Saturday Minor League Scoreboard

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

As Denard Span to the Nationsls’ rumors continued to swirl, he was not in the Red Wings Saturday lineup. Officially, the Twins said it was because of the travel from Louisville to Rochester… I am not certain I believe that. Today if the trade deadline and after a rough loss by the Twins last night, it will be a very interesting day, to be sure. Saturday was very interesting. First, the Tigers acquired starting pitcher Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley from Seattle. Later, Cleveland gave up Alex White and Drew Pomeranz and two other prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez. Cleveland then dealt Orlando Cabrera to the Giants.

So, what will today bring? Will the Twins get Drew Storen, Steve Lombardozzi and Roger Bernadina from the Nationals for Span. Will Jason Kubel remain a Twin? How about Jim Thome, Michael Cuddyer and others? How will Kevin Slowey’s performance for the Red Wings on Saturday affect his trade prospects today, or is it possible he remains with the Twins?

To see how Slowey and the rest of the Twins minor leaguers did on Saturday, see below:  

Rochester Red Wings

Rochester 6, Scranton/Wilkes Barre – Amid all the trade discussions surrounding him, Kevin Slowey put together his best start in his time with the Red Wings. The righty went eight innings and allowed only an unearned run. He gave up just five hits, walked none and struck out eight. Kyle Waldrop gave up only a run on two hits in his inning. Aaron Bates went 3-5. Michael Hollimon, promoted due to the Luke Hughes promotion, went 2-4. Jeff Bailey and Toby Gardenhire were also 2-. Rene Rivera celebrated his 27^th birthday just a little early with his fourth home run with the Red Wings.  

New Britain Rock Cats

New Britain 0, Bowie 1 – Joe Benson went 2-2 with two walks and two stolen bases in this game. Those were the only two hits and two of the three walks that the Rock Cats managed in this game. Blake Martin started and gave up one run on five hits. He walked three and struck out three in 5.2 innings. Spencer Steedley threw two scoreless innings, and Dakota Watts got the final four outs.   

Ft. Myers Miracle

Ft. Myers 9, Lakeland 2 – The Miracle ended its losing streak at nine games with a big win on Saturday night. James Beresford went 3-5 with his ninth double. Anderson Hidalgo went 2-4 with a fourth-inning grand slam. It was his fifth home run of the year. Oswaldo Arcia hit his sixth double, and Danny Rams went 1-2 with a walk. Logan Darnell improves to 8-2 with the Miracle. The lefty went the first seven innings and gave up one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out six. Ricky Bowen gave up an unearned run in two innings with three strikeouts.

Beloit Snappers

Beloit 10, Cedar Rapids 5 – BJ Hermsen improved to 11-7 with a Quality Start in front of friends and family in Cedar Rapids. The righty went the first six innings and gave up three runs on eight hits and a walk. Blayne Weller then gave up two hits and a walk in two innings ,but no runs. Ben Tootle came in and gave up two unearned runs in the 9^th on two hits and a walk. Reggie Williams went 4-5. Tobias Streich went 3-4. Lance Ray was 2-3 with two walks and his 30^th double. He also stole his ninth base. Jairo Perez went 2-5.Michael Gonzales doubled for the 21^st time. Danny Ortiz hit his ninth home run.   

Elizabethton Twins

Elizabethton 2, Danville 3 – The E-Twins recorded ten hits, but just two runs, in this loss. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 with his sixth double. Niko Goodrum also had two hits. Rosario also stole his ninth base. David Hurlbut started and gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. Derek Christensen got the next four outs. Steve Evans and Madison Boer each pitched a scoreless inning.  

GCL Twins

GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4 – The Twins managed just four hits in this game and Jacob Younis had two of them. Josh Hendricks hit his fifth double and drove in both runs. Hung-yi Chen went the first three innings and gave up two hits and a walk and struck out three. Ricardo Arevalo went the next 1.1 innings and gave up two runs (1 earned) on one hit. He walked four and struck out one. JR Krogstad came in and gave up just one hit in 1.2 innings, striking out two. Tyler Herr gave up a run on three hits and a walk in two innings. Luis Nunez pitched a scoreless inning.

Any other questions on the Twins minor leagues? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.

Friday Twins Minor League Scoreboard

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Here are the scores and highlights from the Twins minor league system from Friday. But when you’re done checking out how the teams and players did tonight, but sure to check out John Sickels’ Minor League Ball site for his review of his preseason Top 20 Twins prospects.

Rochester Red Wings

Rochester 3, Louisville 8 – Yes, Denard Span did play, and he went 1-4. It was one of eight hits by the Red Wings, and no player had more than one. Jeff Bailey, Aaron Bates and Rene Rivera each hit a double. Scott Diamond started and gave up eight runs on 12 hits and two walks in just 2.2 innings. Cole DeVries gave up a hit and two walks in 2.2 scoreless innings. Chuck James gave up two hits in 1.2 scoreless innings. Jake Stevens pitched one scoreless inning.

New Britain Rock Cats

Game 1 – New Britain 4, Bowie 3 – For the first time since April 26, David Bromberg was on the mound for the Rock Cats. He went four innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out three. Deolis Guerra then gave up one run on two hits in two innings. He walked none and struck out three. Tyler Robertson recorded his 11^th save with a scoreless seventh inning, despite two walks. Deibinson Romero went 2-3 with his 20^th double. Joe Benson doubled for the 22^nd time, and Nate Hanson knocked his tenth double. Benson and Chris Parmelee each recorded an outfield assist in the game as well.

Game 2 – New Britain 3, Bowie 1 – Steve Hirschfeld gave up one run on three hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six. Brett Jacobson recorded the save with a 1-2-3 seventh frame. The Rock Cats won despite just five hits. Chris Herrmann knocked his sixth home run. Brian Dozier hit his sixth triple.  

Ft. Myers Miracle

Ft. Myers 0, Lakeland 11 – The Miracle lost for the 9^th straight game. Tom Stuifbergen started and gave up seven runs on ten hits and a walk. Two of the hits were home runs. Brad Stillings then gave up one run on five hits and a walk in two innings. Matt Tone gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in his two innings. The Miracle had just four hits. Angel Morales was 2-4. James Beresford went 1-3 with a walk.

Beloit Snappers

Beloit 0, Burlington 2 – AJ Achter gave up two runs on four hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out three. Bart Carter came in and struck out three in two scoreless innings. Nelvin Fuentes pitched a 1-2-3 eighth frame. The Snappers had just five hits. Lance Ray was 2-4. Michael Gonzales was 1-2 with two walks and his fourth stolen base.

Elizabethton Twins

Elizabethton 4, Danville 5 (10) – Pedro Guerra started and pitched well again. The righty gave up two runs on six hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out six. Steven Gruver then gave up an unearned run on three hits in two innings. Matt Summers gave up a run on two hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out four. Cole Johnson took the loss. He pitched the tenth and gave up a solo home run. JD Williams continues to impress with his bat. He went 2-2 with three walks, his fifth double and fifth stolen base. The team had just five hits. Rory Rhodes hit his fifth double, and Miguel Sano hit his seventh home run.  

GCL Twins

GCL Twins 9, GCL Red Sox 15 – The Twins offense broke out nicely in this game. Unfortunately, the pitching really struggled. Bobby O’Neill started and threw three shutout innings. Then Josue Montanez made his pro debut and gave up five runs on four hits and a walk in just 1/3 of an inning (that’s a 135.00 ERA). Gonzalo Sanudo got the final two out of the fourth inning, but not before giving up two runs (1 earned) on one hit and two walks. Kyle Wahle came in and gave up four runs on three walks and a hit and got just one out. Nick Cicio then gave up three hits but got the final out of the fifth inning. Gerardo Ramirez gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. Markus Solbach then gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits in one inning. Stephen Wickens went 2-3 with two walks and two doubles, his third and fourth. Jacob Younis went 2-5 with his first double. Josh Hendricks and Michael Quesada each went 2-5. Jorge Polanco hit his fifth double, and Philip Chapman hit his ninth.  

Any other questions on the Twins minor leagues? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.

Ben Revere, Denard Span, and Jose Constanza???

Hey SethSpeaks readers,

It’s mini_tb with what I think is an interesting discussion question regarding 2 popular topics lately: Denard Span and Ben Revere.  You will have to keep reading to get to it.

The Atlanta Braves have Jose Constanza batting leadoff tonight as the season winds down toward the homestretch.  Check out his batting line on milb.com.

• .312/.361/.351 for a .712 OPS, just 2 doubles, 4 triples and 1 HR in 333 ABs on the season with 23/31 stolen bases.

How does that compare to the Twins’ Ben Revere‘s 2010 season numbers?  I picked his 2010 season because it is a larger sample than 2011 – and, frankly, better than 2011, so we’ll act like this is how he will hit in majors given a bit more seasoning.

• .305/.361/.363 for a .734 OPS, just 10 doubles for triples, and 1 HR in 361 at bats on the season with 36/49 stolen bases.

Both are 5’9″ left handed hitters.  Constanza weighs in at 150 pounds.  Revere is in at a “staggering” 170 pounds.  I guess the higher weight class for Revere explains how he could possibly have more power than anyone else in organized baseball.

Oh yeah…  One thing I left out is age.  Constanza is 28 in a month.  Revere just turned 23.  That age difference is obviously a huge factor when labeling a player a prospect or a non-prospect.

Revere is still young.  Of course there is still room for improvement.  Look at Revere’s stats for 2010 again.  That’s Denard Span’s 2011 line of .294/.361/.385 (.746 OPS) with less power, more steals, and better D when he gets more comfortable.  And a noodle for an arm that brings back nightmares of Shannon Stewart…  Revere is 1 year removed from putting up pretty Denard Span-like season in AAA.  And about 4 1/2 years younger.

Here’s the discussion question(s):

• Are we overvaluing Span, or are we undervaluing Revere?

Maybe we are being too hard on Ben Revere.  There’s got to be a Beevis and Butthead reference I could throw in here somewhere…

 

 

Thursday Minor League Scoreboard

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Here are the scores and highlights from the Twins minor league system from Thursday:

Rochester Red Wings

Erik Hacker put together a quality start and the Red Wings topped Louisville 7-3. Hacker went six innings and gave up three runs on six hits and a walk. Jeff Manship then struck out three in two scoreless innings. Dusty Hughes gave up no runs in the 9^th. Brian Dinkelman went 2-5 with his 21^st and 22^nd doubles. Jeff Bailey went 2-3 with his fifth triple. Toby Gardenhire went 2-4 with his 12^th double.

New Britain Rock Cats

Rock Cats lost to Bowie 3-2. Matt Schuld had a terrific rebound start after really getting hit hard in his previous outing. He gave up one run on four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out four. Bruce Pugh gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out four. Chris Parmelee went 2-3 with a walk, his 11^th home runs and the two RBI. Joe Benson went 2-4 with his tenth steal. Deibinson Romero went 2-4. Mark Dolenc was 2-3.

Ft. Myers Miracle

The Miracle fell 12-2 to Tampa. Pat Dean started and gave up six runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two, hit two and struck out seven. Clinton Dempster gave up three runs on four hits and a walk and a hit batter in 2.1 innings. Matthew Tomshaw joined the Miracle from the GCL and he gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits in two innings. Anderson Hidalgo went 2-3 with a walk. Oswaldo Arcia knocked his third homer. Angel Morales and Dan Rohlfing each doubles. It was the Miracle’s eighth straight loss.  

Beloit Snappers

The Snappers beat Burlington 4-1. Manuel Soliman threw six shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out three. Michael Tonkin then gave up a run on three hits in two innings. Michael Gonzalez recorded his tenth save with a scoreless ninth. Adam Bryant went 2-2 with a walk and his ninth double. Derek McCallum was 2-4 with his eighth double. Lance Ray was 2-4 with his eighth stolen base. Reggie Williams added an RBI double.  

Elizabethton Twins

The E-Twins lost 8-1 to Danville. Todd Van Steensel gave up seven runs on six hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. Cesar Ciurcina then gave up an unearned run on two hits and a walk in 3.1 innings. Garrett Jewell threw a scoreless inning, and Nick Alloway threw two scoreless innings in relief. Eddie Rosario went 3-4 and notched his 11^th home run. He also threw out a runner at 2B. Tyler Koelling added a double.  

GCL Twins

Angel Mata just continues to dominate GCL hitters. In this game, he went three innings and gave up just one hit. Mark Trau and Tyler Herr each threw two scoreless innings. Nathan Fawbush threw three one-hit innings for the win. The GCL Twins won 1-0 in the tenth inning on a Jacob Younis single. Michael Quesada went 2-4 with his seventh double and second triple. The team had just five hits.

Any other questions on the Twins minor leagues? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.

Span for Storen?

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Before We Begin

Scroll down to see last night’s Minor League Scoreboard. Also, I will be on the Paul Allen Show this morning on KFAN, I believe at 10:20. We will be taping the segment head of time because my morning is jam-packed, but be sure to listen in and let me know what you think!

By the way, the Twins got a very nice win over the Rangers last night. Brian Duensing was excellent again, keeping the Rangers’ hitters off-balance. It was great to see Joe Mauer turn on an inside fastball for his first home run of the year. It was nice to see Michael Cuddyer unload on a hanging slider. And then with a 4-1 lead with two outs in the top of the 9^th, it was fun to see the Twins score three more times, on a long, bases-clearing double by Jason Kubel. Matt Capps and Glen Perkins were excellent out of the bullpen. After that 20-6 debacle, and then falling behind the Rangers 7-3 on Tuesday night, it was great to see the Twins come back and win that one and then play a really terrific game on Wednesday. With the win, the Twins climbed to six games back again in the Central. It could be an interesting next four days! The White Sox bolstered their bullpen, but to do so, they traded Edwin Jackson, who has an ERA below four, so I’m not sure what to make of that deal. Were they buying, or were they selling? They also benched Alex Rios for Alejandro de Aza, who was the Marlins Opening Day starting CF in 2007 and who, until last night, had never hit a big league home run in 86 games and 217 plate appearances. The AL Central will be a lot of fun to follow again the last two months of the season!

The Main Story: Span for Storen?

Where there is smoke, there is usually at least a little fire, right? For at least a week, we have heard that the Nationals are targeting Twins centerfielder Denard Span. Originally reports indicated that they wanted Span, but would be unwilling to deal relievers Tyler Clippard or Drew Storen. Yesterday came the report that the Nationals may be willing to include Storen in the package to get Span. That set off Twitter throughout Wednesday afternoon.

I am pretty sure that The Twins Geek is the only one who thinks that Span for Storen, straight up, would be a good idea. Check out his reasoning.

To get something, you have to give something up. I get that. I understand that.

I fully admit that part of the reason for my dislike in that deal, if one-for-one, is last year’s trade between the Nationals and the Twins. The Twins received a “proven closer” in Matt Capps for a Top 5 prospect at a demanding position. We all understood that Joe Mauer was signed for eight more years, but we also knew that the demands of the position meant that he would potentially move, or at the very least we would see the scenario where Mauer plays some 1B and DHs and having a talent like Ramos would sure be nice.

I agree with The Geek in that Drew Storen is not Matt Capps. When the Twins acquired Capps, he was the second worst closer statistically in all of baseball when looking at statistics other than “Saves.” If memory serves, Chad Qualls was the only worse closer in the game at the time. In fact, the Nationals were thrilled to trade Capps so that they could get Storen into the closer’s role. And to be fair, Matt Capps was very good in 2010. I admit that he is a good relief pitcher most of the time, but not the kind of guy that you give up a top prospect for. Drew Storen is 23 years old, is 5-2 with 25 saves and a 2.37 ERA and a WHIP of 0.93. He is very good. He was the 10^th overall pick in the 2009 draft (in part due to the fact that the Nationals knew he would sign instantly). He made his big league debut less than a year later, on May 17, 2010. He has been in the big leagues ever since. I’m not sure why the Nationals didn’t wait an extra three weeks to call him up so he would not be a Super 2 after 2012, but that is a choice they made.

I really like Drew Storen and I would love for him to be the Twins closer for the next five years or more. However, there is also a reason that the Nationals have made Storen available (maybe) in a deal for Span. Span has a career line of .289/.366/.375. Most important as a leadoff hitter is that .366 on-base percentage. He posted OPS over .800 his first two seasons and struggled in 2010. He was mentioned as a Twins all-star representative this season until his concussion knocked him out. But the Nationals, like many teams, want a prototypical leadoff hitter. Span has good on-base skills, can steal 25 or more bases, and he can play a very good centerfield defense. And, as much as I like Storen, Span will play 145 or more games each year. Storen may pitch one inning in 60 games. Sure, in a dozen or so, that one inning may be coming in to a game with a one-run lead and no one on and no one out in the Bottom of the 9^th.

Span is signed to a very team-friendly contract. He is set to make $3 million in 2012, $4.75 million in 2013, $6.5 million in 2014 and there is a club option at $9 million for 2015 (with a $0.5 million buyout).

Storen will make about $420,000 this year. He will make about $450,000 in 2012. He most likely will be a Super-2 free agent in 2013, and if he’s a successful closer until that time, he will likely jump to a price somewhere north of $3 million in 2014. He would then go up from there as he would be arbitration-eligible in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Trading a top prospect for a mediocre (at best) closer was crazy. Trading a proven, productive middle-of-the-field position player for a closer, even a good, exciting, talented one, is just too much for me. Especially for a guy like Span who, like Michael Cuddyer, represents the Twins very well, with class and dignity.

Now, as I discussed on Twitter, I am not against a deal. However, if the Twins are to consider trading Span, they should be blown away. I said that I would be OK with trading Span to the Nationals for Storen, RHP Brad Peacock, and 2B Steve Lombardozzi.

Yes, Lombardozzi is the son of the 1987 World Champion Minnesota Twins Steve Lombardozzi. The 22 year old was the Nationals 19^th round pick in 2008 out of high school in Maryland, where he was also quite the basketball player. He has quickly risen through the Nationals’ minor league ranks. He began 2011 in Double-A where he hit .309/.366/.454 with 12 doubles, seven triples and four home runs in 65 games before being promoted to Triple-A. In 34 games at that level, he has hit .324/.368/.441 with eight doubles and three home runs. No, he’s not a shortstop, but the Twins inability to produce middle infielders tells me that getting one that can hit like this would be a good thing. Yes, Twins fans, I know it will take awhile, but this Lombardozzi can hit!

Brad Peacoack was the Nationals 41^st round pick in 2006 out of high school in Florida. He’s had to work his way up through the system, but he has had a big year in 2011 and is still just 23 years old. He began this season in Double-A where he went 10-2 with a 2.01 ERA. In 98.2 innings, he walked just 23 and struck out 129. Last night, he made his third start at Triple-A Syracuse and carried a no-hiter into the 8th inning against Columbus. He gave up just one hit in seven innings and struck out seven. His fastball sits between 92 and 94 and frequently hits 96. I would say a Triple-A rotation including Kyle Gibson, Liam Hendriks, eventually David Bromberg, and Brad Peacock would be pretty exciting for Twins fans.

Obviously the Nationals aren’t trade Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper to get Denard Span. Catcher Derek Norris would be nice to get too. But I think a deal of Span for Storen, Lombardozzi and Peacock would be what the Twins should hope for. In fact, I’d even throw in a third-tier Twins prospect into the mix.

That said, I just have a hard time trading Denard Span unless you can get a package like the one I listed above. I like Ben Revere as much as anyone, and I think that in time, he will be a very good on-base guy for the Twins, Span is already there, plus with pop. My other fear is that if the Twins trade Span, will they keep Delmon Young? Does that deal mean anything in regard to potentially bringing back Michael Cuddyer and/or Jason Kubel?

However, if the Twins acquire Storen and make him their closer for the next five years, the team would not have to bring back Matt Capps and Joe Nathan’s option would not be picked up. That is a lot of money off of the books to be used other places. (Hat Tip to Travis Aune for pointing that out). That’s why I say, I’m not completely against trading Span if the Twins get Storen and more.

And, if Denard Span isn’t activated from the Disabled List before Sunday, he can’t be traded anyway, so all this angst may be for naught. (UPDATE – thanks to the comments section, I was reminded that a player on the DL can be traded with the commissioner’s approval. The example was Jake Peavy to the White Sox a couple of years ago.)

What do you think? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.

Minor League Scoreboard (Perez, Benson, Wimmers and More)

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Here are the scores and highlights from the last two days of Twins minor league baseball:

Rochester Red Wings

On Tuesday, the Red Wings topped the Louisville Bats 11-3. Liam Hendriks started and gave up all three runs (on 5 hits) in the first inning. On the game, he went six innings and gave up just those three runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out three. Brian Dinkelman went 3-5 with his 20^th double. Aaron Bates was 2-4 with a walk and his 15^th double. Rene Rivera and Dustin Martin were each 2-5 with a double.

On Wednesday, it was a pitcher’s duel between the Red Wings and the Bats. Andy Baldwin started and threw five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out one. Jake Stevens threw two scoreless innings. Kyle Waldrop got the final eight outs for the win. Denard Span went 2-5 with a double and a stolen base. He played nine innings. Aaron Bates went 2-4 with his 16^th double. Chase Lambin went 2-5.  

New Britain Rock Cats

Tuesday night, the Rock Cats lost 5-4. Dennys Suarez started and gave up five runs on seven hits. In seven innings, he walked four and struck out six. Brett Jacobson threw two scoreless innings. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with his 17^th and 18^th doubles. Joe Benson was 2-4. Michael Hollimon hit his 11^th homer.

The Rock Cats had a double header on Wednesday. In the first game, the teams needed 11 innings to decide a winner. The Rock Cats won 7-6 when Chris Parmelee singled in Deibinson Romero with the game-winner. Joe Benson went 4-5 with a walk, his 21^st double, 8^th home run and three RBI. Chris Herrmann went 2-4 with two walks and his fifth home run. Brian Dozier, Nate Hanson and Deibinson Romero went 2-5 on the day. Romero hit his 19^th double. Andrew Albers started and gave up four runs on eight hits and a walk in 4.1 innings. He struck out five. Dakota Watts then gave up two run on four hits and a walk in 2.2 innings. He struck out four. Deolis Guerra struck out three in three scoreless innings. Tyler Robertson struck out two in a perfect innings.

The second game did not go well for the Rock Cats. They lost 17-3 to New Hampshire. Bobby Lanigan gave up 11 runs (6 earned) on 14 hits in 2.2 innings. Spencer Steedley gave up just one hit over the next 2.1 innings. Infielder Chris Cates threw the final two innings. He gave up six runs on four hits and four walks. He did strike out two. Brian Dozier went 3-4. Joe Benson was 2-3. Michael Hollimon hit his 12^th home run.

Following the games, Albers was sent back to Ft. Myers. David Bromberg was activated from the Disabled List.

Mark Dolenc Report – On Monday, Dolenc went 4-5 with a double, triple and the game-winning hit in the Rock Cats big extra inning win over New Hampshire. In the three games since then, he is 0-7. On the season, he is now hitting .279/.333/.357 with ten doubles, four triples and two homers. He has 16 stolen bases as well.

Ft. Myers Miracle

On Tuesday, the Miracle lost a 2-1, 11 inning game to Tampa. They managed just six hits, and Aaron Hicks had two of them. Jhon Garcia started and gave up just one run on six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out five. Matt Hauser threw three scoreless innings before allowing the winning run in the 11^th inning.

Angel Morales was activated, and Ramon Santana was released.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Miracle lost 6-1 to Tampa. Miguel Munoz came off of the Disabled List and made his first start since April. Unfortunately, he left after recording just one out and giving up five runs on five hits and a walk. He left the game injured. He had been rehabbing an elbow injury, so obviously best wishes to him as he finds out what’s going on and needs to be done. Edgar Ibarra went 4.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out three. Alex Wimmers threw the final four innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out two. James Beresford went 2-3 with a walk. Oswaldo Arcia, Josmil Pinto and Nick Romero each doubled.

Aaron Hicks is in a bit of a slump. He is now 2-31 in his last eight games.

Beloit Snappers

The Snappers had the day off on Tuesday. The day off did wonders for their bats as the Snappers won 21-8 over Burlington. Jairo Perez was the star in this one. He went 4-5 with a walk, his 11^th double, 10^th and 11^th home runs and eight RBI. Not a bad week’s worth in one game. Michael Gonzales went 3-4 with his 19^th double. Wang-Wei Lin went 2-3 with a walk and his fourth homer. Reggie Williams went 2-6 with his second double and second home run. Danny Santana went 2-5 with a walk and his 22^nd stolen base. Andy Leer was 2-6. Ryan O’Rourke started and gave up four runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out five. Blayne Weller struck out two in two scoreless innings. Nelvin Fuentes pitched a 1-2-3 inning and hit a double. Ben Tootle pitched the final inning and gave up four runs on four hits and a walk.

Elizabethton Twins

The E-Twins beat Burlington 6-4 on Tuesday. Tim Shibuya gave up two runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings. He didn’t walk any and struck out five. Steven Evans got one out (and walked one). Matt Summers got the final out of the 7^th. Then Madison Boer gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out two in his two innings. Max Kepler was 2-3 with his first triple. Eddie Rosario was 2-5 with his 5^th triple. Miguel Sano went 2-4.

The E-Twins had a day off on Wednesday.

GCL Twins

The team was postponed by rain on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the team lost 5-2 to the Rays. They managed just six hits. Candido Pimentel and Dereck Rodriguez each went 2-5. Hein Robb went the first four innings and gave up only an unearned run on five hits in four innings. He walked none and struck out three. Kyle Wahl gave up an unearned run in his two innings. Markus Solbach then gave up just one hit in two scoreless innings. Luis Nunez struck out two in two scoreless innings. Marcus Limon gave up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and a walk in two innings.

Any other questions on the Twins minor leagues? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.

If the Twins are sellers…

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

When the Twins were 16.5 games back in the AL Central following their June 1 game, I was ready to say it was over. The team was playing terribly. Jason Kubel and Jim Thome each went on the DL. Quickly the Twins reduced their deficit in the division to less than ten games, and by the All-Star break they were just six games back. Twice in the last week the team has cut the lead to five. All along, the fans have been saying that the team had talent to win and come back, but the question was whether or not they put themselves too far behind to make the comeback. As much as they pushed and clawed their way back to five games back, they still are behind three other teams in the division.

They are now seven games back and it would be strange to say that the Twins have no chance to win a division title. At the same time, it is also a bit naïve to say that they have come back from just as far back two or three other times in the last half-decade that they’ll do it again. The past few days, The Twins Geek has been taking a look at what relief pitchers the Twins should consider acquiring by Sunday’s trade deadline. Between now and Sunday, the Twins have three more games against the Rangers and three games against the A’s. We can’t throw the towel in yet, but by Thursday, it is possible that the Twins will be sellers.

So, let’s take a look at who the Twins could trade if they deem themselves Sellers. As I stated a couple of months ago, all decisions at this point have to take 2012 into account. There is enough talent around to compete again in 2012 even if they trade several players. Some of the money that comes off the payroll could be used, and young players could step up. We know that some players won’t be dealt because of their status and their contract situations (Mauer, Morneau). We know that some players won’t be dealt because they can be productive at a low cost, which is always important (Valencia, Revere, Plouffe). There are even a couple of players that won’t be dealt because, frankly, no one would want them at this point in time (Nishioka, Mijares).

However, here are some guys that could be dealt in the next five days:

Michael Cuddyer – Yes, I know. The Twins said a week ago that he would not be traded. However, the Twins were playing well and just five games back at the time. If the Twins find themselves nine or even ten games back in the division by the end of the week, he should be shopped. The Giants, Phillies and Braves should all be interested in his services. As a Type A free agent, the Twins should rightfully get a very good return for him in a trade. But they should also insist that they would like to bring him back for 2012 and beyond if he is interested. You see, although he is a Type A free agent, the Twins would likely be picking in the top 15 picks in next year’s draft, so their 1^st round pick would be protected. I would give up a 2^nd round pick to bring back Cuddyer on an appropriate contract.

Jason Kubel – He is also a free agent at the end of the year. He has shown himself to be healthy. He has tremendous power and can hit for average. He has proven himself happy and could fit well in several lineups as a DH/OF in the AL or even a right fielder for an NL team. Currently he is at the top of the Type B free agents, so the Twins should still insist on getting at least one prospect that would rank similarly to a supplemental first round pick, and then a couple more pieces.

Delmon Young – Does anyone think that Young will be back for his final arbitration-eligible season with the Twins? Thankfully since he has returned from the DL, he has played much, much better. That should, maybe, add some trade value to the still-just-25-year-old outfielder/DH. Could they get a decent puzzle piece in return?

Denard Span – I have to start by saying that I think that trading Denard Span would be a huge mistake. However, understandably so, he probably could bring back the biggest return. He’s a very good defensive centerfielder with excellent leadoff skills. What team wouldn’t want that!? He also has a very friendly long-term contract calling for $3 million in 2012, $4.75 million in 2013, $6.5 million in 2014 and an option for $9 million for 2015 ($0.5 million buyout). There are rumors that the Twins and Nationals have discussed a deal that would send Span to Washington, likely in return for a reliever and possibly SS Ian Desmond. Let’s hope that Bill Smith says No to any such deal!

Francisco Liriano – Maybe the Twins should have taken that alleged offer from the Yankees this spring of Ivan Nova and Ramiro Pena! OK, they shouldn’t have, but after a really bad, inconsistent, frustrating season, there is no way they would be able to get Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos or Dellin Betances at this point. Yes, he can be dominant, and yes, he could throw another no-hitter on any given day, but give me some consistency! (See also Mijares, Jose)

Nick Blackburn – Sure, last night wasn’t exactly the night after which to try to trade Blackburn. Because he strikes no one out, occasionally he will have a stinker like that. However, you can count on 180+ innings from him at league-average production which does have value. He will make $4.75 million in 2012, $5.5 million in 2013 and has an option for $8 million for 2014. That’s why the Twins should consider dealing him. The lack of strikeouts is why other teams should hesitate.

Drew Butera – No, he can’t hit. Yes, he’s great defensively. Yes, he is very smart and understands the game. However, if Joe Mauer needs more and more time out from behind the plate, the Twins do need offense from the catcher position. Just some! Before the season, there were rumors of a couple of teams having interest in Butera. At the time, they wanted him for his defense. That part of his game hasn’t changed. Maybe some are still interested.

Matt Capps – I will agree that Jon Rauch was spiraling downward quickly at and around the All Star break last year. The Twins needed someone to take over that spot. Matt Capps came in and did really well for the Twins in 2010. This year, he has been a mess. He doesn’t walk anyone, but he throws pitches right down the middle. He is apparently allergic to strikeouts. Can they get anything for him? Maybe some other team will trade a top five prospect for a ‘proven closer.’ Probably not.

Joe Nathan – The Twins have a $12.5 million option for Nathan that should be impossible for them to consider picking up. However, they should consider declining said option and signing him to a lesser contract. I would be happy with that. If the Twins are sellers, I would be even happier if they traded him and brought back a couple of decent prospects for him, and then brought him back next year too.

Scott Baker – I certainly wouldn’t deal Baker unless overwhelmed. He has been the team’s best pitcher all year. He is set to make $6.5 million in 2012, and he has an option at $9.25 million for 2013. He could fetch a very good return thought.

Jim Thome – He’s Paul Bunyan with a baseball bat. He is four home runs from 600 career home runs and it would be great to see him get there with the Twins. At this point, he can’t catch a good fastball. His value to a winning team would be his presence and as a pinch hitter. The Twins would get basically nothing in trade for him. If they are going to make a bunch of trades and play a lot of young guys in August and September, I like the idea of having Jim Thome’s presence in the Twins locker room.

Kevin Slowey – It appears to be a given that he will be traded by the end of the weekend. To whom? That is really the question. Slowey has been blessed with great run support in his time with the Twins and has a great win-loss record despite about league average numbers. That said, he is still young. He has talent. He could be a steal for someone who will throw him into their rotation and let him work. The Twins have been so vocal about their dislike for Slowey (something I won’t ever understand) that they have taken away any possible trade value, so they will be selling for pennies on the dollar. (On Monday night, Slowey started for Rochester. He gave up three runs on 10 hits in six innings against Indianapolis.)

Phil Dumatrait – The lefty has actually been fairly decent for the Twins this year. Signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, if the Twins can get a B-level prospect for him, they should jump at it.

Obviously I am not saying that it is completely over. By Sunday’s deadline, we may be closer to being able to say that, or we may feel that selling makes no sense again (as we did about four days ago). I just think it is important to start thinking about who the Twins could try to deal should they reach that point.

What do you think?

—–

• Nick writes of Liriano’s Self-Inflicted Wounds.
• On Sunday, Parker wrote about several Twins Notes, and last night, he wrote about the Texas Massacre, specifically the pitching of Michael Cuddyer.
• Minor League Highlights/Notes from Monday:
  • Rochester – 1B Aaron Bates (2-3, BB, 4^th HR)
  • New Britain – Eagan native and Minnesota State – Mankato alum Mark Dolenc went 4-5 with his 10^th double, 4^th triple, 16^th stolen base, and he drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 13^th against New Hampshire, the top team in their division.
  • New Britain – Chris Parmelee (2-6, 24^th double), Yangervis Solarte (2-5, BB, 26^th double), Brian Dozier (2-5, 11^th double). Unfortunately, LHP Tony Davis will be going in and having elbow surgery on Friday.
  • Ft. Myers – Dan Rohlfing (2-4, 5^th and 6^th doubles), Ricky Bowen (3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K)
  • Beloit – Lance Ray (3-5, 28^th double, 7^th stolen base), Danny Santana (2-4, BB, 14^th double)
  • Elizabethton – JD Williams (3-3, BB, 4^th double, 3^rd stolen base, 3 RBI), Eddie Rosario (2-5, 10^th home run), Niko Goodrum (2-4, 1^st triple), Miguel Sano (2-5)

Any other questions on the Twins minor leagues? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.

Twins Minor League Weekly

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Last night was supposed to be an episode of Twins Minor League Weekly. Normally that podcast is on Monday and Thursday night, but co-host Travis Aune will be starting his trek back to Texas in the morning so we could not have Twins Minor League Weekly on Monday night. We both prepared for last night’s show. However, as 10:00 approached, it became clear that BlogTalkRadio.com was having issues that would apparently not correct themselves by the scheduled show time of 10:00. We tried to make it work, but there was no way to take phone calls or really do anything. So, we cancelled the show. We sincerely apologize to those who wanted to listen. Travis will return for the next Twins Minor League Weekly on Thursday night. I will host the SethSpeask.net Sunday Night Twins Podcast at 10:00 on Monday night.

But, since I did a bunch of the research, here are the notes that would have made up Twins Minor League Weekly from me:

Rochester Red Wings

Rochester lost on Sunday 3-0 at Indianapolis. Scott Diamond returned to the mound for the Red Wings and gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out four. Jeff Manship pitched in a game for the first time since he started the Red Wings combined no-hitter weeks ago and recorded the final two outs of the 7^th. Cole DeVries then gave up a run on three hits in his inning. The Red Wings managed just three hits. Luke Hughes, Steve Holm and Brandon Roberts each hit a single.

The Red Wings are now at 38-63, 20.5 games back in their division.

As you know, Luke Hughes and Kevin Slowey were optioned to Rochester this week. Pitcher Thomas Diamond was released. Catcher Danny Lehmann, who should be playing more somewhere (!), was placed on the 7-Day Disabled list with an ankle injury.

New Britain Rock Cats

After losing to Altoona 7-2 on Saturday, the Rock Cats returned the favor with a 7-2 decision on Sunday. Steve Hirschfeld started and gave up two runs on eight hits. In six innings, he walked just one and struck out just two. Dakota Watts picked up the three inning save. He gave up no runs on three hits. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out two. Yangervis Solarte wetn 3-3 on the day with a walk, his fourth home run and three RBI. Chris Parmelee went 3-5 with his 23^rd double and fifth triple. Chris Herrmann went 2-4 with his third triple and two stolen bases. Brian Dozier hit his fifth AA triple.

The Rock Cats are currently 51-48. They are 3.5 games back of the division lead.

Ft. Myers Miracle

The Miracle lost 6-1 on Sunday to Clearwater. Tom Stuifbergen got the start and gave up just two runs through the first six innings of the game. He came out for the seventh and made quick work of the first two batters. He then gave up a double and back-to-back singles before being replaced by Bruce Pugh. Pugh threw a wild pitch and then served up a three-run homer before getting out of the 7^th. He also pitched a scoreless 8^th frame. Danny Rams went 3-4. James Beresford was 2-4 with his third stolen base.

The Miracle are now 14-16 in the second half. They are in 5^th place in the FSL’s south division but just 3.5 games out of first place. Jhonathan Goncalves was put on the Disabled List, and Matt Tone came off of it.

Beloit Snappers

The Snappers lost 6-4 to Lansing. BJ Hermsen started and gave up five unearned runs in five innings. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out three. Michael Tonkin gave up one run on one hit and one walk (two strikeouts) in one inning. Bart Carter gave up a hit and hit a batter but pitched a scoreless inning. Jose Gonzalez gave up a hit, hit a batter and issued a walk but still didn’t give up a run in his inning. The Snappers had just five hits. Wang-Wei Lin was 1-2 with two walks and his 20^th double. Jairo Perez hit his ninth double and drove in three. Reggie Williams hit his first double.

The Snappers’ second-half record is now 14-15 record places them 3.5 games back in their division, tied for third place. Andy Leer came off of the Disabled List.  

Elizabethton Twins

Elizabethton lost 4-3 to Burlington. Matt Bashore got the starting nod again. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out five. Cesar Ciurcina gave up two runs on three hits in his 2.1 innings. He also hit four batters. Derek Christensen went the next 2.2 innings and gave up no runs on one hit and two walks. Steve Evans worked the ninth but gave up a run on a walk and a hit and got only the first out before the game ended. The E-Twins were led on offense by JD Williams who went 3-4 with his third double. He also stole his second base. Eddie Rosario went 2-3 with a walk. Kennys Vargas hit his fifth home run.

The E-Twins are now 19-14 on their season. They are in second place, two games back of Johnson City.   

GCL Twins

The GCL Twins did not play on Sunday. They generally do not play at all on Sundays. They are now 16-14 which puts them in second place, one game back of the GCL Orioles. Wander Guillen was sent back to the Dominican Summer League.

A couple of the young GCL Twins pitchers are pitching really well. Angel Mata has an ERA of 0.90 in his 20 innings over six starts. In his last three starts, he has worked a combined ten innings and not allowed an earned run. Hung-yi Chen has pitched in 14 innings in his six games. He has three walks and 22 strikeouts in 19 innings. In his past four starts, he has thrown 12 innings and gave up just one earned run on two walks and 13 strikeouts.  

TWINS NOTES

So, the Twins had 16 games in a row against their four AL Central opponents. They won three of four in Chicago. They won three of four against the Royals. They split with Cleveland, but they won just one game against the Tigers. The 9-16 record is not exactly awe-inspiring. I didn’t expect them to win 13-14 of those games, but I was really hoping for 10+. Now the team is seven games back of the Tigers with about 60 games to go in the season.

A lot can be credited to Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. We know they’re good. Scott Baker came back and was solid, and as much as Rick Porcello pitched well on Sunday, Francisco Liriano was fortunate to only give up the four runs that he was charged with. He was horrific. Lots are off the bandwagon again. I fight with that. Seven games is not too far back .Twins fans have both 2006 and 2010 to look at to prove that. However, we can’t always continue to say that it will just happen. It doesn’t just happen. It’s not that easy. And frankly, the Twins aren’t playing well enough or consistent enough to believe they are capable of it. And yet, I believe. I usually believe for a long time, but I love when I finally give up an then they prove me wrong. Maybe this year’s team can do that again. That would be awesome! I hope so.

Now, some games in Texas, and then the trade deadline, or at least the July 31 portion of it. It will certainly be interesting. I think they should sell without giving up the 2011 season. In other words, I think that they can deal guys like Slowey, Liriano and maybe even Young and get some young pieces for the future.

And finally, a huge congratulations to Bert Blyleven, Finally a Hall of Famer officially. A tremendous, well deserved honor for him. Did you know that when he retired he was third on the all-time strikeouts list? However, he averaged just 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings for his career and was over 8.0 K/9 two times in his career.

Have a great week!

Any other questions on the Twins minor leagues? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.

Twitter Mailbag

Also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

On Saturday evening, I asked Twitter followers to send me Twins Minor League questions. I said I would answer them here today. Thankfully I got quite a few questions. I will answer them, but please feel free to ask more questions in the chat room.  

TwinsTakes_com – “@SethTweets assuming #Twins are buyers & r looking for middle relief, what prospects will teams be asking for?”

1.)     Aaron Hicks, 2.) Kyle Gibson, 3.) Liam Hendriks,4.) Miguel Sano, 5.) Oswaldo Arcia, 6.) Joe Benson, 7.) Adrian Salcedo, 8.) Angel Morales, 9.) Rene Tosoni, 10.) Chris Parmelee,  Those are many of the top 10 prospects in the Twins system, and although if you’re looking for a middle reliever, it would be crazy to deal anyone like these mentioned. At that point, it becomes a big guess. Generally, if a team isn’t willing to give up a top 10 type of prospect, it will take two prospects to get a deal done, maybe someone in the 15-20 prospect range plus someone in the 20s. It’s funny because if the right scout sees the right prospect on the right day, it could be that guy.

I heard a story this last week that a Nationals scout happened to be watching the Ft. Myers Miracle last year in July and saw lefty Joe Testa throw 97 mph and he was added to the Matt Capps/Wilson Ramos trade. It can be as simple as that.

jbohrer – “@SethTweets Who is the best flame throwing pitcher in Twins system?:

They have some hard-throwing relief pitchers. Dakota Watts and Bruce Pugh both throw very hard (95+). Matt Hauser throws about that hard. Travis Aune and I talked to Ben Tootle in Beloit. He was clocked at 100 before being drafted. He said that he came back this spring after rotator cuff surgery and was in the low 80s, gradually got up to the high-80s and is now getting into the low 90s. Hopefully he continues to progress and gets back into the upper 90s. Carlos Gutierrez touched 97 at times. Reports have Madison Boer at that same velocity.

Now, all of those guys are relief pitchers, which is no surprise. Most of the Twins starters (and most pitchers in any organization) sit between 88 and 92. Liam Hendriks, Kyle Gibson, Adrian Salcedo and a few others can touch 93 at times. Tom Stuifbergen has touched 94 this year. Miguel Munoz made one start at the beginning of this season and has been rehabbing an elbow injury ever since. He has made three or four appearances in the GCL this month. He was a starter that could touch 95, so hopefully he comes back ok.

DOx80 “What is your take on Derek McCallum? Tough to see a homegrown talent having such a tough time. Injuries or is he a bust?

It has definitely been a struggle for the former Gopher. Really ever since being drafted in the 4^th round in 2009, he hasn’t hit much. He hit just .241 in Elizabethton in 2009. 2010 was a really tough year because he went to Beloit, and immediately he was hurt and missed a bunch of time. Then he came back for a few weeks and just as he started hitting, he got hurt again. On the year, he hit just .228/.323/.296. This year, he returned to Beloit and got more playing time in the outfield, a new position for him. He was hitting under .200 when he was promoted to Ft. Myers. With the Miracle, he hit just .191/.295/.191 in 22 games of part-time play before being sent back to Beloit. In 47 games with the Snappers this year, he is now hitting .177/.241/.248. He has seven doubles in 141 at bats and just hit his first home run since 2009 last week.

2010, in my mind, was a struggle because of the injuries. 2011 has just been bad and certainly makes this question appropriate. McCallum turned 23 years old in spring training. I would say that he will head to spring training next year and if he can’t make the Miracle roster as a contributing player, it will be difficult for the organization to keep him much longer. Also, I don’t think that the word “Bust” is really appropriate for anyone taken outside of the first 100 picks in any draft. Most don’t make it to the big leagues… but most put up better numbers than this.

auzzie_02 “@SethTweets Minor League Question: Where do you see Joe Benson’s future with the Twins in the coming years?? Trade him or make room for him?”

The Twins have a good situation with all of the outfield prospects. It’s really hard to know on any of these guys until after this season. Consider that it is possible than Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel could all be gone. The only for-sure starter in the 2012 Twins outfield is Denard Span. I anticipate the Cuddyer will be back, and if Kubel is back, he will DH a majority of the time. Ben Revere’s defense is incredible and he will play a lot of games either as a starter or as a fourth outfielder. Rene Tosoni has shown that he can be a very productive player in the big leagues.

I don’t anticipate Joe Benson being traded. I expect that he will head to Rochester next season as a 24 year old. Last year he had the 27 home runs. This year he has eight, but he remains a doubles-machine. He has also cut down somewhat on his strikeout rate. Benson is already a plus-plus defender at all three outfield positions with a plus-plus arm with plus-plus speed. That’s not a guy I would trade, but that’s a guy that I want to be in the everyday lineup starting in 2013.

texaszeller “@SethTweets with Sano’s difficulty in the field where does he end up projecting at the MLB level and when will we see him in MN?”

18 errors in 32 games certainly isn’t good, is it? He is playing a lot of shortstop and a lot of 3B. His errors have been a combination of fielding and throwing errors. But even when the Twins signed him in October of 2009, the assumption was that he would become too big to play SS. He’s already 6-3 and having seen him this spring, the 195 pounds he is listed at is quite low. Personally, I would keep him working at shortstop as long as they can. And 3B is certainly an option as well. Baseball America projected him to be the Twins 1B in five years. He could be a right fielder because he does have a strong arm.

Summary – I have no idea whatsoever what position he will play when he gets to the big leagues. I would also say that I wouldn’t count out shortstop as a possibility quite yet. There have been a lot of big league shortstops who have had just as many of more errors in the lowest levels of the minor leagues. I would guess that someone like Jorge Polanco or Danny Santana would be starting at shortstop ahead of Sano. However, he has a huge bat. With the E-Twins, he is hitting .283/.338/.583 with ten doubles, five triples and six home runs. 21 extra base hits in 127 at bats is pretty impressive. He is striking out about once in every four plate appearances. He is where he needs to be right now.

So, to answer the second part of the question, when will we see him in MN? I would project that he will spend 2012 in Beloit for a full season. In a best-case scenario, he could start 2012 in Ft. Myers and spend the second half in New Britain at age 20. That is the age in which the Twins then traded AJ Pierzynski so that Joe Mauer could get a big league job. That is an incredibly fast track and I don’t think that we would see Sano in the big leagues in 2013, at least not at the start of the season. However, I think he could be up as a 21 year old in 2014.

ltw0303 “@mlbtraderumors @SethTweets If Bill Smith trades Arcia Sano or Hicks for Uehera he needs to be relieved of his duties.”

I don’t know if this was a question or not, but if it is a True/False statement, my answer would be Absolutely Yes. I like Koji Uehera and think he would do a great job in the 7^th and 8^th innings for the Twins. However, trading top prospects for relief pitchers is absolutely crazy. That said, what happened last year? So, I wouldn’t completely put it out of the realm of possibility. However, I think those three are pretty untouchable. At least for me they would be (unless we’re talking about getting Clayton Kershaw).

ERolfPleiss “@SethTweets September call ups are barely 6 weeks away, who are you most excited to see make their debut?”

I hadn’t yet thought about September call-ups, so let’s think for a moment about who the Twins will call up in September. 1.) Rene Rivera, 2.) Luke Hughes, 3.) Matt Tolbert, 4.) Rene Tosoni, 5.) Scott Diamond (maybe), 6.) Jim Hoey, 7.) Chuck James (assuming he is sent down soon).

I guess I wanted to write that up because my assumption was that there won’t be any September debuts. There is an outside chance that Kyle Gibson and/or Liam Hendriks are promoted to essentially watch, but the Twins don’t typically do that. If the Twins chose one of those two pitchers to give a September call-up to, my guess would be Hendriks because he has to be added to the 40 man roster anyway after this season whereas Gibson does not yet need to be added.

ltw0303 “@SethTweets Keith Law said recently Kyle Gibsons upside is a #3 starter. Has Liam Hendricks now jumped ahead of Kyle in upside?”

I think this is a tough question, in part because in recent years, I’ve really cooled on the whole #2, #3, #4 pitcher thing. There are definite #1s, but after that it’s so much about profile than about other things. Because Gibson is a ground ball pitcher instead of a strikeout guy, immediately he can’t profile as a #1? So to me, a #3 big league pitcher is pretty good and I would not take that as a negative in any way in the least. Again, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee don’t profile as #1 pitchers because they don’t throw hard or get a lot of strikeouts, and yet they have become great.

I have heard mixed reports on Gibson. The general consensus is that the Rochester infield defense is awful. That doesn’t bode well for a guy who gets a ton of ground balls. So, there have been a lot of seeing-eye singles in Gibson’s starts. However, I have also heard that recently, there have been a lot of really hard hit base hits too. So, it’s naïve to completely go with the “bad infield” angle. He has work to do, and he is the first to admit it. He works hard, so I think any concern is probably premature.

Now to the Hendriks part of the question. I have heard reports from Ft. Myers, New Britain, Rochester and other places saying that they are more impressed with Hendriks in terms of stuff and in terms of deception and fire. When I did my top ten recently, I put Hendriks at #4 and Gibson at #2, but I really strongly considered Hendriks at #2 behind Aaron Hicks. Since that time, I’ve done a lot of discussion with sources from all around the system, and if I had done that a month earlier, I may have gone with Hendriks.

However, the big picture is this: I can see a Twins rotation early in 2012 including Scott Baker, Carl Pavano, Kyle Gibson, Liam Hendriks, and either Nick Blackburn or Brian Duensing. Both should be very solid big league starters, and if people want to call them #2s, or #3s, I’m fine with that.  

rviet82 “@SethTweets where is Shooter Hunt at? I know he was struggling and haven’t seen him in the box score lately.”

He was put on the Disabled List and shut down by the Twins again. In 30.1 innings this year with the Miracle, he gave up 30 hits, walked 51 and struck out 31. His last outing was June 24^th when he went 0.2 innings and gave up five runs on one hit and seven walks. In his last ten outings, he had 34 walks in 10.2 innings. It was time. He is going to turn 25 in August. It’s hard to envision a situation in which he is able to turn it around at this point. It’s really unfortunate because his stuff was incredible coming out of Tulane. Very good fastball. Unbelievable curveball. And, he has always been stand up. He is a good guy who has participated in my football picks in the past.

Bryz_OffTheMark “@SethTweets Kyle Gibson probably won’t be called up this season (no room in rotation, it appears) but could Gutierrez be up this season?”

Gutierrez had a terrific spring training in terms of runs allowed, although he did struggle to throw strikes some. He pitched well for Rochester and in May there was a lot of question about whether he should be called up. On June 29, he entered a game against Pawtucket and gave up two runs on a hit and three walks without recording an out. That is the last time he has pitched. He was put on the Disabled List. I have been told that he “has a sore arm” which doesn’t sound so bad. In the next sentence, I was told that he “could be out for awhile.” So, hopefully he will pitch again in 2011, but I can’t imagine that he will be called up to the Twins unless he comes back quick and dominates.

@brandonwarne52 “@SethTweets If you were to put together a starting lineup of the best prospects at each position, what would it look like?”

I like this question, how about this (and obviously be sure to use the Comments section to discuss or make any suggestions):

• Catcher – Danny Rams
• First Base – Chris Parmelee
• Second Base – Yangervis Solarte
• Third Base – Miguel Sano
• Shortstop – Brian Dozier
• Left Field – Joe Benson
• Center Field – Aaron Hicks
• Right Field – Oswaldo Arcia
• Starting Five – Kyle Gibson, Liam Hendriks, Adrian Salcedo, David Bromberg, Tom Stuifbergen
• Relievers – Carlos Gutierrez, Manuel Soliman, Bobby Lanigan, Dakota Watts, Bruce Pugh

 

kreedstrom “@SethTweets. Does @KWaldrop85 deserve a shot to be up in MN this year? And who are the september call ups likely going to be?”

For the second straight year, he had a very strong showing in big league training camp. Unfortunately, unlike 2010 when he was tremendous in Rochester, 2011 has been a struggle. Not long ago, he had an ERA well north of five. However, if you look at what he has done in his last ten outings, I think the argument could be made for him to get a call up at some point, maybe in September. In his last ten games, he is 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA. In 15 innings, he has given up just one run on eight hits. He has walked three and struck out 12. Always a groundball pitcher, he has an absolutely amazing 27/1 ground ball to fly ball ratio. Basically, he is pitching as well as he has ever pitched right now!

Nipps26 “@SethTweets whatever happened to Slama being one of our hot prospect relief pitchers?”

It’s hard to understand why Slama has never really been considered much of a prospect by the Twins. Stats people and anyone who has paid attention to Slama’s minor league career sees that he has been incredible ever since signing with the Twins before the 2007 season after the Twins drafted him in the 39^th round in 2006. In five minor league seasons, he has 387 strikeouts in 286 innings (12.2 per nine innings). Even in AAA, he has 135 strikeouts in 118 innings (10.3 per nine innings). Yes, his career walk rate is 3.8 per nine innings, and in AAA it has been 4.3 per nine. However, in seven big league innings, he has seven walks and eight strikeouts. When he was up earlier for the Twins, he got two games, and he was wild in those games, even though he didn’t give up any runs.

From a scouting standpoint, they have never been real high on Slama. His fastball has only been between 88 and 92. His secondary pitches are good, but not great. He is always known for his deceptive delivery, but scouts never thought it would translate to the big leagues. So, as much as Slama has never been a big prospect, he has done absolutely everything in the minor leagues that he can do.

With the Twins in need of a right-handed bullpen arm, Slama would be perfect (potentially) for the role. Unfortunately, he hasn’t pitches since July 1^st with arm problems. Arm issues made him miss most of spring training. He struggled in April because that was his spring training. He was great in May and pitched some of the Twins. He was incredible in June, and now injuries have cost him again. If healthy, I fully believe that Slama would have played a huge role in the Twins bullpen this year.

TWINS NOTES

The Twins got five shutout innings from Scott Baker in his return, and then the bullpen got the job done for the final four as the Twins beat the Tigers and cut their lead to six. The Twins have a late start today so that fans can watch the Hall of Fame speech of Bert Blyleven this afternoon.

Minor League Updates

Be sure to check out Roger’s Minor League Report at Twinkie Town later this morning.

Rochester Red Wings

Rochester beat Indianapolis 12-5. Brandon Roberts went 4-6 with his fifth double. Rene Rivera was 4-5 with his fifth double and his second and third home runs. Denard Span was 2-4 with a stolen base before being replaced late by Dustin Martin who hit his tenth home run. Jeff Bailey went 2-5 with his 17^th double and eighth home run. Eric Hacker started and gave up five runs on eight hits in five innings, and got the win. He struck out five. Dusty Hughes came in and struck out four in two scoreless innings. Jake Stevens struck out two in two scoreless innings.

New Britain Rock Cats

New Britain lost 7-2 to Altoona on Saturday. Matt Schuld started and gave up five runs on nine hits and four walks in just 2.2 innings. Andrew Albers went the next 4.1 innings and gave up one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five. Brett Jacobson gave up one run on one hit in one inning. The Rock Cats managed just three hits. Deibinson Romero hit his 16^th double, and Mark Dolenc hit his second home run.

Ft. Myers Miracle

The Miracle lost 8-6 to Clearwater. Oswaldo Arcia went 3-5 with his fourth double. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with his seventh double and four RBI. Jamaal Hawkins was 2-3 with his sixth and seventh doubles. James Beresford went 2-5. Pat Dean gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk in four innings. Alex Wimmers came in and struck out the side in the fifth inning. He returned for the sixth and gave up two runs on one hit and four walks (and he struck out three more). Listening to Alex Margulies, Wimmers was getting squeezed. Good to hear that he wasn’t all over the place, but instead was just missing. Matt Tone threw a scoreless inning despite a hit and two walks. Matt Hauser struck out three in his inning.

Beloit Snappers

The Snappers lost 3-1 to Lansing. Snappers starter AJ Achter returned to his college stomping grounds at Michigan State and pitched well. In six innings, he gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out seven. Blayne Weller struckout two in his inning. Nelvin Fuentes gave up one run on two hits and a walk in his inning. The Snappers had just three hits. Reggie Williams hit his first home run, and Adam Bryant walked twice.

Elizabethton Twins

Elizabethton topped Princeton 3-1. Pedro Guerra started and threw 6.1 scoreless innings. He gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out six. Steven Gruver gave up one run on three hits in 1.1 innings. Madison Boer recorded his seventh save by striking out three batters in the four outs he got. The E-Twins had six hits and five walks. Tyler Koelling went 1-3 with a walk and his second steal. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-4. Miguel Sano walked twice. Eddie Rosario hit his fifth double.

GCL Twins

The GCL Twins beat the Red Sox 6-1. Hyun-yi Chen gave up one run on five hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out three. Nathan Fawbush threw two scoreless innings. Gonzalo Sanudo struck out four in two scoreless innings. Marcus Limon gave up two hits in two scoreless frames. Candido Pimentel went 2-5 with his third stolen base. Michael Quesada went 2-4 with his fifth double. Jorge Polanco was 2-4. Angel Morales went 1-3.

Any other questions on the Twins minor leagues? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.

Friday Night Lights

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Well, if nothing else, Jhonny Peralta is making me look smart for taking a late-round flyer on him in a couple of my fantasy baseball leagues. Fortunately, he’s having a tremendous season. Unfortunately, he is a large factor in the Tigers’ dominance of the Twins in 2011. On Friday night, he went 3-5 with a double, a home and four RBI, as the Tigers beat the Twins for the 11^th straight game. The Tigers scored in each of the first three innings and in five of the first six innings. Obviously that doesn’t transfer well into a stat line for Twins starter Brian Duensing. The lefty gave up seven runs on nine hits and a walk in just 4.2 innings. Alex Burnett went the next 1.1 innings. Jose Mijares gave up just one hit over two shutout innings. And Glen Perkins had another dominant inning.

Alexi Casilla and Jim Thome each had two hits. Jason Kubel returned to the lineup and went 1-2 with two walks. Following the game, the Twins announced that Scott Baker would be activated from the Disabled List to start on Saturday. In a somewhat surprising move, Luke Hughes was sent back to Rochester. I figured he would be the next player to be sent down, but not at this time. I am surprised that they are going to stay with just three bench options. However, with the uncertainty of how long Baker will go, it may not be bad to have an extra arm for a couple of days, maybe until Denard Span gets back.

The Twins find themselves exactly where they were on Tuesday. Remember, they lost the two doubleheader games to Cleveland to fall seven games back in the AL Central. But they came back and won the last two games to pull back to five games back. And now, they have lost two games to Detroit to fall seven games back again.

I think it is safe to say that, to this point, the 5-5 record on the twelve game home stand against the AL Central is rather disappointing, but there are still two games left. There are also still nine days before the trade deadline, so it will be interesting to see how the Twins respond. As well as Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer continue to hit (and Jason Kubel’s return), it will be hard for the Twins two score runs if the top of the order doesn’t start getting on base. Ben Revere has just one hit in his last 25 at bats. Casilla has had six hits in his last three games, so that is a good start.

Minor League Updates

Be sure to check out Roger’s Minor League Report at Twinkie Town later this morning.

Rochester Red Wings

Rochester 4, Indianapolis 5 (10 innings) – Kyle Gibson returned home to Indianapolis and pitched in front of a couple hundred family and friends. His struggles continued but in a different way this time. He gave up four runs on seven hits in five innings. He also allowed a career-high five batters and struck out just one. Kyle Waldrop came in and struck out three in three scoreless innings. Jim Hoey came in and gave up the winning run with two outs in the 10^th. Brandon Roberts went 2-5 with his fourth double. Brian Dinkelman was 1-3 with a walk and his 19^th double.

New Britain Rock Cats

New Britain 6, Altoona 1 – Brian Dozier continues to impress. The middle infielder went 3-4 with his ninth and tenth doubles and his ninth stolen base. Chris Parmelee was 3-5. Joe Benson hit his seventh homer. Deibinson hit his ninth homer of the year, his third in four games and his fourth in seven games. Bobby Lanigan started and gave up one run on five hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out four. Spencer Steedley threw a scoreless inning despite giving up two hits. Deolis Guerra gave up two hits and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Tyler Robertson pitched a scoreless inning.

Ft. Myers Miracle

The Miracle lost 9-0 to Clearwater. The game was over almost before it started. Edgar Ibarra made a spot start. He gave up six runs on eight hits and recorded just one out. Brad Stillings went the next 3.2 innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and three walks. Clinton Dempster went the next 3.2 innings. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk while striking out four. Ricky Bowen got the final out. The Miracle had just two hits in the game, singles by Josmil Pinto and Anderson Hidalgo.

Beloit Snappers

The Snappers lost 5-2 to Great Lakes. Manuel Soliman gave up five runs on four hits and two walks. Three of the hits were home runs. Sam Spangler and Ben Tootle each threw a scoreless inning in relief. The Snappers managed just four hits in the game. Michael Gonzales hit his 18^th double.

Elizabethton Twins

At least the E-Twins had a close game this time, although they still lost 5-4 to Princeton. Todd Van Steensel started and gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. Steven Evans gave up one run on two hits in two innings. Matt Summers pitched another 1-2-3 inning. Tyler Koelling went 0-0 with four walks. Rory Rhodes was 2-5. The E-Twins had just four hits and ten walks.

GCL Twins

The GCL Twins lost 5-0 to the Rays. Bobby O’Neill gave up three runs (1 earned) on six hits in three innings. Mark Trau threw two scoreless innings. Tyler Herr gave up one run on four hits in two innings. Matt Tomshaw gave up an unearned run on three hits in two innings. The Twins had just three hits. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 with his fourth double.

Any other questions on the Twins minor leagues? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.