Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 – Now Available as an e-book for $6.99 by clicking here. You can, of course, still get the print version for $13.99 by clicking here. 

Today, we will conclude our Organizational Depth Chart by looking at the Relief Pitchers. Frankly, it is kind of a mess thanks to about 89 minor league veterans brought in, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. As I said on Monday, many starters will get time as a reliever, and vice versa. This is especially true in the lower levels of the minor leagues where innings limits are still so important. The Twins bullpen in 2011 was pretty much horrible. They had lost Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier, both guys who had long been in the Twins bullpen. They also let Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes, and Ron Mahay departed via free agency. Each made huge money for relievers in free agency. As I’ve said, I would have wanted to bring back Crain, but I definitely understood letting the others go. The Twins brought in some minor league free agents, but as they had done so many times before, they made the decision to build a bullpen from within. Needing two or three pitchers to step up, only Glen Perkins really stepped up throughout the season. Anthony Swarzak was a surprise success as well in long relief and as a spot starter. Joe Nathan struggled in his return. Matt Capps just struggled. Two pitchers that likely would have been counted on to perform, Jeff Manship and Anthony Slama were out most of the season with injuries. Had those two been healthy all season, it could have been a better situation. To the surprise of many, the Twins seem to have gone with much the same philosophy in 2012. Instead of going after retread relievers, they are choosing to believe in their in-house options. They brought back Capps, are taking a flyer on Joel Zumaya, and have invited a small village of minor league veteran pitchers with some big league experience. All in the attempt to hope that three or four of them step up. It’s a philosophy I completely agree with despite the fact that it went very wrong in 2011. Then again, pretty much everything went wrong for the Twins in 2011. Fortunately 2012 is a new year. You can clamor for guys like Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls and Todd Coffey all you want. Or you can realize that they all struggled early in their careers and didn’t become big league regulars until late in their careers. They didn’t succeed in their first opportunities in the big leagues, and they have all had their struggles in the big leagues even after being given regular bullpen duties. So, although I am incredibly nervous about the Twins bullpen, and don’t have any idea how they will perform in 2012, I do think they have some talent, some young talent that should continue to get opportunities. That’s just smart.  Relievers who are good year in and year out are a rarity. Are there a dozen  in the entire big leagues that you could say have been lights out, have been difference-makers each of the past five seasons? (I’ll give you Mariano Rivera… you name another 10.) Because of that, bringing in 26-30 year olds with good arms and some measure of success makes a lot of sense to me.  

Below you will get a look at the names of many Twins minor league pitchers who will likely spend a lot of time in bullpens this upcoming season. I need to reiterate that these are just my thoughts. I have no insider information to know where players will be playing for certain in 2012. Obviously after spring training, some of these players will be let go. There will be Disabled List players, extended spring training and more.

Minnesota Twins  

Matt Capps (RHP), Glen Perkins (LHP), Joel Zumaya (RHP), Brian Duensing (LHP), Alex Burnett (RHP), Anthony Swarzak (RHP), Jeff Gray (RHP), Terry Doyle (RHP-R5)

Some Twins fans choose to say that Matt Capps has been pretty bad in two of the last three years. Since it’s less than two weeks before spring training, so I’ll say that he’s been really good in four of his last six seasons! If healthy, he’ll be solid at the end of games. I think Glen Perkins proved himself throughout the 2011 season to believe he can be a dominant lefty reliever again in 2012. Brian Duensing likely moves to the bullpen. He is one of baseball’s best at getting left-handed hitters out, but one of the worst at getting right-handers out. Joel Zumaya hasn’t pitched since 2010, and hasn’t pitched a full season since 2006, but I guess there is a chance he could be really good for half of the season! Anthony Swarzak is out of options and he really proved himself in long-relief and spot-starting last year. He could find himself being thrown into more high leverage situations in 2012. Alex Burnett has the arguably the best stuff in the bullpen and hopefully he will be able to put it all together. He won’t turn 25 until late July. If Terry Doyle pitches fairly well in spring training, I believe that he will make the team. If a starter is hurt, he could be the guy to make some starts early in the season, or he could be a long reliever. I also believe that Jeff Gray will make this roster as well. He is on the 40 man roster and out of options.  

Rochester Red Wings

Anthony Slama (RHP), Carlos Gutierrez (RHP), Lester Oliveros (RHP), Cole DeVries (RHP), Deolis Guerra (RHP), Kyle Waldrop (RHP), Esmerling Vazquez (RHP), Tyler Robertson (LHP), Jared Burton (RHP), Jason Bulger (RHP), Samuel Deduno (RHP), Phil Dumatrait (LHP), Casey Fien (RHP), Luis Perdomo (RHP), Daryl Thompson (RHP), PJ Walters (RHP), Brendan Wise (RHP), Luke French (LHP), Brad Thompson (RHP), Matt Maloney (LHP)

What a mess spring training will be? The Twins will have to play a few split-squad games to get all of these guys innings. Inexplicably, Anthony Slama has never been given a shot by the Twins despite 10.3 K/9 and a 2.59 ERA in 92 AAA appearances. I think Lester Oliveros has a chance to be pretty good but he needs more time. The Twins don’t need to rush him (like they did with Alex Burnett). The Twins claimed Vazquez from the Diamondbacks on the last day of the 2011 season. He’s a hard-thrower with control issues. The same can be said for Deduno and Perdomo. Kyle Waldrop finally got a shot with the Twins in September and he should be given a very legitimate opportunity to make the Twins opening day roster and get time throughout the season with the Twins. The two non-roster invites that have a legitimate chance of making the big league roster early in the season are Jared Burton and Jason Bulger. Each has had quite a bit of big league success. Burton has been hurt much of the past two seasons. Bulger spent a long time with the Angels. Phil Dumatrait got way too much time with the Twins last year. Carlos Gutierrez and Tyler Robertson were added to the 40 man roster this offseason. Gutierrez made the move to the bullpen last year and pitched pretty well until shoulder issues. Still walks too many though. Robertson was terrific in the second half of last season as the New Britain closer. The lefty may not throw hard, but he was quite successful in his first season in the bullpen. Cole DeVries had a tremendous 2011 including a very good performance in the hitting Arizona Fall League. Matt Maloney is on the 40 man roster. The left-hander was brought in before Terry Ryan was named GM, but as a former Reds pitcher, it is likely that he was recommended by Wayne Krivsky, which makes him intriguing. He is on the 40 man roster and out of options, but there is a chance he could go unclaimed. Non-roster invites Burton, Bulger, Deduno, Dumatrait, Fien, Perdomo, Walters, French and the two Thompsons all have spent some time in the big leagues. Liam Hendriks said in a recent podcast that Brendan Wise is similar to Kyle Waldrop in terms of ability to get a lot of ground balls. The Aussie has been very good in AAA the last two years. Finally, it is a huge year for Deolis Guerra. After being really bad as a starting pitcher, he moved to the New Britain bullpen last year and was incredible. Suddenly he had better control, gave up less hits and struck out more than a batter an inning. How will he perform in AAA in 2012? It will be interesting to watch. I suspect we will see him by season’s end. He has one option left.  

New Britain Rock Cats

Matt Hauser (RHP), Andrew Albers (LHP), Brett Jacobson (RHP), Daniel Turpen (RHP), Tony Davis (LHP), Blake Martin (LHP), Cole Nelson (LHP), Spencer Steedley (LHP), Ricky Bowen (RHP), Jhon Garcia (RHP), Bruce Pugh (RHP), Dakota Watts (RHP), Steve Hirschfeld (RHP)

Will any of the leftovers from the Twins minor league signings move down to AA? We shall see. Matt Hauser ended the 2011 season with one appearance with the Rock Cats. He is a hard-throwing right hander who I think will be a big breakout candidate in 2012. Andrew Albers was the story of the year in the Twins system last year and my choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. Brett Jacobson, Blake Martin and Spencer Steedley spent 2011 in New Britain, each splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. Turpen came over from Colorado in the Kevin Slowey deal. He throws hard and side-arm but gets no strikeouts. Bruce Pugh and Dakota Watts both had disappointing 2011 seasons between Ft. Myers and New Britain. Each struggled in the Arizona Fall League. But each throws really hard and if they can find any measure of control, they are legit prospects. Hirschfeld was my choice for Twins minor league pitcher of the month in both April and May. He struggled in June and moved to the bullpen, which is likely where he’ll wind up. Tony Davis is not a big guy, but he throws left-handed and touches 94-95 mph. He missed about half of last season with a shoulder surgery. He will be ready for spring training. Cole Nelson is a Minnesota native who came over from Detroit in the Delmon Young trade. Ricky Bowen signed with the Twins in May and did a nice job pitching out of the Ft. Myers bullpen. Jhon Garcia throws hard and can pitch in any role in the bullpen and spot start.

Ft. Myers Miracle

Jose Gonzalez (LHP), Michael Tonkin (RHP), Clinton Dempster (RHP), Bart Carter (LHP), Nelvin Fuentes (LHP), Edgar Ibarra (LHP), Kane Holbrooks (RHP), Matt Schuld (RHP), Brad Stillings (RHP), Caleb Thielbar (LHP), Blayne Weller (RHP), Miguel Munoz (RHP)

Jose Gonzalez was the closer in Beloit last year. He’ll likely continue in that role with the Miracle. He’s not tall and resembles Jose Mijares, but he throws hard and has a terrific slider. Michael Tonkin moved to the bullpen in 2011 and pitched very well. Dempster was terrific in the bullpen for Beloit but struggled upon his promotion to Ft. Myers. Carter dominated in Elizabethton and then pitched very well for the Snappers. A four year college guy, he should be pushed. Nelvin Fuentes has been pitching well for Puerto Rico in international competition. He has also steadily moved up the Twins system. The lefty works slow but he gets hitters out. Edgar Ibarra struggled in the Miracle rotation last year but finished strong in the bullpen. Kane Holbrooks had a tremendous 2010 season that saw him pitch well in Beloit, Ft. Myers and New Britain. 2011 was disappointing. He pitched well with no run support in April, but then he really struggled. He then missed the last couple of months. St. Thomas alum Matt Schuld pitched very well in Ft. Myers and then threw pretty well in New Britain. I only have him in Ft. Myers because of the numbers crunch at the higher levels. Caleb Thielbar became the first player the Twins signed from the St. Paul Saints and pitched in a few games for the Miracle. Blayne Weller pitched in the bullpen in Beloit although he ended the season pitching well as a starter. Miguel Munoz made his first start last year with the Miracle, hurt his elbow and then didn’t pitch again until late in the season. In his return to the Miracle, he re-aggravated the elbow injury and was shut down. Reports indicate that he did not have elbow surgery and rehabbed throughout the offseason.

Beloit Snappers

Corey Williams (LHP), Steve Evans (LHP), Steven Gruver (LHP), Jason Wheeler (LHP), David Hurlbut (LHP), Corey Kimes (LHP), Garrett Jewell (RHP), Cole Johnson (RHP), Tobias Streich (RHP), Jhonatan Arias (RHP).

Corey Williams was the Twins 3^rd round pick just a year ago. The lefty signed for nearly double the slot recommendation. But the Twins are quite excited about him. He’s another hard thrower, said to have nasty stuff and a strong mentality. Evans, Gruver, Hurlbut and Johnson were all 2011 draft picks out of college that pitched well at Elizabethton during the summer. Kimes pitched in just a couple of games before suffering from mono. Jason Wheeler was the team’s 8^th round pick and signed at the deadline. He will debut in 2012. Tobias Streich and Jhonatan Arias were both strong-armed catchers without much bat. Last year at Instructs, the two were moved from behind the plate to the mound. The Twins have done this in the past with mixed results. Tim Lahey was drafted as a catcher, but a year later he moved to the mound, and although he didn’t get to the big leagues, he spent 3 years in AAA as a reliever. Danny Santiesteban was an outfielder with a bunch of tools in the lower levels of the Twins system for a few years. He was moved to the mound but was released soon after. (By the way, Santiesteban has been a hitting star for the Newark Bears of the independent leagues the last couple of years.)

Elizabethton Twins

Luis Nunez (LHP), Ricardo Arevalo (RHP), Nathan Fawbush (RHP), Tyler Herr (RHP), Gonzalo Sanudo (RHP), Markus Solbach (RHP), Dallas Gallant (RHP)

Luis Nunez went 5-0 with 5 saves and a 1.67 ERA in 16 relief appearances in the GCL. The 20-year-old lefty throws gas with decent (but improving) secondary stuff. He is certainly one to watch. Tyler Herr is a tall right-hander who showed improvement in his second year in the GCL. Arevalo has gone 0-11 with a 4.37 ERA in 25 games over the past two years in the GCL. Nathan Fawbush is another tall kid with a lot of talent, but he has missed time each of the past two seasons since the Twins drafted him. Sanudo signed with the Twins in 2011 and in 20.2 innings in the GCL, he walked seven and struck out 22. He just turned 20. Markus Solbach signed about this time last year from Germany, and he went 3-3 with a 1.91 ERA in 28.1 innings in the GCL. He also pitched well in the World Cup.  Gallant had Tommy John surgery last spring and will be brought back slowly.

GCL Twins

Josh Burris (RHP), Josue Montanez (LHP), Gerardo Ramirez (RHP)

The Twins signed Ramirez last year out of Mexico and threw 17.1 innings in the GCL. He just turned 18. Montanez just turned 20 years old. He signed with the Twins last year as their 15^th round pick a year after being taken in the 25^th round in 2010 by the Padres. His first outing didn’t go well, and then he was really good his next seven outings. Josh Burris signed very late with the Twins last year out of LSU-Eunice. Last year, he played some 2B and some in the outfield. He hit .273 with a triple and a homer and stole 13 bases. He also was a reliever who walked too many. However, he hits 94 mph on the radar gun and is best known for his great 12-6 curveball.

TOP THREE (OR SO…) PROSPECTS

1.)    Corey Williams, 2.) Matt Hauser, 3.) Lester Oliveros, 4.) Deolis Guerra, 5.) Carlos Gutierrez, 6.) Luis Nunez, 7.) Tyler Robertson, 8.) Dakota Watts, 9.) Bruce Pugh 10.) Steven Evans

SUMMARY

The Twins bullpen was really bad last year. I don’t think there is any way around that. Glen Perkins stepped up, and once he was called up, Anthony Swarzak pitched well. If the Twins have any hope at being successful in 2012, they are going to need a few more guys to really step up. Capps is going to have to be healthy and pitch well. Zumaya may have to be healthy and successful. Duensing will have to fill the role of lefty-reliever. They brought in a bunch of minor league veterans, and it would be great if one or two of them would step up and contribute when called upon. There are several Twins minor leaguers who deserve an opportunity to step up, guys like Waldrop, Gutierrez, DeVries and even Anthony Slama. The Twins have made an effort to bring in some strong arms, and in doing so have found guys who also walk a bunch. In recent drafts, the Twins have also added some power arms to mixed results. Guys like Matt Hauser and Tony Davis could move up. 2011 draft picks Corey Williams, Matt Summers, Madison Boer, Trent Higginbotham and Josh Burris throw hard. Oh, and remember a couple of years ago when the Twins had something like three or four left-handed relievers in their entire farm system? Now, it appears that each team may have three or four lefties! There is definitely some talent in the bullpen, some very strong arms. Of course, we also have to remember that many starting pitchers who have decent stuff and aren’t working out as starters could be moved to the bullpen as well.  

If you have any further questions, please feel free to e-mail me at sethspeaksnet@hotmail.com or leave your thoughts in the Comments Section!

Plenty of discussion for those of you, sitting at work, needing to listen to some good ol’ Twins talk.

• On last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast, we talked about several Twins topics. The highlight was a fun interview with Minnesota native, former Gophers, and Twins prospect Cole DeVries. It was fun to talk about his terrific 2011 season in New Britain, Rochester and in the Arizona Fall League. We had a frank discussion on the upcoming Rule 5 draft and much more. Also, be sure to listen to the podcast. Fanatic Jack joined for the last bit to discuss some Twins topics and made an announcement:
• Fanatic Jack is back on BlogTalkRadio. He’ll be hosting his return show tonight at 9:00. And the announcement is that Jack and I will be hosting shows under this same account. You’ll still have the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast ,but the link to that show will be changing. The Reason? We have gone together and signed up for BlogTalkRadio’s Premium package. What does that mean? Instead of me hosting 30 minute shows starting at 10:00, we can do 1 or 2 hour shows including at times. Frankly, the ½ hour shows this past year have been a little frustrating. If I want to have a guest or two, it’s hard to get too in-depth on topics. So, I think this is a good thing. Of course, the Premium service isn’t free, so if anyone wants to sponsor a show, just let one of us know. And, keep tuned, we hope that there will be more than two shows. During the season, Twins Minor League Weekly will be able to return to a full-hour show, and that is a good thing.
• There is also a new Gleeman and the Geek episode in which they discuss a bunch of Twins discussions and I find myself disagreeing with the Twins Geek on pretty much everything… but that’s normal!  Ha!

Feel free to comment.

I expect that the Twins will announce their 40 man roster additions on Friday afternoon, but just in case they announce them a little early, I’m going to make my 40 man roster decisions. I wrote an article for the TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook on this decision that the organization needs to make every year.  This will be some of the content from the handbook, but it will be updated, and since I expect the decision to be made in the next two days, I will give my final thoughts on who I think would be added. I will break it into The Givens, the Strongly Considered, the Have To Think Abouts, and the others who are eligible.

Who Must be Added? Players who signed when they were less than 19 in 2007 must be protected or potentially lost. Players that were signed when they were 19 or older in 2008 also have to be added. Typically, this means that high school players drafted in 2007 are eligible, and college players drafted in 2007.

So here are my predictions, for your consideration. I will also put a number after the name for where I would rank their likelihood of being added, relative to the other options.

The Givens

• Oswaldo Arcia (1) – He has the kind of bat that someone is willing to put on a big league bench even if he isn’t ready.
• Carlos Gutierrez (2) – The former first-rounder had a tough 2011 season, but if healthy, his sinking fastball and ground ball rate make him a given.

Strongly Considered

• Tom Stuifbergen (3) – Improved velocity, has three pitches, knows how to pitch, comes up big in big situations, incredible in international play, made one start in Rochester after spending the season in Ft. Myers.
• Angel Morales (4) – missed most of 2011 with an elbow injury. Came back six weeks after arthroscopic elbow surgery. Although the power hasn’t shown as much, no one doubts he has it. Good speed and defense. Works counts. Can he stick on a big league roster? He is younger than Aaron Hicks.
• Manuel Soliman (5) – Pitched in Beloit in 2011, so the question is whether or not he would be able to remain on a big league roster. He’s only pitched for 3 years. He throws hard. He could be a bullpen arm if he can develop a second pitch. He could be an impact starter if he develops a third pitch.
• Tyler Robertson (6) – Lefty came on strong as the New Britain closer in the 2^nd half of the 2011 season. 15 saves, 10 wins, and pitched well. He was the 3^rd round pick out of high school in 2006 (after Parmelee and Benson were taken in the first two rounds). He’s young and left-handed and smart, but the velocity is low.
• Andrew Albers (7) – Because he was a free agent when the Twins signed him last spring, he is eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Like Robertson, he doesn’t throw hard, but he is very aggressive on the mound. Already 26 years old, he was my choice as the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year this year when he pitched well in Ft. Myers and New Britain, in the bullpen and making a few starts.

Have to be Considered

• Cole DeVries (8) – Sometimes last impressions matter, and DeVries was tremendous in the Arizona Fall League.
• Bruce Pugh (9) – Sometimes last impressions matter, and Pugh falls down to this level from the Strongly considered due to a rough AFL.

Others Who Are Eligible

The Twins took Anthony Slama off of the 40 man roster last month. He could not become a free agent, but he is eligible for the Rule 5 draft. If I’m a GM, I absolutely would take Slama with a Rule 5 pick. He’s ready for the big leagues, and he can actually pitch out of a bullpen. I can’t imagine that the Twins would add him back to the 40 man roster after taking him off last month, but maybe the change at GM will give a different thought.

Phil Dumatrait and Brian Dinkelman were also taken off the 40 man roster. Dinkelman elected to become a free agent because he had been outrighted for the second time. He resigned with the Twins on a minor league deal last week. Dumatrait is a veteran and became a free agent, but yesterday, he returned to the Twins on a minor league deal. Both of these guys are eligible.

Others: Jairo Perez, James Beresford, Anderson Hidalgo, Steve Hirschfeld, Edgar Ibarra, Danny Lehmann, Brett Jacobson, Nelvin Fuentes, Jhon Garcia, Evan Bigley, Bobby Lanigan (10), Danny Rams, Mark Dolenc, Chris Cates, Jonathan Goncalves, Josmil Pinto, Spencer Steedley, Michael Tarsi, Jairo Rodriguez, Miguel Munoz, Wang-Wei Lin, Reggie Williams, Pedro Guerra, Rory Rhodes, Shooter Hunt, Nate Hanson, Deibinson Romero, Michael Hollimon, Ray Chang.

What Will Happen?

With the signing of Jamey Carroll, the Twins now have 35 players on their 40 man roster. They could add as many as five players, assuming they don’t sign any other big league free agents before the announcement. I would think that the Twins would prefer to leave one spot open on their 40 man roster which means they would likely add four players from above. (The Twins added four players last year – David Bromberg, Joe Benson, Chris Parmelee and Rene Tosoni) Those players are required to remain on the 40 man roster until after spring training next year. So what happens if the Twins want to sign another free agent, but they are already at 40 on the roster? I think many would agree that there are several of the 35 players currently on the 40 man roster that they could take off without missing too much.

Current 40 Man Roster

Here is the 40 man roster as it sits right now:

• Pitchers: Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, David Bromberg, Alex Burnett, Scott Diamond, Brian Duensing, Jeff Gray (out of options), Deolis Guerra, Liam Hendriks, Jim Hoey, Francisco Liriano, Matt Maloney (out of options), Jeff Manship, Jose Mijares, Lester Oliveros, Carl Pavano, Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey, Anthony Swarzak (out of options), Esmerling Vasquez (out of options), Kyle Waldrop.
• Catchers: Drew Butera, Joe Mauer
• Infielders: Jamey Carroll, Alexi Casilla, Luke Hughes (out of options), Justin Morneau, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Chris Parmelee, Trevor Plouffe (out of options), Danny Valencia.
• Outfielders: Joe Benson, Ben Revere, Denard Span, Rene Tosoni

Feel free to comment, ask questions and make your predictions.

If you haven’t yet ordered your copy of the TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook, be sure to do so! We hope that many of you will develop your own blueprint of and e-mail it to twinscentric@gmail.com to be entered into a random drawing where one winner will receive a copy of the TwinsCentric 2012 Twins Annual next spring. 

Just a quick update today on the goings on throughout the Winter Leagues as the Australian Baseball League got started and tonight the Puerto Rico League gets going as well.

Arizona Fall League

We’ll start down in Arizona, where Mesa got a 8-7 win. Cole DeVries dropped his ERA to 2.70 with three no-hit innings. He walked two and struck out two. Brett Jacobson came in later and threw 1.2 no-hit, no-walk innings. The big hit for the Solar Sox came off the bat of Twins OF Aaron Hicks. He cleared the bases with his third triple of the Fall League to give the team a lead they would hold on to. He went 1-3 with a walk. Brian Dozier was 0-4 and played 2B.

Venezuela Winter League

Yangervis Solarte made his first appearance for Aragua this season. He batted second, played 2B and went 0-4. Joe Benson came in as a defensive replacement after starting the team’s ten previous games.

For Magallenes, Deolis Guerra got all five batters he faced out.

Australian Baseball League

Sydney topped Melbourne 3-2 on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9^th. For Sydney, 17-year-old Jacob Younis went 0-2 with a walk. He played 2B and batted ninth. For Melbourne, Josh Hendricks played RF and batted ninth. He went 0-3.

Canberra beat Brisbane 6-0. For Brisbane, Rory Rhodes batted clean up and went 1-2 with two walks and a double. He played Left Field.

Any thoughts?

Joe Mauer has made many All-Star appearances to go with his batting titles, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers and MVP award. Glen Perkins has become one of the best relief pitchers in baseball in 2011. Both were Twins first-round draft picks from their home town state. There have been many other Minnesotans who have played for the Twins, like Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield. Kent Hrbek is a Twins Hall of Famer from Bloomington. St. Paul native Jack Morris provided one of the greatest World Series pitching performances in history for the Twins. Pat Neshek mesmerized hitters out of the bullpen for a couple of years.

However, the Twins have been able to draft and sign several players from Minnesota. Right now, there are ten players from Minnesota in the farm system. Here is a quick look at each of them:

Andy Baldwin

Baldwin is a Duluth, MN, native. He went to Oregon State and then became a 5th round pick of the Phillies in 2004. He quickly worked up the minor leagues and was then traded to the Seattle Mariners. He pitched for AAA Tacoma the past three years. This offseason, the Twins signed him to help their AAA Rochester roster. Now 28 years old, he is 4-7 with a 5.57 ERA for the Red Wings. In 86 innings, he has walked 22 and struck out 71.

Cole DeVries

DeVries is from Eden Prairie and pitched for the University of Minnesota. The Twins signed him in August of 2006 as a non-drafted free agent after he pitched well in the Cape Cod League. He pitched very well as a starter in the lower levels of the minor leagues, but last year he really struggled at AA and AAA. This year, he moved to the bullpen and began the season by dominating AA batters. In 15 appearances, he was 0-0 with nine saves and a 2.28 ERA. In 27.2 innings, he walked just five and struckout 33. He moved up to AAA Rochester where he started out well. At their All-Star break, he is now 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA although 12 of his 14 runs allowed him come in just four appearances. He has done well in late innings and middle relief and even made a spot start recently. 

Mark Dolenc

The Twins used their 15th round pick in 2006 on a very talented outfielder from Minnesota State-Mankato. He had graduated from Eagan high school. Now 26, Dolenc is in his second season with the AA New Britain Rock Cats. He is hitting .280/.331/.345 with eight doubles, three triples and a home run. He also has 13 stolen bases.

Nate Hanson

Hanson went to Eden Prairie High School and then the University of Minnesota. Following the 2008 college season, the Twins drafted him with their 28th round pick. In 2010 in Ft. Myers, he showed some power for the Miracle with 18 doubles and 11 home runs. He returned to the Miracle to start this season and hit .267/.327/.383 with 12 doubles and four home runs in 52 games before being promoted to AA New Britain. With the Rock Cats, he is hitting .245/.306/.372 with six doubles and two home runs in 26 games.  

Matt Schuld

Schuld, a Plymouth native, had a very impressive collegiate career for the Tommies of St. Thomas. When he went undrafted, the Twins quickly signed him. After 11 appearances in the GCL, he made six relief appearances in Ft. Myers. He began this season at Extended Spring Training but quickly was called up to the Miracle where he has been a very solid starter. He went 4-1 with a 3.99 ERA in 70 innings over 11 starts and four bullpen appearances. This weekend, he was promoted to AA New Britain where he went four innings in a start on Monday night. It may be a short-term promotion, but he has certainly been impressive in his year with the Twins organization! And, he is still just 22 years old.

Derek McCallum

The Twins liked the Shoreview native so much, they drafted him twice. They selected him in the 50th round of the 2006 draft, but he instead went to play for the Gophers. Following a tremendous junior season in 2009, the 2B was taken by the Twins in the 4th round. He signed quickly and began his minor league career in Elizabethton. 2010 was a frustrating season for McCallum who was limited to just 47 games in Beloit due to two sepate injuries. He returned to the Snappers for the 2011 season where he hit .200/.278/.264 in his 39 games. he was promoted to Ft. Myers and hit .191/.295/.191 in 22 games (68 at bats). This weekend, the 23-year-old was returned to Beloit.

Roy Larson

Larson was another key component in those talented St. Thomas teams. The 22 year old Burnsville native signed in September and began his pro career this spring. At 6-5, Larson is currently playing 1B and 3B for Elizabethton. He has hit .250/.295/.350 in his first 40 at bats. He’s got four doubles.

AJ Pettersen

The Minnetonka native, Pettersen, who played on that Excelsior American Legion team in the World Series a few years ago, spent four years under the tutelage of John Anderson at the University of Minnesota. Following a very solid college career, he was drafted by the Twins in the 25th round of this year’s June draft. He signed quickly and was sent to Elizabethton. He played in three games and went 2-9 with three walks. Unfortunately, he was hit by a pitch in the face in that third game and required some nose surgery. He is currently getting healthy and will soon head back to Florida to start getting ready to play again.

Madison Boer

The Twins drafted Boer from the University of Oregon with their 2nd round pick in this year’s draft. The 21 year old pitched for Eden Prairie High School before heading west to play for the Ducks. The hard-throwing right-hander has begun his career in Elizabethton where he is pitching at the end of games right now… and dominating. He is currently 2-1 with four saves and a 2.45 ERA in his seven appearances. In 7.1 innings, he has walked none and struck out 14.  He could advance quickly in 2012!

John Krogstad

J. R. Krogstad was born in Crookston and grew up in Erskine. He did not play baseball in high school in South Dakota because it wasn’t offered. Instead, he got heavily involved in paleantology. But friends encouraged him to go to the American Baseball Institute in Florday. He did, and recently he went to Ft. Myers for a tryout with the Twins who kept him around. He has pitched in two games (2.2 scoreless innings) for the GCL Twins. (Check out this article in the Crookston Times, the town where he still has family and friends.)  

The Twins drafted another former Gophers pitcher TJ Oakes in the 41st round of the 2011 draft. In the 16th round, they drafted the 2011 Mr. Baseball Austin Malinowski, a pitcher from Centennial High School. Add 2010 25th round pick, North Dakota native Andy Leer, who is playing in Beloit this year, and the Twins do a nice job of keeping several local ball players in their system. I think that is a good thing.

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Here are some more TwinsCentric links:

• Twins Minor League Weekly last night  discussed the first-half for the Twins minor league affiliates and who stood out so far this season.
• I will be traveling to Beloit this weekend to watch the Snappers games on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Check out www.SnappersBaseball.com and if you’re going to be going to Beloit (5 1/2 hours from the Twin Cities!) this weekend, call them and mention SethSpeaks.net and Seth will be donating $5 to the charity of the Snappers’ choice. The Snappers will have fireworks on both Friday and Saturday nights, and they will have Canvas Pictures as giveaways on Sunday. Be sure to consider the all-you-can-eat special as well.
• Do you remember the story of the Perham (MN) high school basketball team. One of their best players, Zach Gabbard, collapsed on the court with a heart attack. Several surgeries later, Gabbard is much-improved. The Yellowjackets story was incredible, led by National high school coach of the year (named by Max Preps) Dave Cresap led the team to the Class AA State championship. Assistant coach Brent Hanson, who himself has twice collapsed while playing/coaching basketball, put together a documentary/movie of the 2011 Perham Yellowjackets called For Three. Check out the trailer here. The movie will premiere at the Comet Theatre in Perham on Thursday night and show again on Sunday. You can also order a DVD now through the website www.ForThreeMovie.com.

Please feel free to leave your comments on anything discussed today or any other Twins topics.

Before we start, a final reminder. It is the last day to enter the below contest:

World Series Contest

I am going to be holding some contests here and on Twitter and Facebook over the next week or two thanks to A&E who has now come out with “A&E Minnesota Twins Vintage World Series Films DVD.”  It includes both the 1987 and 1991 teams! The ’87 team beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games. The ’91 World Series was the first that had two worst-to-first teams as the Twins and the Atlanta Braves played one of the greatest seven-game series ever, including Jack Morris’s amazing Game 7. So be sure to look here and other places for some contests for a free copy.

I thought it would be fun to take a look at my pre-season Top 30 Twins prospect list and see how they are doing through just over two months of the season. Some have impressed. Some have disappointed. And, seemingly to keep up with the big league club, there have been a bunch of injuries. This list was compiled and presented in the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook -2011, after looking at a ton of stats and reading a bunch of scouting reports. It is a great example of how, with prospects, you just never know. Let’s get started:

1. Kyle Gibson – RHP – Last night, Gibson gave up two runs in six innings, but fell to 3-6. However, he has a 3.79 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In 71.1 innings, he has given up 71 hits, 17 walks and struck out 74. Many fans want the 23 year old to be pitching in the big leagues today. Honestly, I believe that if the Twins really needed a starting pitcher today, he could come up and fill in adequately. It’s exciting to see him striking out more than a batter per inning while still exhibiting tremendous control. He will likely be with the Twins this year, maybe even around the All Star break.
2. Miguel Sano – 3B – Sano has been in Ft. Myers working out with the Extended Spring Training. He will likely soon be reporting to Elizabethton. After hitting .291/.338/.446 with the GCL Twins. Sano recently turned 18 years old. He is listed at 6-3 and 195 pounds, but he is bigger than that. He has huge legs and a hand shake that I have to assume rivals that of Adrian Peterson. Again, I know a lot of people want this Dominican Bonus Baby to be playing at a higher level, but there is no rush. Last year in the GCL, he struck out 43 times in 148 at bats with just 10 walks. This guy’s ceiling is up there with the likes of Miguel Cabrera, but let’s have some patience and let that power develop.
3. Aaron Hicks – OF –  To look at Aaron Hicks’ .268 batting average this season in Ft. Myers only tells a small part of the story. Since May 1^st, he is hitting .305 with 11 doubles and two homers. His season on base percentage is an impressive .375. Aaron Hicks has amazing tools. He has made some great catches in centerfield for the Ft. Myers Miracle this season, and has several assists due to a very strong and accurate arm. While he continues to walk, his strikeout rate has dropped some as well. To understand fully how much talent and athleticism he has requires actually seeing him practice and play. He is going to be a very good big leaguer. Keep the faith, and keep the patience.
4. Joe Benson – OF – Benson got off to a very fast start this year in New Britain and then struggled from late April until mid-May. At that time, Benson went on a run that saw him hit .484/.556/.774 between May 24 and June 2. And then Twins doctors found something in his knee, so he had it scoped and will likely miss three weeks of action. Benson is ready defensively. He is a very good outfielder with great range and a big arm. In terms of speed, only Ben Revere is probably faster than him in the organization. Although he is not on pace to match his 27 home runs from 2010, his slugging percentage is better. Strikeouts continue to be what he needs to watch. After striking out every third plate appearance a year ago, he is striking out in one of four plate appearances so far this year.
5. Alex Wimmers – RHP – After signing with the Twins last year in August, the two-time Big 10 Pitcher of the Year went 2-0 with a 0-57 ERA in 15.2 innings for the Miracle. He gave up just six hits, walked five and struck out 23. He returned to the Miracle to start this season, and it took him just five batters to walk as many as he walked last year, and a sixth batter to surpass it. And he hasn’t pitched for the Miracle since. The team immediately sent him to Extended Spring Training where he continues to work. He entered spring training with a hamstring injury. My hope is that the leg injury affected his mechanics and that he can get it back. That was two months ago, and he still isn’t back. So, hopefully he can get it back soon.
6. Liam Hendriks – RHP – I wrote last week that Hendriks is now in the discussion, for me, of top Twins prospects. Still just 22 years old and with only 12 starts last year in Ft. Myers, the Twins decided that Hendriks was ready for Double-A. He has responded so far by going 6-2 with a 2.63 ERA. In 65 innings, he has allowed 58 hits, walked 14 and struck out 61. The Australian has thrown a Quality Start in eight of his last nine starts. In his last three outings, he has given up just two runs in 20 innings. He is a very smart pitcher, very competitive and I think has a chance to be very good.
7. Angel Morales – OF – The Twins drafted Morales in the 3^rd round in the 2007 draft out of high school in Puerto Rico, and he is still just 21 years old. Last year between Beloit and Ft. Myers, he hit .280/.362/.405 with 24 doubles, ten triples and five home runs. He also stole 29 bases. He is a very good outfielder with a strong arm. However, it is his arm that has caused him to miss all of the 2011 season. He fought elbow pain in spring, and they shut him down and had him rehab. He had a setback two weeks ago, and there was thought that he would need Tommy John surgery. When he got to the surgery, it was determined that they would just clean his elbow with arthroscopic surgery. This is obviously great news. I talked to GCL Twins coach and former big leaguer Milt Cuyler this spring training. We were watching Morales stand in the batter’s box against some bullpen pitching. He raved about Morales’s balance and approach. No one in the organization questions his power. Hopefully he can rehab and play some winter league ball in preparation for spring training.
8. Ben Revere – OF – Twins fans have definitely already seen the best of Ben Revere. He can be a catalyst at the top of the lineup. He can hit a ton of singles and steal second at will. His range in centerfield is tremendous and he has shown the glove to play all three outfield spots. In 81 big league at bats, he his hit .272 and has just a .306 batting average with a .284 slugging percentage. In 132 at bats in AAA Rochester, he hit .303/.338/.364 with five extra base hits. We’ve also seen proof of the arm that we’ve heard so much about. We have seen the value and the excitement that the speed of Ben Revere brings to the table. We have also seen signs of why I may not have been crazy to have him as the Twins 8^th prospect (many thought it was too low).
9. Adrian Salcedo – RHP – Seeing Adrian Salcedo throw in the  bullpen, it is easy to see why scouts would be excited about his potential. He is long (6-4) and lean (175… if that). He has long arms and tremendous delivery. He is a terrific athlete as well, having seen him basically sprint the mile run. Still just 20 years old, Salcedo has been the Snappers most consistent start this season. Overall, he is 5-3 with a 3.10 ERA. In 72.2 innings, he has given up 68 hits, walked 18 and struck out 51. He has work to do, to be sure, but he is a very exciting prospect.
10. Oswaldo Arcia – OF – You always have to be a little cautious of the numbers that hitters put up when they play at Elizabethton. In 2010, Arcia was the Appalachian League Player of the Year after he hit .375/.424/.672 with 21 doubles, seven triples and 14 home runs for the E-Twins. He moved up to Beloit this spring and put on an offensive display in April. He hit .352/.420/.704 with eight doubles and five home runs in just 71 at bats. However, he went on the Disabled List on May 1 with a sore elbow. A week later, he had arthroscopic surgery on his elbow and is expected to miss two months. To watch him take batting practice in spring training was impressive. Everything he hit was solid. Line drives and home runs to all parts of the field. Of course, every time he came out of the cage, he would grab his left elbow. Arcia is compactly built and very strong. Hopefully he can get back to the Snappers and continue to mash.

To see my choices for 11-50, check out SethSpeaks.net, and for much, much more on these prospects and over 100 more Twins prospects, pick up a copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011.

Here are a couple more minor league notes:

• LHP Pat Dean, the team’s 3^rd round pick a year ago out of Boston College, missed the first six weeks of the season. He was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week last week. On June 6, he threw six shutout innings. Then on June 11, he left the game with two outs in the 7^th inning, having not yet allowed a hit in the game. He had issued two walks and struck out nine. So, for that week, he went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. In 12.2 innings, he gave up six hits, walked three and struck out 18. Not too shabby.
• There are several Minnesotan in the Twins minor leagues including 25^thround pick last week, AJ Petterson, the former Gopher SS. Here are the others:
  • Derek McCallum hit just .196/.276/.262 in 107 at bats in Beloit, but he was recently promoted to Ft. Myers. There, he has hit .241 in 29 at bats.
  • Nate Hanson was hitting .267/.327/.383 with 12 doubles and four home runs in Ft. Myers. Last week, he was promoted to AA New Britain where he has just one hit in 10 at bats. The hit was a double.
  • Matt Schuld is from Plymouth and pitched at St. Thomas. He is now 3-1 with a 4.40 ERA in 59.1 innings for the Ft. Myers Miracle.
  • Schuld’s former college teammate, 3B Roy Larson, is working in Extended Spring Training this season and will most likely report to Elizabethton.
  • Mark Dolenc went to Minnesota State- Mankato. He is in his second year at Double-A new Britain. He is hitting .257/.313/.337 with seven doubles, two triples and a home run in 175 at bats. He also has nine stolen bases.
  • Cole DeVries had a rough 2010 season between New Britain and Rochester. He began this season in New Britain where he went 0-0 with nine saves and a 2.28 ERA. In 27.2 innings, he gave up just 17 hits, walked five and struck out 33. He was promoted to Rochester where he has continued to pitch well. In six games (9.1 innings), he has give up just eight hits, walked four and struck out 12.
  • Andy Baldwin is 28 years old and spent the last three seasons with Tacoma, the Mariners’ AAA affiliate. The Duluth native has made ten starts for the Rochester Red Wings and is 3-5 with a 4.97 ERA. In 58 innings, he has 13 walks and 44 strikeouts.
• The Twins signed 27 year old Cuban defector Dennis Suarez. He made an appearance in an Extended Spring Training game. Now he is starting for the New Britain Rock Cats. In his two starts, he has gone 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA. In his most recent start, he took the loss despite allowing just one run in seven innings. It will be interesting to see how he responds to Double-A and if he gets pushed forward.
• A year ago, 2B Steve Singleton led the Twins organization with 43 doubles, all in New Britain. He began this season with the Rock Cats again and has had two stints with the Rochester Red Wings. He has 17 AA doubles, and now has seven more AAA doubles meaning he is currently on pace to eclipse 50 doubles this year.
• Brian Dozier was my choice for Twins minor league hitter of the month of May. He was remarkably consistent through the first two months and in early June was finally summoned to play in Double-A New Britain. He went 3-8 in his first three games with the Rock Cats. Unfortunately in that third game, he was also hit in the face with a pitch. He had a fractured sinus bone. After seeing a specialist, it was determined that surgery was not needed. The doctor said that he could play as soon as the swelling goes down. He hopes within the next week.
• Tom Stuifbergen first made a name for himself when he threw four shutout innings for Team Netherlands in the WBC a couple years ago. He is currently 2-4 with a 3.74 ERA in nine starts with the Ft. Myers Miracle. However, after coming back slowly from some shoulder discomfort, Stuifbergen has been terrific. In his past four starts, he has given up two runs in 24.2 innings. He is now consistently hitting 92 and 93 mph with his fastball, touching 94-95 at times. He has a four-pitch mix, but his changeup is tremendous.
• Be sure to check out last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly for much more on the Twins minor league system.  

Any other thoughts or questions on the Twins minor leaguers? Feel free to comment here.

Yesterday, we looked at some of the top hitters in the Twins minor league system in April and named Danny Ortiz of the Beloit Snappers as the hitter of the month. He had hit .377/.429/.768 with seven doubles, a triple, six home runs and 15 RBI. The choice for #2 hitter was his teammate Oswaldo Arcia, who was put on the disabled list on Sunday.

Today, I want to share with you some of the top pitchers in the Twins minor league system in the month of April. I’ll name the top 3 relievers and the top 5 pitchers, but I’ll start with a few honorable mentions:

• Rochester – Eric Hacker – 3 G, 2 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, 13 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 13 K (probably the run-away choice if not for his time with the Twins)
• Rochester – Phil Dumatrait – 9 G, 0-0, 4 saves, 1.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 6 H, 7 BB, 11 K
• Ft. Myers – Dan Osterbrock – 4 G, 3 GS, 2-0, 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 18.1 IP, 19 H, 3 BB, 20 K
• Ft. Myers – Shooter Hunt – 7 G, 2-0, 1.35 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 11 H, 11 BB, 15 K
• Ft. Myers – Dakota Watts – 7 G, 0-1, 5 saves, 3.12 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 6 K
• Beloit – BJ Hermsen - 4 GS, 2-2, 2.74 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 23 IP, 26 H, 5 BB, 14 K
• Beloit – Adrian Salcedo – 4 GS, 1-1, 2.78 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 22.2 IP, 22 H, 6 BB, 19 K
• Beloit – Manuel Soliman – 4 G, 3 GS, 0-0, 3.07 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 10 H, 8 BB, 22 K

Let’s start with the Top 3 Relief Pitchers:

Number 3 – Beloit – Blayne Weller - 7 G, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 14 H, 6 BB, 12 K

The Twins drafted the 6-5 right-hander with their 14th round pick in 2008 and signed him on the deadline date. After primarily starting the last two years in the rookie leagues, Weller is working out of the Snappers bullpen and may get more opportunities to start especially if he pitches this well. His peripherals don’t look as good as that snazzy 0.00 ERA, but Weller does have terrific upside.

Number 2 – Rochester – Chuck James – 9 G, 0-1, 3.14 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 20 K

The 29 year-old southpaw signed with the Twins before spring training. He went 11-4 for the Braves in 2006, and won another 11 games in 2007. Things didn’t go well for him in 2008, and it was then that he had arm surgery and missed all of 2009. Last year, the Nationals gave him a shot and he went 10-1 between AA and AAA. He appears to be back, posting very good numbers in April. In fact, don’t be too surprised if you see him in a Twins uniform in the not-so-distant-future.

And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is:

New Britain – Cole DeVries - 7 G, 0-0, 4 saves, 0.00 ERA, 0.27 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 21 K

In the bullpen, a 0.00 ERA can be misleading, but that is not the case for the former Eden Prairie High School and Minnesota Gophers star. Not only is he not giving up runs this year, he’s hardly allowing any base runners. His saves have typically been the three inning variety so far. Just take another look up at that WHIP, the walks and the hits per inning. And then he’s averaging nearly 14 strikeouts per nine innings. Just a remarkable start to DeVries season after a frustrating 2010 season that saw him struggle with the Rock Cats and with the Triple-A Red Wings.

With that, let’s jump to the starting pitchers. Here are the Top 5 Starting Pitchers for April:

Number 5 – Ft. Myers - Kane Holbrooks - 5 GS, 0-4, 2.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 27 H, 6 BB, 9 K

Win-Loss record sometimes can be indicative of how a pitcher is pitching, but not always. Holbrooks has been terrific so far this year for the Miracle, yet due to lack of run support, he is 0-4. He is eating innings. He isn’t allowing many runs or base runners. Holbrooks broke out with a tremendous 2010 season, his first full-season with the organization. Despite a lack of strikeouts, he had a very good first month.

Number 4 - Beloit – Logan Darnell - 4 GS, 1-1, 2.78 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 22.2 IP, 12 H, 3 BB, 16 K

The Snappers had a winning record in April despite a struggling offense that got runs from basically just two hitters. How did they win? Because of pitching, and Logan Darnell has been the best. You saw the Honorable Mention included several Snappers, but Darnell was the best in April. The lefty was the Twins 6th round pick a year ago out of the University of Kentucky. He hasn’t allowed base runners, and his stuff is touted as nasty. May be a dominant lefty reliever over time, but for now, he is pitching really well.  

Number 3 - New Britain – Liam Hendriks - 5 G, 4 GS, 2-1, 3.43 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 21 IP, 14 H, 3 BB, 20 K

I was a little surprised when, with all of the veterans brought in, Hendriks started this season with the Rock Cats after spending just over half of 2010 in Ft. Myers. But Hendriks is a Top 5 prospect for the Twins, and he has it all. He has really good stuff. He is very smart. He is very competitive. Hendriks has had just one start this April that has not been affected by the weather conditions and yet he put up sparkling numbers again. In fact, he has given up runs in just three of those 21 innings (and five runs came in just one inning). The 22 year old Australian right-hander missed all of 2008 with a neck/spine injury, but he has made up for lost time very quickly. 

Number 2 - Rochester – Kyle Gibson - 4 GS, 0-1, 3.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 20 IP, 17 H, 4 BB, 21 K

While Twins fans are clamoring for Gibson to be promoted to the Twins, Gibson is quietly and humbly going about his business with the Red Wings. In fact, he made the start for the Red Wings on Sunday (May 1, so not included in the above stats), and picked up his first Rochester Win. He went six innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked none and struck out six. All three runs (and four of the hits) came in the second inning. Consider now that he has four walks and 27 strikeouts in 26 innings. Yet, he is the first to admit that he is still working on things, still trying to figure things out. That said, it has to be tempting for Bill Smith to add Mr. Gibson to the 40 man roster and get him in to the Twins rotation.

And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is:

New Britain – Steve Hirschfeld - 4 GS, 1-0, 2.05 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 22 IP, 15 H, 5 BB, 18 K 

2009 was a great season for Hirschfeld at Ft. Myers. He went to the Arizona Fall League. Unfortunately 2010 was a lost year for the 6-5 right-hander. He fought injuries and made just three starts all season. The 25-year-old is back and healthy now, and pitching great for the Rock Cats. He is a big, strong guy who can carry the Rock Cats this season, although it is also possible that he sneaks up to Rochester at some point.

Congratulations to the three choices for players of the month, Danny Ortiz of the Beloit Snappers, Cole DeVries of the New Britain Rock Cats and Steve Hirschfeld of the New Britain Rock Cats. But Congratulations to all of those players mentioned in these two articles on a great start to their 2011 seasons.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.

The Twins had a much-needed off day on Monday, so today, let’s spend a little time talking about the Twins minor league system. We notice at the big league level which players get off to a hot or a cold start. It is the same thing in the minor leagues. Here are a few notes on the starts of players from the Twins affiliates:

Rochester Red Wings:

• Trevor Plouffe has been able to start off very well. He is hitting .300 with three doubles, a triple and five home runs.
• Kyle Gibson is again on the mound on Tuesday for the Red Wings. In his most recent start, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He was named the Red Wings most recent player of the week.
• Ben Revere is currently hitting just .203/.239/.234. Of course, he will be fine. However, in his past nine games, he has just four hits in 35 at bats.
• Matt Brown has not played in the past four days. His batting average is down to .162 after he went 0-11 in his previous four games.
• Jeff Bailey played well in spring training, and he has a game-winning, walk-off homer for the Red Wings, but he is struggling. His last hit was 11 days ago (April 15). In his past eight games, he is 0-23.

New Britain Rock Cats

• Danny Lehmann made a strong impression on the big league staff in spring training, again. He began the season in Double-A and went 6-13 (.462) with a double. He moved up to Rochester recently where he has gone 5-14 (.357) with a double and a home run.
• After being named the organization’s top minor league hitter in 2010, it’s great to see Joe Benson off to a fast start. He is hitting .379/.446/.638 with seven doubles, one triple and two home runs. One of his issues had been strikeouts. Through last night’s games, he has 13 strikeouts in 65 plate appearances. The one strikeout every five at bat ratio would be a great number for Benson. In fact, with Ben Revere and Brandon Roberts struggling in Rochester, and Rene Tosoni cooling off, is it possible that if Delmon Young needs to go on the DL for four or five days that they could call up Benson now for a week?  In his past six games, Benson is 9-23 with three doubles, a triple and a home run.
• Yangervis Solarte is hitting .356 (with a .367 OBP) with six doubles, a triple and a home run. He has six hits in his past ten at bats.
• Steve Singleton had 43 doubles for the Rock Cats in 2010 (along with four triples and seven home runs). With three doubles on Monday night, he now has seven doubles on this season with a home run. How he is still at Double-A is beyond me.
• Cole DeVries amazing start to his 2011 season continues. In five games, he has 12.1 innings thrown. He has given up just two hits, one walk, and he has struck out 18 batters.
• After a fast start, Ray Chang has four hits in his last 26 at bats.
• Another veteran that the team signed was Michael Holliman. He played for the Detroit Tigers in 2008. After playing in independent league ball in 2010, the Twins signed him. He played very well in spring. He homered in his first regular season game with the Rock Cats. Since then, it’s been a struggle for him. He has three hits in 42 at bats this season, an .071 average.

Ft. Myers Miracle

• Chris Herrmann’s nine-game hitting streak came to an end in a game that he went 0-1 with two walks. He started a new hitting streak last night. He is now hitting .355/.425/.516.
• Minnesotan Nate Hanson ‘s 12 game hitting streak came to an end over the weekend. Since then he has gone 1-13 and is now hitting .296 with three homers. David Dorsey of the Ft. Myers News Press wrote a nice article on the First Baseman.
• Danny Rams played well in spring camp too. He has started the season by hitting. 357/.419/.536 with three doubles, two triples and a home run. He is 8-17 in his past five games, and 14-33 over his past nine games. Like Benson, strikeouts will be worth watching with Rams. So far, he has 18 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances.
• Through 11.1 innings, Shooter Hunt is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He has 12 strikeouts to go with nine walks. Still a lot of walks, but he has been able to have enough control for those walks not to come back to haunt him.
• Steve Liddle is struggling. He is hitting just .136 on the young season, but he is also 2-21 in his past 7 games. It is surprising because the nephew of the Twins 3B coach had a terrific college career at baseball power Vanderbilt.
• Aaron Hicks had a good first week, but in his last seven games, he has gone 4-27 and is now hitting .232.

Beloit Snappers

• Danny Ortiz was my choice for Breakout Hitter of the Year for the Twins throughout the offseason. Through 15 games, he .360/.411/.680 with 5 doubles, a triple and three home runs. He has been remarkably consistent. In his first 25 at bats, he had nine hits. In his past 25 at bats, he has nine hits.
• Oswaldo Arcia broke out last year as the Appalachian League MVP. He got off to a fast start, then recently went 1-14 to drop below .300. However, last night he went 2-4 to return to the .300 level.
• Early in the year, Ortiz and Arcia were joined by Gunner Glad as the guys carrying this offense, but Glad has really struggled of late. He has just two hits in his last 19 at bats and is now hitting .222.
• Glad’s University of Kentucky teammate Lance Ray, the Twins 8^th round pick a year ago, has just three hits in his last 25 at bats. He is hitting .184. It is surprising because after signing last year, he played very well at Elizabethton and was promoted to Beloit. In 47 games with the Snappers, he hit .279/.377/.418 with 14 doubles and three home runs. In other words, he will get it turned around at some point.
• Derek McCallum was the Twins 4^th round choice in 2009 out of the University of Minnesota. He was in Beloit last year but was limited to just 47 games by two separate injuries. He hit just .228 last year, and due to the limited playing time, he returned to the Snappers this year. He’s been healthy, but he is hitting just .135 (5-37) He has three hits in his last 21 at bats which is a .143 average. That means he was 2-16 (.125) to start the season. It has been a struggle, and the 2B also is now playing a lot of left field.

Draft Notes – The draft experts at Baseball America put together their first mock draft, and with the 30^th pick, their choice for the Twins was RHP John Stilson from Texas A&M University. The Twins drafted Stilson out of Texarcana Junior College two years ago, but did not reach an agreement with him at the time. In fact, on the deadline day in August of 2009, he and his American Legion team were in Fargo, playing in the American Legion World Series. Had he signed with the Twins, he would have been unable to play in the championship game. As you recall, the Twins went right up to the deadline that year to sign their first-round pick, Kyle Gibson.

Kolten Wong is a 2B from the University of Hawaii who has risen up draft boards. In the same mock draft, they have him going 27^th to the Cincinnati Reds. Wong was the Twins 16^th round pick in 2008 out of high school as a catcher.

There is a quick glance at who is hot and who is not with the Twins four full-season affiliates. It is important to remember that the season is still very young, that most of the players have played less than 15 games and have less than 50 plate appearances. The weather has made conditions difficult and rain/snow outs make it hard to get into a routine. As the weather improves, they will play every day and it will be interesting to see where some of these players are in another 300 or 400 plate appearances. But it is fun to follow.

Below is a quick minor league report. It is something that I do most days at SethSpeaks.net. It is a look at the highlights from the games of the night before, a hitter and pitcher of the year and some additional links when appropriate. Today, I have also included the team’s standings as play starts today.

Minor League Report

Be sure to check out last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly podcast here.

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Steve Singleton, New Britain Rock Cats  

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cole DeVries, New Britain Rock Cats

Red Wings Ramblings

Monday – Red Wings, Pawtucket – Another day, another rain delay. Kyle Gibson will pitch on Tuesday night against Buffalo. The Red Wings are currently 7-10.

Rock Cats Report

Monday – Rock Cats 9, New Hampshire 2 – Each of Liam Hendriks’ scheduled starts had been affected by rain. In fact, he was supposed to start on Saturday for the Rock Cats, but with the rainout, he was pushed back to Monday. With this start, he recorded his first win of the year. In six innings, he gave up two runs on four hits. He walked one, hit one and struck out three. He got eight groundballs to just two fly outs. Cole DeVries incredible start to his season continued. He recorded his second three-inning save pitching three more perfect innings and striking out six. Yangervis Solarte got the Rock Cats on the board with a home run. He was 3-5 in the game. Steve Singleton went 3-5 with three doubles. Joe Benson went 1-3 with two walks and his second home run.  The Rock Cats are now 9-6 and just 1.5 games out of first place.

Miracle Matters

Monday – Miracle 5, Charlotte 11 – The Miracle had been the Twins’ affiliate that you could count on for a game. On this night, their game was delayed by the rains, but they did get it in. Ryan Mullins started and gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in just one inning. Matt Tone gave up four runs on four hits and two walks in two innings. Edgar Ibarra threw four shutout innings before giving up three runs in the 8^th inning. Shooter Hunt got the final five outs. He walked two and hit one but did not allow a run. Danny Rams went 2-4. Chris Herrmann went 1-3 with a walk.  The Miracle are now 10-8, a very solid start. They are in second place, but they are already 6.5 games behind the St. Lucie Mets, who are 17-2.

Snappers Bites

Monday – Snappers 3, Burlington 7 – Andrei Lobanov started and the Moscow-native gave up six runs (5 earned) on three hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. Clinton Dempster got all four batters he faced out. Ryan O’Rourke gave up one run on three hits in two innings. Martire Garcia struck out two in his scoreless frame. Danny Ortiz remains on fire. He hit his fourth and fifth doubles in four at bats. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4 with his second stolen base. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-4 with his first double.  The Snappers are 8-7 and 4.5 games back in the division.

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments

• At about 10:20 today, I’ll be on KFAN with Paul Allen to talk about the Twins. Listen on am1130 in the Twin Cities, or on one of their affiliates, or even at www. KFAN.com.

The Ft. Myers Miracle scored three runs in the bottom of the 5^th inning, and going into the eighth frame, they held a one run lead. Bruce Pugh blew his first save of the season. The teams went into the bottom of the 9^th inning tied at five. With the bases loaded, Minnesota native Nate Hanson stepped to the plate and ended the game in style. Sure, all he needed was a walk or a single, but he ended the game by launching a walk-off grand slam giving the Miracle a 9-5 win over Bradenton.

No one is hotter at the plate right now than Hanson right now. In his last seven games played, he has six multi-hit games. He is 13-29 over that stretch (.448). On the season, he is now hitting .352/.390/.574 with three doubles and three home runs.

Hanson was the subject of an article in my Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011. Although he was born in California, his family moved to Minnesota when he was young. He went to Eden Prairie High School and the University of Minnesota before the Twins drafted him in the 28^th round of the 2008 draft. He spend 2010 with the Miracle as well and hit .254/.324/.385 with 18 doubles and 11 home runs. He probably could be up at Double-A New Britain, but with Chris Parmelee playing 1B there every day, Hanson finds himself back in the Florida State League. He is making the most of the opportunity and the everyday spot in the middle of the lineup.

Another former Gopher is off to a terrific start as well. 2010 was a frustrating season for the professorial right-hander. He split time between New Britain and Rochester and between being a starter and a bullpen arm. In all, he was 1-8 with a 5.79 ERA. He is working out of the bullpen now for the Rock Cats. He has thrown 9.1 innings in four games and is yet to allow an earned run. He has given up just two hits, walked one and has 12 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .065 against him. Another Eden Prairie high school alum, the 26 year old hopes to continue his success and get back to Triple-A. Not bad for a player who was not drafted and signed with the Twins in 2006.

The Twins drafted catcher Kyle Knudson out of the University of Minnesota in the 9^th round of the 2010 draft. Right now, he is splitting time with two other catchers at Beloit. He is hitting .313 (5-16) in the early season. Derek McCallum, the Twins fourth round pick in 2009 has really struggled to stay healthy since signing. He is back in Beloit this year playing 2B and some in the outfield. He is off to a slow start, hitting just .148 through his first 27 at  bats.

The Twins generally have a few Minnesota Gophers on their roster. Since the MLB draft starting in 1965, the Twins have drafted 35 Gophers.

Ya’ll, I’m so far behind on the minor league updates, so today is going to be very much just highlights from the past few games, just to get caught up. If you ever have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, etc., please feel free to e-mail me.

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Nate Hanson, Ft. Myers Miracle.

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Albers, Ft. Myers Miracle

Red Wings Ramblings

Wednesday – Red Wings  – Kyle Gibson will take the mound in Game 1 of a Thursday doubleheader. He was set to start on Wednesday until the game was postponed by rain, snow and freezing conditions.  

Rock Cats Report

Wednesday – Rock Cats 2, New Hampshire 6 – Deolis Guerra had his first rough start of the year. He gave up six runs on nine hits in three innings. Cole DeVries still hasn’t given up a run this year. He struck out two in two scoreless innings. Jake Stevens hasn’t either after two more shutout frames. Tyler Robertson struck out two in his two scoreless innings. Joe Benson and Evan Bigley were each 2-4.  

Miracle Matters

Wednesday – Miracle 9, Bradenton 5 – If you’re reading this far into the blog, you know how this game finished up. Nate Hanson walked off with a grand slam in the bottom of the 9^th to give the Miracle the 9-5 win. Hanson was 2-3 with two walks and it was his third home run of the year. Brian Dozier went 3-4 with a walk and three stolen bases. Danny Rams went 2-4 with his second triple and three RBI. Brad Stillings got the start for the Miracle and gave up four runs (2 earned) on three hits. He walked four and struck out three. Andrew Albers went 2.1 scoreless. Bruce Pugh gave up one run on five hits and a walk in his inning, so he gets the blown save. But he also gets the win thanks to that big, walk-off grand slam by Nate Hanson.

Snappers Bites

Wednesday – Snappers, Wisconsin – The conditions were bad enough that Wednesday night’s game was postponed already on Tuesday afternoon. The Snappers will resume play on Thursday in Peoria.  

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments.

Deolis Guerra has been terrific in 2010 at New Britain. He was known as having the top changeup in the Twins farm system, but he has made tremendous strides in terms of control. He has just four walks and 21 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. In five AA starts, he is 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA. And for his efforts and improvements, Guerra has been promoted to AAA Rochester. The right-hander just turned 21 years old in mid-April.

Cole Devries was also promoted to AAA Rochester. The former Gopher pitcher has been pitching out of the Rockcats bullpen this year after spending much of the 2009 season as a starter for New Britain.

The two were promoted because Charlie Zink has been put on the Disabled List in Rochester. Also, after another horrible start, Yoslan Herrera requested his release and the team was happy to grant it.

Also, in a 1500ESPN interview with Jim Rantz this afternoon, he said that there have been several moves made in the last two days. I covered several of them over the weekend, but I apparently missed that Snappers closer Steve Blevins has been promoted from Beloit to AA New Britain. (CORRECTION – Although Mr. Rantz said that Blevins was headed to New Britain, he is heading to Ft. Myers. However, another move has Michael Allen moving from Ft. Myers to New Britain.)

Although he didn’t say it, he acknowledged that Kyle Gibson is ‘up for consideration’ for a promotion as well, and that they will think about it. Gibson starts tonight for the Ft. Myers Miracle, but clearly this move opens up a spot in the New Britain starting rotation for the Twins top pick in 2010. Of course, it is also possible that the Twins could promote Bobby Lanigan, who was excellent in April but had a tough first start in May.  

Any questions? Leave your comments here.