SethSpeaks.net Top 50 Twins Prospects: Part 3 (11-21)

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On Monday, I posted my choices for Twins Prospects 36-50. Tuesday, I presented my choices for Twins prospects 21-35. Today, we will see my choices for Twins prospects 11-21. Yes, that is correct, 11-21. I’ll just admit it. One of the prospects in this 11-21 range, I just completely missed, forgot as I was making my list. Just an oversight, but as we get into the Top 20, that would be a lot more difficult to hide. It would be noticed. So anyway, today we are profiling prospects 11-21, and if you want to, you can move each of the prospects I ranked between 21 and 50 down one spot. Anyway, as always, I welcome your comments. I hope you enjoy this and again, please feel free to comment.

#21 – Alex Burnett – RH RP – 22 (7/26/87)

 

#20 – Luke Hughes – 3B – 25 (8/2/84)

 

#19 – Blayne Weller – RHP – 19 (1/30/90)

 

#18 – Tyler Robertson – LHP – 21 (12/23/87)

 

#17 – Danny Rams – C/DH – 20 (12/19/88)

#16 – Trevor Plouffe – SS – 23 (6/15/86)

 

#15 – Jeff Manship – RHP – 24 (1/16/85)

 

#14 – Deolis Guerra – RHP – 20 (4/17/89)

 

#13 – BJ Hermsen – RHP – 19 (12/1/89)

#12 – Chris Parmelee – 1B/RF – 21 (2/24/88)

#11 – Joe Benson – OF – 21 (3/5/88)

 So there you have it, my selections for Twins prospects 11-21. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my choices for my Top 10 Twins Prospects. If you have any feedback, comments, opinions or suggestions, please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Weekend in Arizona; Singleton Plays Hero

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Real briefly, I thought it would be good to catch up on what happened for the Twins minor leaguers down in Arizona, in the Fall League, this weekend.

On Friday, the Mesa Solar Sox lost to Surprise 7-3. Rene Tosoni started in LF and was the leadoff hitter. He went 1-4. Chris Parmelee hit fifth and played 1B. He went 0-3 with a walk and is still looking for his first hit. Spencer Steedley came in threw 34 pitches, 17 for strikes. In 1.2 innings, he gave up no runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out two. Steve Hirschfeld came in to pitch the 6^th inning and struck out two in a 1-2-3 inning.

On Saturday night, the Solar Sox played the Peoria Saguaros. They were down 4-1 going into the bottom of the 7^th. A two-run homer cut the lead to 4-3. Two walks later, Steve Singleton came to the plate and hit a long, three run homer to right field to give Mesa a 6-3 lead. Alex Burnett came in an struck out two in a scoreless 8^th inning, and they held on for win. Singleton batted second and played 2B. He was 2-5 in the game.

It’s always fun to see how the Twins prospect perform in the Arizona Fall League, playing against many of baseball’s top prospects. Singleton is certainly off to a strong start. So far, he is 5-14 with two doubles and a home run. If you would like to share your thoughts, please click here.

Minor League Awards

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On Thursday, the Twins announced their Minor League award winners. David Bromberg was the choice for the Jim Rantz Award for top minor league pitcher in the Twins system. For the second straight year, Ben Revere was named the recipient of the Sherry Robertson Award for the organization’s top hitter.

David Bromberg had another terrific season, and although there were several very good pitchers in the Twins system in 2009, this was really an easy choice. Bromberg went 13-4 with a 2.70 ERA. In 153.3 innings this year, he struck out 148 batters, which was the most in the organization. In 2008, Bromberg led all minor league pitchers with 177 strikeouts while pitching for the Beloit Snappers. He was named, by Baseball America, the top pitching prospect in the Florida State League. Bromberg spent the entire 2009 season at the age of 21 and is clearly a Top 10 Twins prospect.

Here are some others who were likely considered:

• In 51 games at AA New Britain, Anthony Slama struck out 93 in 65.1 innings. He was 4-2 with 25 saves and a 2.48 ERA. He pitched in 11 games at AAA Rochester. He was 0-2 with four saves and a 3.45 ERA. He struck out 19 in 15.2 innings. He gave up five of those six runs in one outing. Overall, he was 4-4 with 29 saves, a 2.67 ERA, and 112 strikeouts (with 40 walks) in 81 innings.
• Alex Burnett was moved from being a starter and into the bullpen. In 18 games in Ft. Myers, he went 2-1 with a 1.99 ERA. Then in 40 games after being promoted to New Britain he was 1-2 with a 1.79 ERA. Overall, he was 3-3 with a 1.85 ERA. In 78 innings, he had 78 strikeouts and just 26 walks.
• Steve Hirschfeld went 7-7 with a 2.2 ERA. He pitched in 15 games out of the bullpen before making 17 starts.
• Santos Arias was 6-3 with a 2.15 ERA in 100.2 innings. He made 29 relief appearances before ending the season with nine starts.
• Joe Testa spent the first half of the season pitching in Beloit. In 25 games, he was 0-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 45. 2 innings. Then in Ft. Myers, he was 5-0 with a 1.22 ERA in 21 games, and 37 innings. Altogether, in 82.2 innings, he struck out 116, and walked 41.
• Adrian Salcedo (3-2, 1.46 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 3 BB, 58 K in 61.2 IP), Blayne Weller (5-1, 1.58 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 8 BB, 49 K in 57 IP), BJ Hermsen (6-2, 1.35 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 4 BB, 42 K in 53.1 IP) and Andrei Lobanov (2-1, 0.82 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 1 BB, 35 K in 22 IP) all had strong showing for the short-season GCL Twins.

The choice for hitter of the year was much more difficult, so it is hard to argue the selection of Ben Revere for winning for the second straight season. Revere finished second in the Florida State League in batting average in 2009 with a .311 average. He was on base 37.2% of the time and had 19 extra base hits. He also stole 45 bases in 62 attempts. Something I like to see in a top of the order hitter, he walked 40 times with just 34 strikeouts. No question, Revere has proven a lot of critics wrong through his first two full minor league seasons.

There are several other hitters who warranted strong consideration:

• After a strong showing during big league spring training, Danny Valencia started his season back where he ended the 2008 season, in New Britain. There, he hit .284/.373/.482 with 14 homers, four triples and seven homers. That earned him a promotion to AAA where he got off to a fast start before tailing off late. He hit .286/.305/.454 with 24 doubles and seven home runs. All together, he his .285/.337/.466 with 38 doubles, four triples and 14 home runs.
• Brian Dinkelman spent the entire 2009 season at New Britain. He played primarily in 2B, but in the 2^nd half of the season, he played several games in LF as well. With the bat, he had a very strong season. He hit .296/.383/.440 with 38 doubles, two triples and eight home runs.
• Rene Tosoni hit .271/.360/.454 with 25 doubles, four triples and 15 home runs for the New Britain Rockcats.
• Also at AA was Erik Lis for the second straight full season. He hit .283/.353/.462 with 29 doubles and 17 home runs.
• Chris Parmelee hit .258/.359/.441 with 27 doubles and 16 home runs for the Ft. Myers Miracle.
• Ramon Santana spent most of the season at Beloit for the third season. There he hit .296/.384/.453 with 25 doubles, three triples and nine home runs. He went 4-15 in four games at AA New Britain at the end of the season.
• In short season Elizabethton, Josmil Pinto hit .332/.387/.610 with 14 doubles, two triples and 13 home runs in just 53 games. Brian Dozier hit .353/.417/.431 with 17 doubles.

There were several very good performances in the Twins minor league system, some that I didn’t mention here. It’s hard to argue with either of the Twins choices. So, congratulations to both David Bromberg and Ben Revere. If you would like to share your thoughts, please click here.

Arizona Fall League Update – Yesterday, the Mesa Solar Sox lost 12-5 to Surprise. Rene Tosoni was 0-4 with a walk. Chris Parmelee went 0-3 with a walk. Steve Singleton went 1-4 with his second double in two games.

Solar Sox Win!

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The Arizona Fall League is upon us. Seven Twins minor leaguers are participating in the illustrious league of prospects. On Tuesday afternoon, they played their first game of the year for the Mesa Solar Sox. They beat the Phoenix Desert Dogs 10-6. The game really wasn’t as close as the score indicates.

Right from the start, the Solar Sox jumped out to a lead. Twins OF prospect, Rene Tosoni, led off the game with a solo home run. Here is how the Twins prospects did on the day:

• Rene Tosoni – Left Field – Leadoff – He went 1-4 with two walks and the home run.
• Chris Parmelee – 1B – Batted 6^th – He went 0-4 with a walk.
• Steve Singleton – 2B – Batted 8^th – He went 2-5 with a double.
• Steve Hirschfeld – RHP – He pitched the 5^th inning. He struck out three hitters. He also gave up a solo home run to another.
• Spencer Steedley – LHP – He came in with a runner on and two outs in the 6^th inning. He walked one, threw a wild pitch, walked another but then got out of that inning without a run scoring. He came out for the 7^th inning. He issued another walk, gave up a single, loaded the bases with a walk, and gave up a two run single before being replaced. No additional runs scored, so he gave up two runs on four walks and two hits in 0.1 innings.
• Alex Burnett – RHP – Did not pitch.
• Michael McCardell – RHP – Did not pitch. He will be starting on Wednesday.

I just found out that I will be in Phoenix for work for a couple of days in November, so I am hoping to get to a game or two. That is one of those things every baseball fan should experience, and I hope I can cross that off of my list. Any thoughts on the Arizona Fall League, the Twins players selected to go, or any other comments, please click here.

Minor League Update

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• As I mentioned last night, I spent some time chatting with Twins 3B prospect Danny Valencia last night and he agreed to doing an interactive Q&A with SethSpeaks.net readers. So, if you would like to ask the future Twin a question (or two, or up to 3), please e-mail me and I will send him the questions. I will accept questions until Wednesday night (around 10:00 p.m.).
• And, of course, as the Trade Deadline is fast approaching, please consider picking up a copy of the TwinsCentric 2009 Trade Deadline Primer for just $9.95.

Rain and a scheduled off day limited the Twins minor league action on Tuesday, and with the Twins game just starting in Oakland, I figured a separate posting for the Twins minor league report made sense. Hopefully tonight’s game won’t be quite as exciting… or at least quite as long! I have learned that sleep is good!

But I thought I would throw in a few (OK, five) Twins minor league topics for you to discuss in the comments section while watching the Twins game. 

Untouchable? – In my Star Tribune blog yesterday (Twins Need to Deal), I wrote that the only two Twins minor leaguers that should be untouchable in nearly any trade would be Aaron Hicks and Danny Valencia. Would you add anyone else to that list?

Shut Down? – Since being promoted to AA New Britain, Carlos Gutierrez has thrown 36.1 innings. He has given up 51 hits (including six home runs). He was walked 18 and struck out just 17. He didn’t throw much last season between the University of Miami and Ft. Myers. This year, he did alright at Ft. Myers before struggling with the Rockcats. Since moving to the bullpen, he has given up 15 runs on 19 hits in just 8.1 innings while walking seven and striking out just five. Should he be shut down at this point, maybe given a couple of weeks off, or just keep throwing him out there and working through it? 

Arm Chair Psychologists – This is a tough situation because Shooter Hunt clearly is struggling. I have to think that he hit rock bottom with his last outing in which he faced seven batters, walked six of them and hit the other before leaving the game. Hunt as all the talent in the world. I don’t think anyone questions that, but right now, it just isn’t happening. What do you do? Keep throwing him out there? Shut him down? Is there even a right answer? 

Pecking Order – Alright, the Twins need a 2B. Alexi Casilla, Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert have all had their chances. So, I’d like to ask you how you would rank the potential Major League impact that the following Twins minor league 2B options could have. Alexi Casilla, Matt Tolbert, Steve Tolleson, Matt Macri, Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dinkelman, and Steve Singleton. Singleton’s .600 start since his recent promotion to New Britain certainly makes you think, doesn’t it? I can’t help but think he may be the guy in the long term.

Upcoming 40 Man Roster Decisions – Every year it is interesting to find out who the Twins add to their 40 man roster. Who needs to be added before the December Rule 5 draft? To keep it general and simple, please drafted out of college in the 2006 draft would have to be added or be potentially lost in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft. High school players drafted (and many international players signed when they are 16 or 17) in 2005 would also be eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft if not protected. Here is a list of several players that will likely have to be added (or at least they will have to consider adding) after this season:

College Players Drafted in 2006:

• 4^th Round – 1B Whit Robbins
• 6^th Round – C Jeff Christy
• 8^th Round – 2B Brian Dinkelman
• 11^th Round – 2B Steve Singleton
• 14^th Round – RHP Jeff Manship
• 15^th Round – OF Mark Dolenc
• 19^th Round – 3B Danny Valencia
• 39^th Round – RHP Anthony Slama
• Not Drafted – RHP Rob Delaney (signed as free agent right after the draft)

I would say there are a couple of very easy choices here, and a couple of possible adds, and a couple of probably not’s. Now, when you think of the 2005 draft, the Twins drafted Matt Garza, Kevin Slowey, Brian Duensing and Ryan Mullins in the first three rounds out of college. They did not have as much success (or luck, particularly injury luck) with their early high school picks. Hank Sanchez was really bad and then he served a 50 game suspension for being really bad, and then the Twins released him. Drew Thompson is having a nice comeback after missing two full seasons with injury. Paul Kelly’s knees just have not been able to keep him on the field either. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a couple of 2005 high school draft picks that the Twins will have to strongly consider adding to the 40 man roster:

High School (and a JuCo Guy) Drafted in 2005:

• 12^th Round – RHP Alex Burnett
• 32^nd Round – RHP David Bromberg
• 36^th Round – OF Rene Tosoni (Junior College)

I think that all three of them have put themselves in a position that they will have to be added. Another player who has performed to a level that he should be considered is RHP Loek Van Mil who is doing great in his comeback from rehabbing his arm. Has David Winfree’s play this year in Rochester earned him a spot on the Twins 40 man roster? Before the season, I think we would have all assumed that Dustin Martin (another 2006 college draftee) would be a lock to be added. Do we still believe that? What about Deolis Guerra? He has struggled, but he signed in July of 2005 and still is just 20 years old and very talented and has done well in his short stint in New Britain. You would think a team like the Nationals would love to take a chance on him.

In other words, the Twins have some difficult decisions ahead of them at the end of the year. Maybe potential deadline trades will help clean up some of the questions, but it certainly is worth thinking about already. 

What do you think about any of these topics? What would you do? Leave your comments here. 

With that, I’m going to post this. I will be back later with thoughts on Game 2 of this Twins/A’s series. 

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Tuesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Daniel Santana, GCL Twins

Tuesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Andrei Lobonov, GCL Twins  

ROCHESTER REPORT

Tuesday – Rochester, Pawtucket  – Postponed by Rain. 

ROCKCAT RECAP

Tuesday – New Britain, Portland – Postponed by Rain.    

MIRACLE MEMOS

Tuesday – Ft. Myers 4, Dunedin 6 – Chris Parmelee homered yet again, his 14^th on the season, but that was about it for the Miracle offense in this game. Evan Bigley and Nick Romero each doubles. Michael Tarsi took his first FSL loss. He went 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. He walked four and struck out five. Henry Arias went the final 2.1 innings. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk.     

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Tuesday – Beloit  – No Games Scheduled in the Midwest League.     

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Tuesday – Elizabethton 2, Princeton 3 – Reggie Williams hit another homer, his third, but it wasn’t enough on this night. Brad Stillings started for the E-Twins and went the first six innings. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and two walks. Edgar Ibarra took the loss by giving up one run on two hits in two innings. Peter Kennelly pitched a scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with his eighth double.    

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Tuesday –GCL Twins 10, GCL Red Sox 6 – There was plenty of offense for the GCL Twins in this game. Daniel Santana went 3-6 with his third triple and two stolen bases. Nick Lockwood went 3-5. Jhonatan Arias went 2-4 with a walk, his fourth double and four RBI. Nick Tindall went 2-4 with his third double. Nick Freitas went 2-3 with two walks. Jhon Garcia went the first five innings and gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six. Eliecer Cardenas gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. He struck out three. Andrei Lobonov had quite the game to record his second save. He pitched to five batters and struck all five of them out.    

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

In-Weekend Updates

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I thought a mid-weekend update would make a lot of sense. As the next couple of weeks will be consumed with trade rumors, determining whether teams are buyers or sellers and then finally the deadline, I thought it appropriate not to get too far behind. So, here is a quick Notes and Game Recap edition, be sure to leave your comments below. Again, as the Trade Deadline is now less than two weeks away, please consider picking up a copy of the TwinsCentric 2009 Trade Deadline Primer for just $9.95.

TWINS WIN TWO IN TEXAS

The Twins won the first two games of their series in Arlington against the Rangers. They completed the Texas two step and on Friday will go for the sweep.

On Friday night, the Twins won 5-3. Glen Perkins went five innings for the win. Bobby Keppel again pitched well for two innings. Jose Mijares and Matt Guerrier completed the eighth inning before Joe Nathan recorded his 24^th save. Jason Kubel knocked his 15^th home run of the season in the game. It was a three run homer that scored Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Carlos Gomez went 2-3 and drove in the two other runs with a triple. Joe Crede joined Gomez, Morneau and Kubel with two hits in the game.

On Saturday night, the Twins won 4-1. It was all about Scott Baker and Michael Cuddyer. Baker went eight strong innings. He gave up a just one run on six hits and two walks. He struck out eight for his 8^th win of the year. Joe Nathan struck out two in the ninth for his 25^th save. Cuddyer hit a run-scoring double in the 2^nd inning, and later came around to score on a Carlos Gomez single. In the 5^th inning, Cuddyer hit his 15^th home run of the season. Cuddyer, Morneau and Gomez each had two hits.

TWINS NOTES

• Over the Baggy asks, Do the Twins Need Julio Lugo?
• First of all, congratulations to Stick & Ball Guy whose terrific site (so terrific, in fact, that it is The World’s Greatest Online Magazine!) recently celebrated its 5^th Birthday!
• Another exciting note from Stick & Ball Guy. He will be hosting the 3^rd Annual SBG Convention on August 1^st. It will again be at Minnehaha Falls, in the park. I went last year and it was a great time. I currently plan to be there again this year, so if you’re able to make it, it’s always fun, so check here for details.
• Jesse from Twinkie Town participated in an AL Central Roundtable with other SB Nation bloggers in the division.
• It seems like the Twins have turned and hit into a lot of double plays this season. But Coffeyville Whirlwind reminds us of a game in 1990 when the Twins and Red Sox combined for the most double plays in a single game.
• Apparently Miguel Angel Sano passed a pretty important test. MLB had been investigating if he was actually 16 years old, and their report indicates that he is 16 years old. With that announcement, Sano is free to sign. Now, the Twins were rumored to have offered him a deal pending this investigation, but in recent weeks, the rumor became that the Twins were kind of taking themselves out of the running. However, now it is suggested that Twins Director of Player Personnel, Mike Radcliff, traveled to the Dominican Republic himself to check on Sano. So, will they re-enter the negotiations, or will they stay out of it. Well, we shall see.   

Any other Twins thoughts or stories? If you see a Twins-related story that you think readers would be interested in, please e-mail me the link. Let us know what you think.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Steve Singleton, New Britain Rockcats

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Edgar Ibarra, Elizabethton Twins

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Brandon Roberts, New Britain Rockcats

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Weller, GCL Twins  

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES AND TRANSACTIONS

• LaVelle informed us yesterday that Yohan Pino had been promoted to AAA Rochester. Also some interesting stuff on Max Kepler coming to America from Germany with his mom to scout out high schools in Ft. Myers.
• I learned later in the day that Michael McCardell has been promoted to AA New Britain to take Pino’s spot.
• Heard a little later that Jeff Christy has been sent back to New Britain, but I have not heard if there have been any further catcher transactions. Currently in New Britain include Danny Lehmann and Allan de San Miguel.
• On Friday, Josh Johnson posted another excellent interview. Be sure to check out his Q&A with David Bromberg.
• Be sure to check out Roger’s Minor League Update from yesterday. Who was his player of the week?
• Jesse also asked the question, Who is Joe Testa?

ROCHESTER REPORT

Friday – Rochester, Lehigh Valley – Game postponed by Rain.

Saturday – Game 1 – Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 7 – Philip Humber started this game and gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks in 3.2 innings. All six runs scored against him in the fourth inning. Jesse Crain struck out two and got four outs. Juan Morillo gave up a run on two hits in his inning. He walked none and struck out two. Matt Macri went 2-3. Danny Valencia hit his fourth home run. David Winfree hit his 11^th homer.

Saturday – Game 2 – Rochester 3, Lehigh Valley 6 – The second game was almost a copy cat of the first game. Jason Jones started and threw three shutout innings before he gave up six runs in the fourth inning. Tim Lahey and Sean Henn each pitched a scoreless inning. The offense came from the same two people as well. Danny Valencia hit a two run homer, his fifth of the season. David Winfree came to the plate next and hit his 12^th homer.     

ROCKCAT RECAP

Friday – New Britain 6, Reading 4 – Steve Singleton was strong again in his second AA game. The 2B went 3-4 with his third double and first triple. Matt Moses went 2-4 with his 10^th double and first triple. Erik Lis hit his 11^th home run. Cole Devries picked up his sixth win. In five innings, he gave up three runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out five. Frank Mata gave up two hits and a walk in an inning, but no runs scored. Carlos Gutierrez gave up two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings, but no runs scored. Jose Lugo gave up a run in 2/3 of an inning. Alex Burnett came in for the ninth and recorded his second save.  

Saturday – New Britain 11, Reading 3 – Deolis Guerra improved to 2-0 with a win in this game. In 6.1 innings, he gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. Kyle Waldrop threw 2.2 scoreless innings. Brandon Roberts went 4-6 with his 14^th double. Steve Singleton went 3-5 (so his batting average dropped!) with his fourth double and first stolen base. Toby Gardenhire went 2-4 with a walk and his seventh double. Juan Portes went 1-3 with three walks and his fifth home run. Erik Lis was 1-2 with two walks and his 12^th home run.     

MIRACLE MEMOS

Friday – Ft. Myers 2, Sarasota 3 – David Bromberg took a loss for the first time this season. He is now 7-1 (with a 2.97 ERA) after giving up three runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Santos Arias and Henry Arias each pitched a scoreless inning. Mark Dolenc went 2-3 with a walk, his 13^th double and third home run. Rene Leveret went 2-4 with a triple.

Saturday – Ft. Myers 2, Dunedin 4 – Chris Parmelee went 2-4 with his 13^th home run, but it wasn’t enough. Tyler Robertson took the loss. He gave up four runs on four hits and four walks over seven innings. He struck out five. Joe Testa struck out three in two scoreless frames. Evan Bigley went 3-4 on the night. Ben Revere went 2-5.       

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Friday – Beloit 9, Burlington 3 – Dan Berlind improved to 3-9 with five innings in this game. He gave up three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three. Michael Allen and Steve Blevins each two scoreless innings. Tyler Ladendorf went 3-5. Drew Thompson went 2-4 with a walk and his 11^th double. Ramon Santana went 2-5 with his second triple.

Saturday – Beloit 4, Dayton 6 – Aaron Hicks hit his first home run of the season. Drew Thompson went 2-4 with his third stolen base. Ramon Santana was 2-3 with a walk and his seventh home run. Dan Osterbrock gave up five runs (4 earned) on seven hits and two walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out six. Bruce Pugh gave up a run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings.  

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Friday – Elizabethton 4, Danville 5 – As is tradition, Danville brings a team that matches up well with the E-Twins. In this game, Miguel Munoz made the start. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on eight hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out five. Edgar Ibarra came in and threw three shutout innings. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 with a walk. Brian Dozier was 2-4 with his third double. Josmil Pinto went 1-2 with three walks. Derek McCallum went 1-3 with two walks.   

Saturday – Elizabethton 4, Burlington 3 – Martire Garcia made his best start of the season. The young lefty gave up two runs on four hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out four. Matt Bashore came in and gave up three hits, but no runs, in two innings. He struck out two. Kyle Carr gave up an unearned run on one hit in two innings. He struck out two. Derek McCallum went 2-3 with a walk and his seventh double. Jonathan Goncalves hit his second home run and stole his fourth and fifth bases. Tobias Streich hit his fifth home run.     

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Saturday –GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 1 – Blayne Weller had another very strong start. He threw seven shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out five. Jean Mijares gave up an unearned run on a hit and a walk in his inning. Kelvin Mota gave up two hits, but no runs, in his inning. Jhonatan Arias went 2-4 with his second and third doubles. Daniel Santana went 2-5 with his third double.

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Twins Notes

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The Twins enjoyed their off day on Thursday. It was the first time this season that they have been two games above .500. Now, the players may have rested on the off day, but the front office was plenty busy.

First, the Twins released reliever Luis Ayala. Ten days earlier, the Twins had designated him for assignment. Although a couple of teams, namely Pittsburgh and Florida, expressed interest, but a trade was not able to be worked out. He was released, and later in the day, he signed a contract with the Florida Marlins.

In a second transaction, the Twins outrighted Sean Henn to AAA Rochester and promoted Brian Duensing. Henn, being out of options, had to clear waivers to be sent back to Rochester. He did, and remains in the Twins organization. The promotion of Duensing is somewhat surprising. Being left-handed, he does give Ron Gardenhire a second left-hander in the bullpen. You could argue that Anthony Swarzak was much more deserving of promotion as he has been superb for the Red Wings since his demotion in mid-June. Of course, Swarzak was just named as the Red Wings lone representative in the AAA All-Star Game.

LaVelle E. Neal reports that the Twins have offered a contract to Dominican 16 year old SS Miguel Angel Sano. However, the contract is contingent upon an investigation by Major League Baseball into weather Sano is actually 16 years old. The Twins, Pirates and Baltimore Orioles are the three teams said to be most interested. The Twins and Pirates apparently have a very strong relationship with him. The contract is rumored to be anywhere from $2.5 million to over $4.25 million.

Travis Talks provides his June Awards for the Twins. Joe Nathan had an incredible month. In 11.2 innings (12 games), he gave up no runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out 18. But he wasn’t the only bullpen arm to impress. R. A. Dickey’s ERA for June was 0.67. Matt Guerrier’s was 0.86. Jason Kubel was the easy choice for Twins Player of the Month in June.

Josh Johnson provides a review of all six Twins minor league affiliates, including a selection for hitter and pitcher of the month for each team. Nick Nelson looked back at his preseason Top 10 Twins Prospects to see how they are performing through June.

Consistent release point is important to all pitchers, but Over the Baggy’s Parker Hageman shows us why and how release point is important for Scott Baker.

Brian, at the Twins Examiner site, tracks the young career of Aaron Hicks.

At Jim Mandelaro’s Extra Bases blog, he takes a look into the Life of a GM, through the eyes of Twins GM Bill Smith, who has lost 40 pounds since February.

Baseball Intellect takes a look at the Mechanics of Kevin Slowey to determine why he is able to pitch with so much control.

Slowey will take the mound on Friday night for the Twins as they start a three game series at the Metrodome against the division-leading Detroit Tigers.    

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Tyler Ladendorf & Danny Rams, Elizabethton Twins

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Mike McCardell, Ft. Myers Miracle

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday – Rochester, Buffalo – Game Postponed by Rain. The Red Wings are set to send Jeff Manship to the mound against Oliver Perez in a game that is expecting over 20,000 fans in attendance. What a great atmosphere!

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday – New Britain, Portland – Game Postponed by Rain.

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday – Game 1 – Ft. Myers 3, Lakeland 1 – Tyler Robertson started this game and threw two shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out two. But during the top of the third inning, there was a rain delay. When play resumed, Joe Testa came in and struck out five in two scoreless innings to get the Win. Loek Van Mil threw two shutout innings. Blair Erickson recorded his ninth save. He struck out two and gave up an unearned run in the seventh. The offense managed just six hits. Steve Singleton hit his fifth home run. Deibinson Romero hit his 16^th double.  

Wednesday – Game 2 – Ft. Myers 4, Lakeland 1 – Mike McCardell started and finished the second game. The righty gave up one run on seven hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out nine to improve to 8-5. Steve Singleton was 2-4 with his fourth steal. Mark Dolenc went 2-3. Chris Parmelee hit his 10^th home run, a two run homer in the 8^th that gave the team a two run lead. In the ninth, Nick Romero extended the lead with a solo home run, his third of the year.     

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Beloit 1, Cedar Rapids 5 – The Snappers managed just two hits in this game. James Beresford had a double. Dominic de La Osa went 0-1 with two walks and his third stolen base. Dan Osterbrock started and gave up three runs on ten hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out five. Curtis Leavitt went two innings and gave up one run on one hit. He walked one and struck out three. Matt Williams gave up an unearned run over the final two innings.

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Wednesday – Elizabethton 12, Bristol 4 – The E-Twins improved to 9-1 in this game. Tyler Ladendorf and Danny Rams were the hitting stories again, both going 3-5. Ladendorf knocked his fourth and fifth doubles. Rams hit his fifth home run. Tobias Streich hit his second homer, and Josmil Pinto hit his fourth homer. Reggie Williams went 2-4. Angelo Sanchez got his second win. In six innings, he gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out six. Ramon Acosta gave up two unearned runs on two hits in two innings. Tony Davis struck out two in his inning.

Interesting Note – We often wonder why the Twins draft so many catchers, and what they will do with all of them. Well, of the nine players in the E-Twins starting lineup, four of them were drafted as catchers. Danny Rams was the Twins 2^nd round pick in 2007. He played 1B in this game. Josmil Pinto was the DH in this game. Chris Hermann played LF in this game. And Tobias Streich actually was the catcher.  

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Wednesday – GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled.

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Top 50 Twins Prospects Part 3: 11-20

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

After looking at Twins prospects 36-50 Tuesday, and 21-35 yesterday, we will look at my choices for the Twins Prospects 21-35. Again, let me know what you think. On Friday, I will conclude my Twins prospect list with my selections for the Top 10 Twins prospects. For more detail on each of these ten Twins prospects, you will need to go to www.SethSpeaks.net, please feel free to comment.   

#20 – Trevor Plouffe – SS – 22 (6/15/86)

 

 

#19 – Anthony Slama – RHP – 25 (1/6/84)

 

 

#18 – Jeff Manship – RHP – 24 (1/16/85)

 

#17 – Dustin Martin – OF – 25 (4/4/84)

 

#16 – Mike McCardell – RHP – 24 (4/13/85)

 

 

#15 – Chris Parmelee – OF/1B – 21 (2/24/88)

 

 

#14 – Rob Delaney – RHP – 24 (9/8/84)

 

 

#13 – Joe Benson – OF– 21 (3/5/88)

 

 

#12 – Tyler Robertson – LHP – 21 (12/23/87)

 

 

#11 – Luke Hughes – 3B/2B/CF – 24 (8/2/84)

 

 

 

So there you have it, my selections for Twins prospects 11-20. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my choices for the Top Ten Twins Prospects. If you have any feedback, comments, opinions or suggestions, please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Twins Crush Crew; Cuddyer Captures Cycle

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

A day after putting up twenty runs against the Chicago White Sox, the Twins bats continued to roll. The Twins scored three in the first inning on a Michael Cuddyer home run. They added four in the fourth inning. They scored in five of the first six innings, and ran away with a second consecutive easy win.  I was up in section 226, in the 8^th row. It is just to the third base side of home plate, so very good seats really. There were some Brewers fans around, but happily it was primarily Twins fans. Here are some of my observations and some highlights from my scorecard:

• Obviously Michael Cuddyer was again the story in this game. In his first at bat, he hit a LONG three run homer, well into the bleachers in left center field. In his second at bat, he hit the first pitch to the gap in left center for a ground rule double. In the fourth inning, he welcomed Mike Difelice to the game with a single up the middle to drive in a run. In his third at bat, a broken bat liner down the 3B line turned into a triple. As he was rounding second, the crowd figured out what was going on and that was a very neat scene. Following that at bat, his batting average was up to .293. For the game, hew as 4-5 with two runs scored and five driven in. When he came to bat in the eighth inning, the game was out of reach, so we were trying to figure out the benefit of him even batting there. Maybe have his name introduced by as he stepped into the batters box, Gardy could have put in a pinch hitter so that he could have left to another ovation.
• More Cuddyer Tidbits – That was his second straight four-hit game. He has homered in three straight games, and four of his last five. He is on pace to hit .291 with 34 doubles, 11 triples, 26 homers and 113 RBI. And to think he got off to such a rough start in April.
• A Quick Aside on the Cycle – Cuddyer’s triple was very exciting. What made it exciting? The fact that Ryan Braun pretty much looks like he could care less out in left field. He barely jogged to go retrieve the ball in the corner that Cuddyer hit. People can say all they want about Delmon Young being a bad defensive outfielder, but from what I saw tonight, Braun is not a guy who should be out there. Seriously, if I was Ken Macha, I may have made a mid-inning defensively change and got him out of there.
• I was almost surprised when I was going through my box score after the game to see that Justin Morneau was 3-5. He scored three runs and drove in two. His triple was nearly a three run homer, but the other hits were just nice singles. He is such a well-rounded hitter.
• Joe Mauer’s 14 game hitting streak came to an end, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t productive. He hit a sacrifice fly in his second plate appearance. He also walked twice. When he came up in the 8^th inning, knowing it was his final at bat to get a hit, he still didn’t go outside the strike zone. I think that is pretty impressive.
• Denard Span had a strong game too. He went 2-4 and also added a walk. He took a lot of pitches early in the game, and I think that is often overlooked. He hit a long home run off of left-handed reliever RJ Swindle.
• The top four in the lineup combined to go 9-16 with nine runs scored and 10 RBI. The bottom five in the lineup went a combined 3-18 with two runs and an RBI. And that includes Brendan Harris who went 2-4 with an RBI.
• Kevin Slowey got great run support again, but he really pitched well, even better than his line score might indicate. In 7.1 innings, he gave up three runs (2 earned) on eight hits. He, of course, walked none and struck out four. He is now 6-1. He has four walks and 39 strikeouts in his 55.1 innings pitched. In this game, he was really able to keep his pitch count low. Looking at the pitch count on the board, he threw just 27 pitches (21 strikes) through the first three innings. He had 41 pitches through four innings, 53 pitches through five, and 65 pitches through six innings. Four mid-inning pitching changes for the Brewers between the fourth and seventh innings had to catch up with Slowey a little bit.
• Sean Henn got the final five outs. He looked very good against lefties Prince Fielder (jammed him and got a double play) and Jody Gerut (strikeout). Mat Gamel did double off of him, but Gamel looks to be a pretty legit hitting prospect. That isn’t a surprise to those of us that follow prospects, as he was highly regarded. I was somewhat surprised he didn’t start the season with the Brewers. With Casey McGehee getting the start tonight at 3B, and Gamel on the roster, Billy Hall can’t be feeling too strongly about his future with the Brewers
• Of course, tomorrow is a new day. It was very important that the Twins were able to use just two pitchers in this game. With Anthony Swarzak set to make his big league debut, it will be nice to have everyone else in the bullpen ready to go at any time! Swarzak will face the Brewers’ Braden Looper at 6:10 at the Dome.      

 With that, here are some more Twins-related articles or stories for you to peruse while downing your Friday morning cup of coffee:

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Nathan Hanson, Beloit Snappers

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Cole Devries, New Britain Rockcats

ROCHESTER REPORT

Friday –Rochester 3, Norfolk 4 – The Red Wings managed just three hits in this game. Luke Hughes was 1-3 with a walk to raise his average to .261. The first seven batters in the Red Wings lineup had at least two strikeouts in the game. Reid Santos made the start. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out two. Armando Gabino came in and worked two scoreless innings. Juan Morillo gave up a run on three hits and no walks in two innings to take the loss.  

ROCKCAT RECAP

Friday – New Britain 3, Binghampton 1 – Cole Devries got back on track with a great start. In seven innings, he gave up a run on seven hits. He walked none and struck out four to lower his ERA to 2.86. Rob Delaney came in, and with runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with one out, he struck out the next two batters to get out of that inning. Anthony Slama came on and struck out two in a perfect ninth for his ninth save. Brandon Roberts went 2-5 with his second homer and two of the RBI. Danny Valencia hit his fourth triple.  

Be sure to read Travis Talks where he compares and contrasts Delaney and Slama.

MIRACLE MEMOS

Friday – Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 1 – Carlos Gutierrez was back on the mound in this game. In five innings, he gave up only an unearned run on two hits. He walked four and struck out four. Spencer Steedley continues to impress. In 2.2 innings, he gave up just one hit. He improves to 3-0 and his ERA drops to 0.83. Blair Erickson got the final four outs, two via strikeout. Chris Parmelee and Jair Fernandez each went 2-3 with a walk. Ben Revere was 1-2 with a walk. He also stole his 17^th and 18^th bases.  

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Friday – Beloit 7, Peoria 13 – The defense let the team down in this one. Dan Osterbrock gave up eight runs in just 2.1 innings, but just one of the runs was earned. He gave up five hits, and walked two as well. Bruce Pugh came in and gave up two runs on four hits (2 HR) in 2.2 innings. Steve Blevins worked two scoreless innings. Blake Martin pitched the final two innings and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. Former Gopher Nathan Hanson went 3-5 in the game. He hit his second triple and second home run. Ozzie Lewis was 2-3 with two walks and his seventh double. Michael Harrington is hitting just .215, but in this game, he notched his 13^th and 14^th doubles. James Beresford and Dominic de La Osa each had two hits. Jonathan Waltenbury was ejected late in the game for calmly questioning a called strike.   

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Quick Notes

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

It’s going to be a quick update. Things, as you can tell from yesterday’s bullet points, and from today’s as well, are really busy, and the next two days will be as well.  The Twins had an off day on Monday, so I don’t feel too bad writing a little less.

• First, for a ton of new Twins content, be sure to listen to last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. The guests were Twins pitching prospect, Liam Hendriks, who was excellent. We discussed Australians in the Twins system, playing in the WBC, Extended Spring Training and more. He answered several questions from the chat room. And then Travis Aune or Travis Talks came on and did a great job. We talked for quite some time about Twins topics and many minor league thoughts. So, I thought it was a very good show. I would appreciate any input you would have on it. Thanks!
• Those of you who have listened to the most recent SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast or Sunday night’s MNGameNight.com podcast, you already heard this. If you are going to be at the Twins games on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights, I will be selling copies of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009 out on the Metrodome’s plaza from about 5:30 until game time. I will be selling the books that I have remaining for $10. Some of the funds from book sales will be donated to the Twins Community Fund. Even if you’ve already got a copy of the book, feel free to just stop by and introduce yourself. It would be fun to meet some people.
• Nick Nelson has a very interesting look at the patience of the Twins hitters. It isn’t something that the Twins are known for, but given some thought, it appears to be something that the Twins are finding!
• You definitely will not read about hockey terribly often on this site, but this is exciting because of this!

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Chris Parmelee, Ft. Myers Miracle & Danny Valencia, New Britain Rockcats

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Anthony Swarzak, Rochester Red Wings, Carlos Gutierrez, Ft. Myers Miracle

ROCHESTER REPORT

Monday –Rochester 6, Charlotte 0 – Anthony Swarzak was again impressive. He improved to 3-3 and his ERA dropped to 1.70. He threw six shutout innings and gave up just six hits. He walked three and struck out five. Bobby Keppel struck out two in two scoreless innings. Armando Gabino pitched a scoreless ninth inning. The Red Wings managed just five hits. Alexi Casilla went 1-3 with a walk and his second triple. Jose Morales went 1-2 with two more walks. Trevor Plouffe drove in three runs. Dustin Martin knocked a double. Luke Hughes committed two more errors at 3B.   

ROCKCAT RECAP

Monday – New Britain 1, Connecticut 5 – Danny Valencia was back in the lineup, and picked up where he left off. He went 3-4 with his sixth double. Yancarlos Ortiz went 2-3 with his first triple of the year. Cole Devries went seven innings and gave up two runs, both unearned. He gave up six hits and walked one while striking out six. Jose Lugo came in for the 8^th frame. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk and got just one out. Rob Delaney came in and had a throwing error, but he did get the two outs to get out of the inning. Yohan Pino pitched a scoreless ninth.   

MIRACLE MEMOS

Monday –Ft. Myers 6, Sarasota 5 – Chris Parmelee had another good game. In this one, he went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth home run. Chris Cates was 2-3 with a walk. Mark Dolenc and Joe Benson were both 2-4. Carlos Gutierrez was incredible again. He won his second game with six shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out five. Steve Hirschfeld came in and pitched a perfect seventh. Henry Arias started the 8^th innings. He got just one out and gave up four runs on two hits and two walks. Santos Arias came in and gave up a hit, but got the final two outs. Blair Erickson gave up a run on three hits in the 9^th inning, but it was still enough to record the save.   

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Monday – Beloit  – No Game Scheduled. 

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.