end of February. Doctors found that he had an aneurysm in his shoulder that was causing circulation problems. Jones served as the closer for the Miracle in their run to the FSL title. He pitched well in the AFL to cap off his 2014 campaign: in 11.1 innings in 11 appearances, he didn't allow an earned run and struck out 11. 24 – Jake Reed – RHP – Elizabethton Twins, Cedar Rapids Kernels 2014 Stats: 3-0, 0.29 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 3 BB, 39 K Reed was a fifth-round pick in 2014 out of Oregon. He put up impressive numbers in his professional debut as he threw strikes and overpowered the opposition. Cederoth throws a little harder than Reed and that's why he's higher on the list. His fastball hits up to 95 and he has a decent slider to keep hitters off balance. 23 – Niko Goodrum – SS/3B – Ft. Myers Miracle 2014 Stats: .249/.337/.336, 19-2B, 5-3B, 3 HR, 49 RBI, 35 SB Goodrum has ranked higher on my list in previous years. His speed and on-base abilities make him a threat once he reaches base. However, he struggled to make consistent contact this year at High-A. He also doesn't flourish at any specific defensive position. The transition to Double A could be tough and it might be a make-it or break-it season for Goodrum. 22 – Michael Cederoth – RHP – Elizabethton Twins 2014 Stats: 4-2, 3.55 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 45.2 IP, 18 BB, 42 K One of a core group of hard-throwing college pitchers the Twins have selected in recent drafts. Because of his up-and-down track record, he could be a good candidate to end up in a bullpen role. His professional debut didn't go perfectly but he should improve as he moves up the ladder. 21 – Chih-Wei Hu – RHP – Elizabethton Twins, Cedar Rapids Kernels 2014 Stats: 8-2, 2.15 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 71.0 IP, 15 BB, 64 K Hu had one of the most surprising seasons in the entire Twins organization. He could be on his way to being much higher on next year's list if he continues on his current trajectory. He doesn't strike out a ton of batters but he controls the strike zone. He had dominant stretches in Low-A as a 20 year old and could be a sleeper pick For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Click here to view the article

It was about a week ago when the Minnesota Twins AFL team, the Salt River Rafters, clinched their spot in league championship game, but they still had a few games left to play before that. Eddie Rosario entered the season’s final week with a chance at a batting title, and two relief pitching prospects had yet to allow a run in a league play. How did they finish?Let’s check out what happened in week 6! Byron Buxton – Did not play. Buxton had surgery on his fractured finger three weeks ago, and is expected to be ready to go for spring training. Final AFL totals: 13 games, .263/.311/.298, 2 2B’s, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 12 K’s, 5 SB (6 attempts) Eddie Rosario – 3 games, 2-13 (.154), 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K’s. Rosario admittedly let the pressure of winning the League’s batting title affect him in the season’s final days, and the results showed. He had just two hits in thirteen at-bats, which resulted in a final batting average of .330 to finish second in the race. Of course, it didn’t matter much two days later, as Rosario had his best game of a fantastic overall AFL season in the League Championship game. Final AFL totals: 24 games, .330/.345/.410, 4 2B’s, 2 3B’s, 18 RBI, 5 BB, 19 K’s, 10 SB (14 attempts). Max Kepler – 3 games, 7-14 (.500), 4 R’s, 2B, 3B, 1 RBI, 1 K. Kepler had a strong final three games, racking up multiple hits in each contest to raise his average to .307 to finish the season. In Monday’s 8-4 win he was 2-4 and scored two runs. The next night he was 2-5 with a run scored, double, and an RBI in a 4-4 eleven inning tie. Then in his final game of the week, Wednesday’s 4-5 loss, he was 3-5 with a run scored and a triple. Final AFL totals: 18 games, .307/.366/.440, 4 2B’s, 3 3B’s, 7 RBI, 6 BB, 14K’s, 3 SB (3 attempts) Taylor Rogers – 1 game, 1 IP, 0 H’s, 0 BB, 0 K’s. Rogers made a single appearance in the final week of the AFL regular season, making the start in Tuesday’s 4-4 eleven inning tie. He pitched two innings, and needed just twenty-two pitches, fourteen of which went for strikes. In the first, Peoria’s leadoff man, top prospect Francisco Lindor, pushed a ground ball through the infield, but was nailed at second base while trying to stretch it into a double. Rogers struck out the next batter and induce a ground ball to end the inning 1-2-3. In the second inning, Rogers again set the Javelina’s hitters down in order, inducing two easy ground ball outs and a fly out. Final AFL totals: 3 appearances, 2 starts, 5.2 IP, 1.59 ERA, 4 H’s, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K’s, .211 BAA. Jason Adam – 1 game, 1 IP, 5 R’s (2 ER), 4 H’s, 1 BB, 1 K. 18.00 ERA. Adam also made a single appearance on the week. After a rough start to his AFL season he had gone five consecutive appearances without allowing a run. That streak ended in Thursday’s 8-5 loss, as Adam was charged with the blown save and the loss after coming into the game in relief of top prospect Archie Bradley in the third inning. He was summoned with two outs after Bradley allowed Scottsdale to close an early lead of 4-0 to 4-3. Adam got the final out, but ran into trouble of his own in the fourth. He walked the leadoff man and surrendered the tying and go-ahead runs after an RBI triple and sacrifice fly to the next two hitters. A throwing error and two consecutive singles loaded the bases before Adam picked up the second out of the inning by striking out Josh Bell for the inning's second out. But an RBI single and the second error of the inning ended his night and AFL season on a sour note. Final AFL totals: 10 appearances, 1-1, 13.1 IP, 5.40 ERA, 23 H’s, 8 ER’s, 6 BB, 7 K’s, .371 BAA Zack Jones – 2 games, 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 5 BB, 2 K’s, 1 Hold (6). 0.00 ERA. Jones’ first appearance of the final week came during Monday’s victory, when he picked up his sixth AFL hold while making it interesting in the eighth inning. He walked two batters and hit another to load the bases, recording two outs before he was taken out of the game. In Thursday’s 8-5 loss, he relieved Adam in the bottom of the fourth inning, and walked his first hitter to load the bases before escaping by inducing a foul pop up. In the fifth, the bases were again loaded after a single and two walks, but a strikeout of Dante Bichette Jr. preserved his 0.00 ERA in AFL League play, despite his odd overall numbers. Final AFL totals: 11 appearances, 11.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 7 H’s, 0 R’s, 12 BB, 11 K’s, .171 BAA. Jake Reed – 1 game, 1 IP, 1 ER, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 1 K. 9.00 ERA. Reed made his only appearance of the week before the AFL championship game in Tuesday’s tie game. He gave up his first earned run of the AFL season, and only his second ER in 43.2 innings during his professional debut season. He was charged with a blown save after entering the game to start the top of the eighth. He surrendered a leadoff double and a walk before striking out Patrick Leonard for the first out, but a ground ball single up the middle to Justin O’Connor brought in the run. The final two outs were recorded on plays during the next two at-bats, so he did limit the damage. Final AFL totals: 10 appearances 12.2 IP, 0.71 ERA, 10 H’s, 1 R, 3 BB, 10 K’s, .213 BAA. Notes/Links: -Overall, Twins prospects fared very well in the Arizona Fall League. -The Salt River Rafters won the AFL League Championship on Saturday, after defeating the Peoria Javelina’s 14-7 in Scottsdale. -Rosario and Kepler combined to bat .333 with 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 R’s, 2 RBI, 1 BB, and 3 K’s during the week. -Twins pitchers compiled a 5.09 ERA in 5.3 IP, allowing 3 ER’s on 8 H’s and 7 BB’s, while striking out 5 on the week. Click here to view the article

In the Arizona Fall League, the Salt River Rafters moved on without the Twins’ Byron Buxton manning centerfield, but welcomed back another one of their participants. The Rafters won their division and will play in Saturday's AFL Championship game.Let’s check out what happened in week 5! Byron Buxton – Did not play. Buxton had surgery on his fractured finger two weeks ago, and is expected to be ready to go for spring training. Eddie Rosario – 5 games, 4-19 (.211), 1 R, 2 2B’s, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K’s. Rosario appeared to endure his first struggles in the AFL, but was still productive on the week as he picked up a pair of doubles, a triple and five RBI. He drove in at least one run in four of the five games. With Buxton being out, I thought Rosario might get some time in center field, but that was not the case as he remained in left for all five games. He also picked up an outfield assist in Friday’s loss. His average fell to a still fantastic .356 as of Sunday. Max Kepler – 4 games, 3-16 (.188), 1 R, 2B, 3 K’s. Kepler played in four games, playing right field in each. He went 2-4 in Monday’s 1-0 Rafters win to raise his average to .306 in league play, but managed just one more hit on the week and finished at .262. Taylor Rogers – 1 game, 1 IP, 0 H’s, 0 BB, 0 K’s. Rogers made his return to AFL play after taking a line drive to his shoulder in his first start for the Rafters back in week 1, pitching an inning of relief in Saturday’s 7-4 loss. It was a quick inning as he needed just eight pitches to induce two ground balls and an infield pop out. Taylor’s twin brother, Tyler, is also pitching in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions, and after they took different path’s after high school, have been able to reconnect on baseball fields in the AFL. Jason Adam – 2 games, 3.1 IP, 0 R’s, 3 H’s, 2 BB’s, 3 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Adam made two appearances, pitching more than an inning in each game. In Tuesday’s 3-1 loss, Adam replaced starter Vincent Velasquez after just two outs in the first inning. Adam finished the first and walked two batters in the second inning before recording back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame. In Friday’s 5-4 loss, Adam pitched the fifth and sixth innings, surrendering two hits but no damage on the scoreboard. He lowered his ERA on the AFL season to 4.38 at the end of the week. Zack Jones – 2 games, 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H’s, 1 BB, 3 K’s, 1 Hold (5). 0.00 ERA. Jones made appearances in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss, and Thursday’s 4-2 loss. On Tuesday, Jones pitched the ninth inning, striking out two in a scoreless inning around a throwing error that allowed the leadoff man to reach base. He picked up his fifth hold in Thursday’s loss, pitching the sixth inning to relieve Mark Appel. He walked the first batter he faced, but he was erased on a steal attempt and he retired the next two hitters, one with a strikeout. Jake Reed – 2 games, 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H’s, 0 BB, 1 K. 0.00 ERA. Reed also pitched two games on the week, picking up his third AFL hold with two innings in Wednesday’s 8-4 win, and finishing the eighth inning in Friday’s 7-4 loss. In his two innings on Wednesday, Reed surrendered a double to the first man he faced in the sixth inning, Dante Bichette, Jr, but retired the next six in a row. Twenty-two of his thirty pitches went for strikes. On Friday, things didn’t go as well, but Reed maintained his 0.00 ERA in league play as he was not responsible for any of the runners who scored. He entered the game with the bases loaded, and Hunter Dozier and Justin O’Connor singled to score the first two inherited runners. The third scored on a fielder’s choice groundout before Reed escaped with Dozier on third. Notes -Rosario and Kepler combined to bat .200 with 2 2B’s, 2 3B’s, 2 R’s, 5 RBI, 1 BB, and 8 K’s during the week. -Twins pitchers compiled a 0.00 ERA in 9.0 IP, allowing 0 R’s on 6 H’s and 3 BBs, while striking out 7 on the week. Click here to view the article

The end of the third week in the Arizona Fall League marks the halfway point of the season, and at this juncture the Salt River Rafters, for whom the Twins prospects play, have clearly been the class of the league. They lead the East Division with a 12-4-1 record and are the only team with double-digit wins.In week 3, Taylor Rogers was again the only Twins representative who didn’t see action. Did Eddie Rosario continue to hit? Did Byron Buxton turn it around? Did Zack Jones and Jake Reed continue to mow down hitters? Read on to find out! Byron Buxton – 4 games, 6-18 (.333), 2B, 3 R’s, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K’s, 3 SB’s (4). Buxton played in four games this week, including another appearance in RF. His big game of the week came on Friday, when he went 3-5 with a double, scored two runs, drove in two more and stole two bases. It was the second game in a row he collected multiple hits, having gone 2-5 the day before. It’s a good sign to see all of his tools back on display, and Buxton is happy to be moving forward after his injury-wrecked 2014 season. Buxton raised his average from .229 to .264 during the week. Eddie Rosario – 4 games, 6-13 (.462), 2 R’s, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 3 SB (9). Rosario continued to bat third in the Rafters lineup this week, and continued to rack up hits. He currently is second in the league in batting average (.429) and total hits (21), fourth in RBI’s (11) and second in stolen bases (9). He had at least one hit in all four games during the week and collected multiple hits twice. In Tuesday’s 5-0 Rafters win, he was 2-2 with two RBI sac flies in four plate appearances. He was 2-4 with three RBI in his next game on Thursday, where he also stole two more bases. Of major note in reference to Rosario, is the fact that he has hit safely in all ten games he has played in the AFL, and seems to like the pace of play created by the 20-second pitch clock. Max Kepler – 3 games, 5-12 (.417), 2 R, 2 2B’s, 3B, RBI, 1 BB’s, 4 K’s, SB (3). Kepler saw action in three games during the week, and made the most of his opportunities as he went 2-4 on Tuesday, 2-5 with a double and triple on Wednesday, and 1-3 with a double, walk, and RBI on Thursday. His triple in Wednesday’s 9-3 victory sparked a four run second inning for the Rafters. He raised his average to .290 in league play, with an on-base percentage of .405. Taylor Rogers – Did not play. Rogers took a line drive to his shoulder in his only start for the Rafters in week 1, and has not pitched since. Jason Adam – 1 game, 1 IP, 0 R’s, 1 H’s, 0 BB, 1 K. 0.00 ERA. Adam finally made his first scoreless appearance in Friday’s 8-1 win, allowing just a single in the sixth inning. The runner moved to second on a passed ball, but he finished the inning with a strikeout and picked up his first hold. Zack Jones – 2 games, 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H’s, 3 BB, 0 K, 2 Holds. 0.00 ERA. Zack Jones made appearances in the wins on Monday and Thursday, picking up a hold in both contests. In Monday’s win, he gave up a double but retired the three other batters he faced. In Friday’s win, he lost his control in the seventh inning, throwing just eight of twenty-one pitches for strikes while walking three to load the bases. He recorded just one out, but still picked up a hold as Kaleb Fleck from the Diamondbacks organization retired the next two batters. Jake Reed – 2 games, 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K’s, 2 Holds. 0.00 ERA. Reed pitched in the same games as Jones, pitching the inning before him in each contest. He was extremely efficient, throwing twenty of twenty-four pitches for strikes, while allowing just one hit in his two innings. He also recorded two holds. Of note from Jones and Reed: neither hurler recorded an out with a strikeout on the week. Notes -Twins hitters combined to bat .395 with 3 2B’s, 1 3B, 7 R’s, 10 RBI, 4 BBs, 9 K’s, and 7 SB during the week. -Twins pitchers compiled a 0.00 ERA in 4.1 IP, allowing 0 R’s on 3 H’s and 3 BBs, while striking out one on the week. Click here to view the article

The second week of the Arizona Fall League season included a tie for the Salt River Rafters as their game on Friday went 11 innings, and the teams ran out of scheduled pitchers. Overall on the week, the Rafters were 3-2-1, and Eddie Rosario continued to rake and run.Let’s see how all of the Twins prospects fared in week two of the Arizona Fall League. Byron Buxton – 4 games, 3-18 (.167), 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K’s. Batting .229 overall. Buxton again played in four games, playing centerfield for three games and right field for one, while batting leadoff in each. After a two-hit day (including a double) in Monday’s 7-4 win, he cooled off for the rest of the week. In Tuesday’s game he was 0-4 but made good contact, lining out to both third base and left field. On Thursday he was 0-4 with two K’s, and finished his week by going 1-6 in Friday’s tie. Eddie Rosario – 4 games, 7-18 (.389), 2B, 2 R’s, 2 RBI, 3 SB (6), 1 BB, 5 K’s. Batting .417 overall. Rosario continued his hot hitting from week one, and enters week three sitting atop the AFL batting average leader board. He also sits in second on the stolen base leader board with six as he swiped three more bags in his four games. He was also caught stealing for the first time. In the eleven inning tie, Rosario went 3-6 and stole two bases. Also notable was that Rosario batted leadoff, second and third in the lineup during the week, and also played one game in centerfield. . Max Kepler – 3 games, 2-10 (.200), 2 R’s, SB (2), 4 BB’s, 2 K’s. Batting .211 overall. Kepler played right field in all three games and was moved up and down the lineup. Despite collecting just two hits on the week, he also drew four walks, compared to only two strikeouts. Despite the .211 batting average, Kepler’s on-base percentage through two weeks is a strong .375. Taylor Rogers – Did not play. Rogers took a line drive to his left arm in his only start for the Rafters last week, and has not pitched since. Jason Adam – 2 games, 3 IP, 2 ER’s, 7 H’s, 0 BB, 1 K. 6.00 ERA. Adam is looking to make a good impression on the Twins in the AFL after coming over in the Josh Willingham trade with Royals. He struggled in week one, and was only marginally better this week. His ERA sits at 9.00 overall, with a WHIP of 2.33 in six total innings. He has allowed at least one run in each of his four appearances thus far. Zack Jones – 2 games, 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H’s, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 Hold. 0.00 ERA. Jones picked up his first hold in Monday’s 7-4 win, and made his second appearance of the week on Thursday. He gave up a single in each appearance, but didn’t surrender any damage on the scoreboard. Though he didn’t walk anyone, he did hit one batter on Monday (hope it wasn’t a fastball!). Jake Reed – 1 game, 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H’s, 1 BB, 2 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Reed made just one appearance during the week, but it was of the two inning variety. He entered the game in the fifth inning of Thursday’s 5-1 win, and pitched a 1-2-3 inning, including a strikeout. In the sixth, Reed walked the second batter he faced, but got a fielder’s choice groundball out and his second strikeout to end the inning. He now has seven K’s in five IP in the AFL, and in 36 innings since being drafted by the Twins in fifth round of June’s draft, has allowed just one earned run. Notes -The Rafters have the best record in the AFL at 7-3-1 after two weeks. -Twins hitters combined to bat .261 with two 2B’s, five R’s, three RBI, six BBs, 10 K’s, and four SBs during the week. -Twins pitchers compiled a 2.57 ERA in seven IP, allowing three R’s (two ER) on nine hits and one BB, while striking out four on the week. Click here to view the article