My Rule 5 Protection Picks

The Rule 5 Draft takes place on December 11 this year, but even though it's still a month away the deadline to add a player to the 40-man roster to protect him from the draft is on November 20. The Twins have already added Armando Gabino to the 40-man, and while that does protect him from the Rule 5 draft that move was made early to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent. This post ranks the top players who I would protect if I were the Twins, and throws out a list of a few more players who could be added as well. With just 31 players on the 40-man roster, the Twins have the room at add 5-6 guys to the roster while still leaving spots open for a few free agent acquisitions. Here's my list:

1.) Luke Hughes - 3B
Despite being just 24, Hughes has actually been Rule 5 eligible for a few years now, having been originally signed by the Twins out of Australia back in 2002. He's had a few good years and a few bad years since starting his playing career in the organization in 2003, but 2007 and 2008 were both very solid, and he's now moved up to Rochester, where he can be expected to play next year. With the Twins third base situation far from settled, and with Hughes recent success, I'd add him to the 40-man roster in a heartbeat. I'd be surprised if the Twins took a chance and left him unprotected this year.

2.) Brian Duensing - LHP
The first of two lefties drafted in the 3rd round of 2005 who I expect to see protected by the Twins this year. Duensing didn't have a great 2008 in Rochester, posting a 4.28 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Still, he's been an effective starter everywhere he's pitched in the minor leagues, and will be entering his second full season in AAA in 2009. As an effective lefty starter at the AAA level, I'd guess Duensing would be drafted if left unprotected. I expect him to soon be on the 40-man roster.

3.) Ryan Mullins - LHP
Duensing will likely be joined by fellow 2005 3rd round pick Ryan Mullins. Unlike Duensing, Mullins spent the 2008 season in AA New Britain -- but like Duensing he had a bit of an off-year, posting a 4.31 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 148.1 innings. I still expect him to be a high profile commodity on the Rule 5 market if not added to the 40-man roster. Since I'm a fan of lefty starters, and since I think Mullins has a high upside, I'd add him to the roster.

4.) Steven Tolleson - 2B/SS
Tolleson was a 5th round selection in 2005, and has hit pretty well while healthy. He had a nice 2008 season in New Britain, with a .300 average and 848 OPS. He's bolstered his odds by playing well in the Arizona Fall League. He's probably above Mullins on the Twins list, but he's right behind him on my list. Either way, I expect the Twins will add him, as would I.

5.) Wilson Ramos - C
This one is tricky for two reasons -- first, while I believe he's rule 5 eligible this year, I don't know that for sure. He was signed as a 16-year-old in 2004, which makes this year's rule 5 draft the fifth since he signed with the Twins. That should make him eligible, but there may be some unusual rules with international signings that I haven't taken into consideration. Second, he's a bit on the unseasoned side to protect by placing him on the roster; he hasn't played above High A ball. Most team's also couldn't afford to hold a young (he's 21), untested catcher on the roster for a full season, as would be required if he were drafted. Still, he's got a lot of potential, and there might be a fear that he could be taken if he's in fact eligible. I could see either decision being justified, but I'd probably add him to be on the safe side. That would give him three option years to develop into a big league caliber player (after which he could either backup Mauer or be in a position to replace him if Mauer had departed by a free agent by then). It'll be interesting to see what the Twins do with him.

6.) Anthony Swarzak - RHP
Swarzak had a bizarre year, pitching very poorly in New Britain (5.67 ERA/1.60 WHIP in 101.2 innings) before being promoted to Rochester and pitching very well (1.80 ERA/1.22 WHIP in 45 innings). Swarzak has been extremely solid since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2004 draft as a high schooler, so I expect that his poor performance in New Britain will largely be discounted and that he's still a highly-valued prospect in the organization. He'd probably be the final player I protected if I were running things, and I expect he'll also make the Twins list.

Other Possibilities
Here are the other names who are Rule 5 eligible (I think) that I could see potentially being protected by the Twins. There are a variety of reasons they wouldn't make my cut, from performance issues to inexperience (and therefore not being likely targets). They are in no particular order:

Drew Butera - C
Trevor Plouffe - SS
Matthew Fox - RHP
Zach Ward - RHP
Tim Lahey - RHP
David Winfree - 1B/OF
Brock Peterson - 1B
Alejandro Machado - SS
Deibinson Romero - 3B
Erik Lis - OF
Yohan Pino - RHP
Jay Rainville - RHP

We'll find out what the Twins decide to do in the next week or so.

Minor League Free Agents

I'm slowly starting to catch up to the point where I can think about blogging again, which is good since free agency begins in three days and a number of things are actually likely to start happening which deserve some attention. For starters, I wanted to get a post up on a story where I'm once again a bit behind the curve -- minor league free agency and the players who are no longer the exclusive property of the Twins because of it.

You've probably seen the list already, either at Baseball America or on Joe C's Twins blog or over at Seth Speaks or any of a number of other outlets for it. I'm not going to try to do a lot with the information, but here's the list in case you haven't seen it, and some brief thoughts afterwards.

RHP: Julio DePaula, Danny Graves, Tom Shearn
LHP: Ricky Barrett, Carmen Cali, Mariano Gomez, Jason Miller
1B: Garrett Jones
2B: Felix Molina
SS: Sergio Santos; Howie Clark
OF: Joe Gaetti, Darnell McDonald, Tommy Watkins

Two of these names are immediately recognizable because they were recently removed from the 40-man roster -- Julio DePaula and Sergio Santos. As I said at the time, though, there was no reason to keep either of these players on the 40-man, and losing them as minor league free agents doesn't hurt the team. DePaula's 5.70 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 77.1 innings represented a marked regression from the numbers that he had put up in 2007 and earlier, so there's some chance that he could regain his form. However, it wasn't worth keeping him on the 40-man roster to find that out, and if the Twins want to they can try to re-sign him and not have to worry about having him take up valuable roster space. Santos, meanwhile, was seemingly picked up off waivers as a stopgap for the Rochester infield. Like Chris Basak the year before, the acquisition never really made sense, and I doubt the Twins will make much of an effort to reacquire him.

Danny Graves, Tom Shearn, and Howie Clark were all veteran minor leaguers who were mostly filling spaces on minor league rosters. Clark got 8 AB's as a Twin this year, but that was due to unusual circumstances. None of them will be brought back, although there will be other players like them signed by the Twins this off-season simply as roster filler.

The four lefties are interesting. Carmen Cali is probably the most familiar name because of his stint with the Twins in 2007, but he wasn't needed in 2008 at the big league level, and probably wouldn't have been able to provide much there anyway (he has a career 11.80 big league ERA). The Twins might, however, go after Ricky Barrett if he has any interest in returning to Rochester in 2009. He had a solid season in 2008 (3.21 ERA/1.33 WHIP/81-38 K-BB in 70 innings). While he's not one of the most dynamic prospects in the organization, he consistently posts a K/9 ratio of over 9.00, and usually keeps his ERA and WHIP in check. Considering that he's also a lefty, and at 27 isn't exactly too old to contribute, I would like to see him back in the fold. Mariano Gomez put up a solid year in 2008, his first in the Twins organization, but not enough to deserve a spot on the roster. I could see the Twins trying to bring him back, but at just 25 he'll probably get a few offers from around the league, and he doesn't exactly have a strong connection with the organization. Jason Miller has a nice 2007 and then found himself busted down to AA in 2008 in spite of that. He didn't find easier competition at the lower level -- he had a very poor 5.61 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 85 innings. He might be brought back for another go-round in AA, but I doubt it will be a top priority for him.

Garrett Jones put together his best minor league season since 2004 in New Britain with his 2008 work in Rochester, hitting .279 with an 821 OPS and 23 HR's while striking out 98 times in 527 AB's. Those are solid numbers, but Jones is seriously blocked in the Twins organization by Justin Morneau and the plethora of good outfield options. He's probably better off leaving the Twins and trying to find a better situation.

Felix Molina was somewhat surprisingly re-signed by the Twins after becoming a minor league free agent last season. I liked the idea at the time, but he had a pretty bad year, hitting .247/636 in 300 AB's. I would guess that he won't be back. The same is probably true for long-time Twins minor league fixture Tommy Watkins, who had a feel-good big league debut in 2007 only to be converted to primary use an outfielder in 2008. His struggles at the plate (.219/596 in 233 AB's) and his increasing age (he's 28) make him a somewhat unlikely target for the Twins to retain.

Depending on where they feel the organization is with outfield depth, the club could potentially go after free agents Darnell McDonald and Joe Gaetti, however. Gaetti was acquired from Oakland in July for "future considerations" (I haven't seen what those considerations are yet). He then had 1 at-bat with New Britain before being shut down for the season. I would have to think the Twins saw something in Gaetti that made them want to pick him up, so I expect them to push to bring him back. McDonald is pushing 30 and hit just .268 this year. He doesn't seem destined to break through as a likely big league regular (or even as a big league backup), so the Twins would probably only try to retain him if they wanted some AAA outfield filler.

Minor League First Half Grades -- Part 4

I'm back today with the fourth in a series of post giving out "first-half" grades to the Twins minor leaguers. I was going to go with corner outfielders today, but decided to take the easy route and go with catchers instead. If you're allergic to bad numbers, don't look much further.

Rochester Red Wings

Jose Morales
Morales is currently on the disabled list, and has been limited to 197 at bats this year because of his injury. Nonetheless, he's easily had the best season amongst any of the other minor league catchers in the system, with a .315 average and 774 OPS. What's fairly remarkable is that Morales started off in a horrible slump this season, but has still put up really good numbers to cement his status as the organization's third catcher.
GRADE: A- (Would have been an A without the injury)

Ryan Jorgensen
The primary beneficiary of the injury to Morales has been Jorgensen, who was brought in to the organization as a minor league free agent in the off-season. A career .240 minor league hitter, Jorgensen has actually thrived with the Red Wings this year, hitting .277/821 with 7 homers. Much as it surprises me, I have to admit that he's been a steady replacement for Morales.
GRADE: B

Jeff Christy
Christy has split his season between Rochester and New Britain, and hasn't been particularly effective with either. In New Britain, Christy had a .216 average and 592 OPS in 74 AB's. His numbers have actually been a bit better in Rochester, where he's hit .241/644 in 29 AB's. Christy has done virtually nothing offensively since being drafted in 2006, but since he continues to be moved quickly through the system I assume that he's a reasonably good defensive catcher.
GRADE: C-

New Britain Rock Cats

Drew Butera
Speaking of defensive catchers, the Twins knew that was exactly what they were getting when they picked up Butera from the Mets last year. So far in 2008, Butera has a .221 average and 672 OPS in 235 AB's. That's pretty much in line with his .214 career average. Hey, nobody said catchers were all that exciting! Butera gets a slightly better grade than Christy because I expect less of him and because he's shown more power, which is at least a somewhat useful offensive skill that Christy doesn't seem to have.
GRADE: C-

Rodolfo Palacios
Palacios flitted around the short season leagues from 2005-2007, although the only year he got any significant playing time was in 2006. This year, Palacios started off in Ft. Myers, where he hit .231/537 in 65 AB's, before being promoted to New Britain. He has a .200 average and 463 OPS in 40 AB's in AA. I imagine Palacios was promoted more out of necessity than for any other reason.
GRADE: C-

Ft. Myers Miracle

Wilson Ramos
After two seasons in which he hit .286 and .291, Ramos found himself a highly touted prospect coming into this season with Ft. Myers. He hasn't exactly disappointed -- he's hitting .261/722 with 10 homers and 53 RBI's in 333 AB's, in a league that often chews up offensive prospects -- but I suspect a lot of people (myself included) were hoping for a little bit more. Nonetheless, the fact that his power is continuing to develop nicely, and that he hasn't bottomed out offensively like many have done before when going from Beloit to Ft. Myers, is cause for being pleased overall.
GRADE: B-

Danny Lehmann
Lehmann is the only catcher drafted in 2007 by the Twins to make it to a full season team so far, and in 12 months he's gone from Elizabethton to Beloit to Ft. Myers. As with Palacios' promotion, this one seems to have been more out of necessity than anything else, although the Twins could have promoted Jair Fernandez (see below) instead of Lehmann. Either way, his season has been less than stellar offensively. In 104 AB's with Beloit, Lehmann hit .240/650. In 61 AB's with Ft. Myers, he's hitting a more paltry .213/524.
GRADE: C-

Beloit Snappers

Jair Fernandez
Fernandez was acquired by the Twins in exchange for allowing the Mariners to send Rule 5 pick R.A. Dickey to the minors at the beginning of the year. He's hitting better this season than he has previously in professional baseball, with a .283 average and 703 OPS in 127 AB's. If he turns into anything at all, the Twins will have done well in picking him up -- Dickey was a minor league free agent, so the Twins essentially turned a journeyman pitcher who they wouldn't have relied on in the least into a young catcher who will presumably in the organization for a few years.
GRADE: B+

Allan de San Miguel
De San Miguel has played with both the Miracle and the Snappers this season, and hasn't been that good with either. In 65 AB's with the Miracle, he hit an absolutely horrific .123 with a 439 OPS. He's been better with the Snappers, with a .226 average and 725 OPS in 62 AB's -- but you know there's a problem when a .226 average is actually a marked improvement.
GRADE: F

Gregory Yersich
Yersich got off to a terrible start last year, hitting just .180 before being sent down to Elizabethton when the short season started. His strong performance with the E-Twins (.312 average in 186 AB's) had me hopeful that a return to Beloit this year would produce a different result. In a way it has -- his .210 average in 224 AB's for the Snappers this season isn't great, by any means, but at least it's 30 points higher than what he was hitting last year. Yersich also has 6 homers this year, which is more than he's hit before in a full season. That means there's been a little bit of improvement, but not enough to make me happen.
GRADE: D-

Minor League First Half Grades -- Part 3

Tonight, I'm continuing my run through the minor leagues by looking at most of the relievers pitching for the Ft. Myers Miracle and Beloit Snappers. I've left off a few guys who have pitched just a handful of innings because I don't think an adequate grade can be given in those situations. Consider anyone not mentioned to have an incomplete.

Ft. Myers Miracle

Matthew Fox
Fox was drafted by the Twins back in the first round of the 2004 draft. He started off his professional career with a rough 8 games in Elizabethton, and then missed all of the 2005 season. Since coming back, he's pitched well at every level -- moving up from Elizabethton to Beloit to Ft. Myers. This season, he's put up a 3.94 ERA and 1.33 WHIP and a 67-23 K-BB ratio in 77.2 innings. While he's a bit behind because of the lost year, he's been consistently good since coming back from the injury, and should legitimately be considered a solid prospect. There's every reason to think that he'll be in New Britain next season, continuing his move up the organizational ladder.
GRADE: B+

Anthony Slama
Seasons don't get much better than Slama has done this year. In 53.0 innings, Slama has a 0.68 ERA and 0.85 WHIP to go with a stunning 87-16 K-BB ratio. That follows a 2007 season in which Slama pitched well in Elizabethton and Beloit after being drafted in the 39th round. The Twins seem to find diamonds in the rough once in awhile with relievers drafted late (or not at all -- see Robert Delaney), and it's pretty clear that Slama fits that description to a T. I can't wait to see whether Slama can keep up his strong work in New Britain next year.
GRADE: A+

Jose Lugo
Former minor league rule 5 pick Lugo has been consistently average throughout his career in the Twins organization, and this year is no exception. So far, he's put together a 4.25 ERA and 1.34 WHIP along with a 58-17 K-BB ratio in 48.2 innings. That's neither bad enough to complain about or good enough to laud, so I'll give it a solid shrug of my shoulders.
GRADE: B

Blair Erickson
It's always nice to see draft picks succeed early in their careers, and Erickson has done that by dominating Elizabethton in 2007, pitching well enough with Beloit in early 2008 to earn a promotion, and pitching even better since joining the Miracle in Ft. Myers. So far with the Miracle, Erickson has a 1.80 ERA and 0.84 WHIP to go with a 29-10 K-BB ratio in 25.0 innings. Things will undoubtedly get higher when Erickson moves up to New Britain, but he's definitely made himself noticed.
GRADE: A+

Oswaldo Sosa
Sosa is on the Twins 40-man roster, but might not be for long. Sosa has just one more option year remaining after this year, and unfortunately took a step backwards this year. After starting in New Britain (as a starter), Sosa was demoted after posting a 5.81 ERA in 13 starts. Since joining the Miracle, he's pitched mostly out of relief. He's been reasonably solid in that role, posting a 3.57 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 22.2 innings. The WHIP is high, and he has a weak 14-13 K-BB ratio. To keep his place on the roster, and regain his status as a top prospect, Sosa will probably need to be really good over the last 40 days of the season.
GRADE: C- (mostly dragged down by the bad start to the season)

Beloit Snappers

Steven Hirschfeld
Hirschfeld was drafted by the Twins in the 9th round of the 2007 season, and was just OK with Elizabethton. So far in 2008, however, Hirschfeld has been very good for Beloit, posting a 2.64 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with a 46-23 K-BB ratio in 58.0 innings. The WHIP is a tad high, and his K-BB ratio is good but nothing too special. That's going to push me from giving Hirschfeld an A to an A- instead.
GRADE: A-

Charles Nolte
Nolte is yet another 2007 draft pick who has established himself as a solid prospect this season. He has a 2.37 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and 54-28 K-BB ratio so far for Beloit in 2008. Like Hirschfeld, the WHIP is higher than I'd like to see, but that's not going to overshadow the fact that at least he hasn't been letting those base runners to score, although the line between Hirschfeld's A- and Nolte's A is admittedly exceedingly thin. Nolte will easily be headed Ft. Myers by 2009.
GRADE: A

Loek Van Mil
I always wondered whether Van Mil would put things together and become a legitimate pitching prospect. His short-season years in the GCL and Elizabethton in 2006 and 2007 showed promise, but he didn't really pitch all that much. He also didn't strike out as many people as I would have liked to see. This season, Van Mil is striking out more guys (not a ton more, but more nonetheless) and is on pace to get more work than he ever has before (which makes sense, since he's with a full season team for the first time). With a 3.22 ERA and 1.37 WHIP, I think it's fair to say that Van Mil hasn't disappointed, and it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop.
GRADE: B+

Henry Reyes
Reyes was excellent in Elizabethton last year, and has also pitched pretty well in both Ft. Myers and Beloit this season. A 0 IP, 2 ER performance caused his ERA to balloon by nearly a full earned run to 3.66, but his WHIP remains at 1.37. Reyes has been injured for part of the season, but overall his performance has been fine, and hopefully he can put together a healthy season next year, likely in Ft. Myers.
GRADE: B+ (factoring in his Ft. Myers numbers)

Minor League First Half Grades -- Part 2

I realized after I posted the first one of these that "First Half" is pretty inaccurate, since the minor league season ends at the end of August. Then I decided that I don't really care, and I'm sticking with the title. Today's post covers the relievers currently on the Rochester and New Britain rosters, and tomorrow I'll be posting on the Ft. Myers and Beloit relievers. The only reason I'm breaking things up this way is that there are a lot of relievers, and I don't want to overwhelm myself (or all of you) with a monster post that can easily be broken into two. Without further ado:

Rochester Red Wings

Casey Daigle
I wasn't particularly thrilled with the Casey Daigle signing over the off-season -- "indifferent" would probably be the best word -- but I have to admit that he's held his own this season. Daigle has the most innings in the Red Wings bullpen at 56.1, and has a 3.04 ERA and 1.30 WHIP along with a very respectable 53-25 K-BB ratio. I don't see Daigle getting a shot with the Twins barring a whole lot of injury problems, but I have to give credit where it's due and give him credit for putting together a solid season.
GRADE: A-

Julio DePaula
After stringing together a series of excellent years rising through the organization, DePaula made his big league debut last year. While he struggled, there was every reason to think that he'd be fine back in AAA. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened this season, as DePaula has utterly collapsed. It seems like every other time out, he gives up multiple runs -- and this is reflected by his 5.80 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in 54.1 innings of work. This is not necessarily a make-or-break season for DePaula, since he'll have an option year left next year. However, will the Twins really want to keep him on the 40-man roster if he doesn't improve by the end of the year?
GRADE: D

Ricky Barrett
Barrett has been in Rochester since 2005, which is fairly remarkable really. You would figure that after that amount of time he would have been given a cup of coffee, or something. Barrett has been pretty good since 2006 when healthy, but he hasn't really pitched all that much. This season, Barrett has been healthy and successful, posting a 3.06 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 53 innings while striking out 63 and walking 28. I would not be all that surprised to see him added to the 40-man roster either in September or during the off-season, since he's a lefty who has had some success and is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
GRADE: A-

Bobby Korecky
Twins fans finally got a chance to see the 28-year-old Korecky when he pitched in 9 games for the Twins earlier this season. Korecky was actually pretty successful in the big leagues, with a 3.48 ERA in 10.1 innings. Unfortunately, he got shipped out in a numbers crunch and ended up back in Rochester. Korecky just keeps churning out solid seasons, with a 3.53 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and a 45-17 K-BB ratio in 51 innings. Based on his ERA, I'd be inclined to give him a B+; his solid stint with the Twins and nice K-BB ratio, however, have convinced me to bump him up to an A-.
GRADE: A-

Tim Lahey
Lahey was selected in December's Rule 5 Draft, but was returned to the Twins. After 2 scoreless outings with the Ft. Myers Miracle, he was assigned to the Red Wings. The results haven't been all that pretty, as Lahey has a 5.62 ERA and 1.41 WHIP along with a 45-16 K-BB ratio in 49.2 innings. The WHIP and K-BB numbers aren't really bad (especially the K-BB), so I'm inclined to discount the ERA to some degree.
GRADE: C-

Mariano Gomez
Gomez has put together some good seasons in the past while coming up through the Indians organization, but had never pitched above AA. That makes it a bit of a surprise (to me at least!) that he's been the best reliever in Rochester this season. So far this year, Gomez has a 2.03 ERA and 1.34 WHIP along with a 32-15 K-BB ratio in 40.6 innings. While his WHIP isn't bad, it isn't quite as good as you would expect with an ERA around 2.00 -- so that might indicate that Gomez has been a bit lucky. Still, there's no arguing with the numbers -- and I have to wonder whether the left-handed Gomez would get the call if Dennys Reyes or Craig Breslow were hurt.
GRADE: A

Carmen Cali
Cali has been another solid lefty performer out of the Red Wings bullpen, but with Gomez and Barrett having even better years, the veteran is probably not in line to get to the big leagues anytime soon. Cali has a 3.51 ERA and 1.38 WHIP to go along with his 43-17 K-BB ratio in 48.2 innings this season.
GRADE: B

New Britain Rock Cats

Kyle Aselton
Aselton's first season at the AA level has been a mixed bag. His 4.31 ERA is reasonable, and he's pitched 71 innings -- so he's getting his work in, at least. Unfortunately, his 1.65 WHIP and 49-43 K-BB ratio are both pretty subpar. Aselton will be Rule 5 eligible this December, and at one point I would have felt it likely that he would be added to the roster to protect him from the draft. Now, however, I'm somewhat doubtful that he'd be taken (although he is a lefty, so who knows). Hopefully he can drop that WHIP over the rest of the year and force the Twins to really think hard about whether he needs a roster spot.
GRADE: C+

Zach Ward
This year has seen Ward make a successful transition from a starter to a reliever, as he's posted a 3.60 ERA and 1.50 WHIP along with a 60-34 K-BB ratio in 70 innings. The WHIP is high, but the other indicators are solid. I'd guess that as long as Ward continues to pitch well, he'll end up in Rochester next year -- especially if he manages to drop down his WHIP.
GRADE: B

Jason Miller
Miller was supposed to get a chance to start for the Rock Cats this year, although that never made a lot of sense to me. Turns out, Miller has started only 2 ballgames, and has struggled all year while pitching out of the 'pen. Miller has a 5.10 ERA and 1.52 WHIP along with a really solid 65-25 K-BB ratio. A nice K-BB doesn't really mean anything when the other indicators are bad, though, and that's where Miller finds himself. Last year's callup to the bigs seems a loooong way away right about now.
GRADE: D+

Armando Gabino
Gabino has a 3.09 ERA and 1.25 WHIP to go along with a 42-16 K-BB ratio this season, and that would seem to put the 24-year-old on pace for a promotion to Rochester next year. Gabino is still largely an unknown quantity, because he really doesn't have all that much experience -- but he's pitched well pretty much everywhere he's been assigned, and it's starting to look an awful lot like it's not a fluke.
GRADE: A-

Ben Julianel
Julianel struggled in AAA last season in the Marlins system, but as he always has throughout his career he was fine in limited action in AA. The Twins picked him up in the 0ff-season and assigned him to AA, where he's always been solid. He hasn't disappointed, putting up a 2.47 ERA and 1.37 WHIP along with a 56-21 K-BB ratio in 51 innings of work. I'd like to think that someday, Julianel will get a shot again in AAA -- but whether that will be in the Twins organization, it's hard to say.
GRADE: A

Jay Sawatski
It's been a tough year for Sawatski, as he's put up a 7.75 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in 38.1 innings. His 39-22 K-BB ratio isn't terrible, but it also doesn't overcome his terrible performance elsewhere. The 26-year-old lefty hasn't had a really good season since 2006, but last year wasn't nearly this bad. The Twins have to hope that he's not finished. Sawatski is currently on the DL, and hasn't pitched since June 21. How much, if any, of his poor performance can be attributed to the current injury, I have no idea.
GRADE: F

Robert Delaney
The numbers put up by Delaney are remarkable, considering he was acquired by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in mid 2006. Delaney's short 2006 season showed no indications that he was going to be anything special, but in 2007 he bolted through Beloit and Ft. Myers with excellent numbers. He started off 2008 back in Ft. Myers, and after 31.2 innings of great work, he was moved up to New Britain. In 15.1 innings with the Rock Cats, he has a 1.76 ERA and 0.78 WHIP along with an 18-3 K-BB ratio. How a non-drafted free agent puts up numbers like this, I don't know -- but I'm not complaining!
GRADE: A+

Frank Mata
Mata has had a pretty mixed season, starting off by pitching well in Ft. Myers (1.93 ERA/1.00 WHIP/15-4 K-BB ratio). Unfortunately, since being promoted to New Britain, Mata has a 6.75 ERA and an 8-8 K-BB ratio. Pretty mixed results, but I'm going to give him a solid C since he at least advanced through Ft. Myers successfully.

GRADE: C

Minor League First Half Grades -- Part 1

Over the next week or so, I'm going to be grading some of the first half performances of players in the Twins minor league system. Today, I'm focusing on starting pitchers, with a few short comments on the performance of the regular starters at each level.

Rochester Red Wings

Brian Duensing
I've been a pretty big Duensing fan since he was drafted by the Twins in 2005, and his quick and orderly rise through the system has been fun to watch. This season has been solid for Duensing -- his 120 innings pitched leads the Red Wings, and he has a solid 4.28 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 71 K's and 31 walks. Those numbers aren't going to blow anyone away, but I'm not complaining.
GRADE: B

Francisco Liriano
Liriano deserves credit for putting together an excellent season in Rochester after his disastrous start with the Twins. He currently has a 3.53 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 97.0 innings of work, with 86 K's and 28 BB's. Fans are starting to clamor for his return to the Twins, and it's hard to disagree. He gets an A from me because it was fully expected that he would struggle early on, and he appears to have bounced back fully.
GRADE: A

Kevin Mulvey
Mulvey was in many ways the forgotten player in the Johan Santana trade, but he's put together an excellent first half. His 3-8 record belies the fact that he has a very solid ERA (3.84) and WHIP (1.39) to go along with a nice K-BB ratio (80-33) and the second most innings pitched on the staff (93.2). It's hard to argue with those numbers.
GRADE: A-

Philip Humber
Speaking of players acquired in the Santana trade, Humber was possibly the best known of the bunch. Notice I said "best known" and not "top rated" -- I don't think anyone thought that Humber would end up as a better player than Carlos Gomez or Deolis Guerra in the long run, but a lot of people had at least heard his name. Unfortunately, he's having a pretty miserable year -- 5.92 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in 79 innings of work, along with a somewhat lackluster 54-37 K-BB ratio. At 25, Humber is still young enough to turn things around, but this has been a discouraging year, without question.
GRADE: D+

Danny Graves
I don't have much to say on Graves. He's a veteran journeyman who I expected virtually nothing from. For awhile, he seemed to be pitching reasonably well, but those days seem to be over. His 5.18 ERA and 1.59 WHIP, along with his really low 22-16 K-BB ratio, have completely shut off some of the idle speculation from earlier this year that he might get called up to the bigs. At this point, he's just filling innings for the Red Wings. His grade is more a reflection of the fact that I expected nothing whatsoever out of him than it is a reflection of his performance.
GRADE: C

New Britain Rock Cats

Ryan Mullins
Mullins has put together a respectable season for the Rock Cats, going 7-6 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.45 WHIP (a tad on the high side, that) in 100.2 innings. Of most concern to me, though, is Mullins relatively low K-BB number -- 58-43. To this point in his career, Mullins has put up a stronger ratio than that, and the fact that he doesn't appear to be missing as many bats could potentially be problematic. He's still doing very well, and so far there's no reason to think that this isn't a short-term anomaly, but it's something to be watched at least.
GRADE: B+

Anthony Swarzak
Swarzak has been pretty brutal this year, posting a 3-7 record, a 5.99 ERA, and a 1.67 WHIP. His 71-33 K-BB ratio is just fine, but that almost makes things worse because it means that when he isn't striking people out, he's giving up hits. I'd be a little less concerned if the WHIP was up because he had just lost his control. This is the first time in his Twins career that he's really struggled, and he's just 22, so I'm not yet going to give up on him. He's just going to have to rebound, and unless he's dominant in the second half he'll probably get a return trip to New Britain next year.
GRADE: C-

Jay Rainville
It hasn't been a good season for Rainville. After starting off in Ft. Myers and pitching quite well, he's since fallen apart in New Britain, going 6-7 with a 6.45 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 74 innings, along with a 41-25 K-BB ratio. Considering the ERA, I'd expect the WHIP to be worse, but there's not a lot encouraging in those numbers. Maybe a trip back to Ft. Myers would be due -- especially with a couple of hot pitchers in Ft. Myers deserving of promotions.
GRADE: D+ (bonus for solid work in High A)

Yohan Pino
Pino has only started a handful of games, but he still has 63 innings under his belt and has started more games than he's entered in relief. His numbers are solid -- 4.00 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 46-15 K-BB ratio. Eventually, it would be nice for the Twins to decide whether he's really a starter or reliever, but there's no arguing right now with his effectiveness as a swing man.
GRADE: B+

Jeff Manship
He's only made a few starts in New Britain, but I'm putting him here because it's where he is now. Unfortunately, excellent work in Ft. Myers has largely been offset by pretty bad numbers in New Britain -- 1-4, 5.06 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, and 27-11 K-BB ratio in 32 innings of work. I have no doubt that he will be able to adjust to AA, but so far the results haven't been what we all had hoped.
GRADE: C

Ft. Myers Miracle

Alex Burnett
Burnett has a 3.78 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 104.2 innings, and has a competent K-BB ratio of 46-29. Other than the K-BB number, which is a bit low in comparison to his usual performance, he's right in line with what he's done in each of his three previous years as he's moved through the organization. There's very little to complain about here.
GRADE: A-

Cole DeVries
Speaking of nothing to complain about, DeVries has been lights out this year, posting a 7-7 record with a 2.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 76-27 K-BB ratio in 103.1 innings of work. Who would have figured that an undrafted free agent signing would be so impressive in his second season?
GRADE: A

Deolis Guerra
I've been assured by many that Guerra is a potential blockbuster talent, but so far he hasn't quite put it all together. His numbers aren't really bad -- he's 9-4 with a 4.28 ERA and 1.43 WHIP -- but his 50-46 K-BB ratio is discouraging (and out of character). At just 19, it's way too early to judge where Guerra will eventually end up, but I remain somewhat skeptical, as I was when he was acquired. I sincerely hope that Guerra lovers are right on how he'll end up performing once he gets some experience.
GRADE: B-

Tyler Robertson
His numbers are extremely similar to Cole DeVries' numbers, although he has about 20 fewer innings pitched. So far, Robertson has a 2.72 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 73-31 K-BB ratio, and as with DeVries those numbers are good to see. So far, the 2006 3rd round pick is absolutely heading in the right direction -- but it will be interesting to see whether he suffers through the same adjustment period that so many good pitchers need when reaching AA.
GRADE: A

Beloit Snappers

Michael Tarsi
After an extremely promising debut season in 2007 with Elizabethton, Tarsi has struggled in 2008 with Beloit, posting a 5.50 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 106.1 innings. On the extremely positive side, Tarsi has a 92-27 K-BB ratio. Those are mixed numbers if ever I saw them, and it makes Tarsi's season somewhat tough to grade. The bottom line, though, is that Tarsi is getting innings in and is throwing the ball past a lot of batters. I suspect that will hold true, so now he just has to make sure he doesn't let guys on when he's not striking them out.
GRADE: C+

David Bromberg
After two solid seasons with the Twins short-season clubs in the GCL and Elizabethton, Bromberg got a shot in Beloit this year. While his 6-6 record and 5.03 ERA suggests that he's struggled in his 96.2 innings, he also has a really solid WHIP (1.38) and K-BB ratio (107-35). That suggests that there's been a bit of an element of bad luck surrounding his high ERA, and that it should correct itself over time.
GRADE: B-

Santos Arias
Arias is having a very nice season for the Snappers, going 5-3 with a 3.08 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 70-17 K-BB ratio in 84.2 innings. I'd say the 21-year-old has firmly announced his presence in the organization.
GRADE: A

Mike McCardell
McCardell posted great numbers split between the GCL and Elizabethton last year, and is continuing his solid early season run with a 6-2 record, 2.72 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 81-17 K-BB ratio. Because of the very low WHIP and excellent K-BB ratio, he gets an A+ -- a grade I don't give out very freely.
GRADE: A+

Brian Kirwan
Kirwan's numbers have been mediocre -- 4-4/5.06 ERA/1.58 WHIP/30-24 K-BB in 64 innings -- but I don't know what else would have been expected. So far in two seasons in the organization, Kirwan has struggled all the way. This year actually represents the best ERA he's ever posted, although his WHIP is worse than it ever has been. What grade do you give a guy who isn't supposed to pitch very well, and doesn't? How about a "C" for performing at his average?
GRADE: C

Honorable Short Season Mentions

It's only a month into the GCL and Appalachian League seasons, so there's not been a lot to go on. So far, though, Shooter Hunt (0.64 ERA/0.29 WHIP/28-2 K-BB ratio in 14 innings) and Alex Curry (1.25 ERA/0.60 WHIP/20-2 K-BB ratio in 21.2 innings) have been the best of the bunch. On the downside, Daniel Berlind has an 11.03 ERA and 2.32 WHIP in 23.2 innings -- ouch!

GCL Roster Review

The GCL Twins started off the season with a 3-2 win yesterday. Here's a look at the guys who will be playing in the always multi-cultural GCL this season.

Catchers
There are four catchers on the GCL roster, including two 2007 draft picks and two international signings. Daniel Rohlfing, selected in the 14th round a year ago, got just 56 AB's and put together just a .232 batting average, earning him a return trip to the GCL this season. Meanwhile, 43rd round selection Andres Diaz joins him. (UPDATE: According to Dianna, Diaz is going to be converted to 1st base). I'm frankly more interested in South Korean Jae-Hyung Jang, who at 21 is a couple years older than his fellow catchers on the roster. Somewhat mysteriously, the Twins also have former Dominican Summer Leaguer Josmil Pinto on the roster. I say mysteriously because he hit just .193 in the DSL in 171 AB's last year -- so clearly, he wasn't brought to Florida for his offense.

Infielders
Prominent 2008 draft picks Tyler Ladendorf (SS - 2nd round) and Michael Gonzales (1B - 9th round) were both assigned to the GCL, which is a little surprising since both have Junior College experience. Nonetheless, its obviously a bigger jump from a JC to the GCL than it would be for a guy from a major college to make the transition, so I understand the move. Both will be compelling figures for the GCL this year.

Also of interest are international signings Jakub Hajtmar (Czech Republic) and Hyeong-rok Choi (South Korea). Has a Czech player ever played in the GCL? It doesn't seem like a real promising market for prospects. As for Choi, he was billed as a middle infielder coming into the organization (at least in the stuff I saw), but is listed on the GCL roster as a first baseman. At 5'11", 189 lbs I could definitely see him playing first, but he's also probably not so big as to make the middle infield impossible for him. It'll be interesting to see where he ends up.

The 2008 GCL season will also see the debut of third baseman Reggie Williams, drafted in the 4th round of the 2007 season out of Bellflower High School in California. Williams signed right at the deadline in mid-August of last year, so it was really too late to get him any useful time in a regular league. Instead, the plans at the time were to send him to the Instructional League and go from there. I'm curious to see how he starts to develop this year, and whether he ends up playing at 3B (where he was drafted), or at SS (where he's listed on the roster).

The infield is rounded out by a trio of middle infielders who played in either the Dominican or Venezuelan Summer Leagues last year -- Anderson Hidalgo, Herbert Lara, and Juan Sanchez. Hidalgo and Lara both hit over .300, while Sanchez hit .263. I know very little about any of them, although Lara weighs just 154 pounds and seems to have some speed.

Outfielders
Twins first round pick Aaron Hicks will start off his Twins career in the GCL, and will hope to follow the same path that 2007 first rounder Ben Revere followed by starting off strong. Hicks is considered a much better prospect than Revere was, but it will be tough to duplicate Revere's start -- he hit .325 in 191 AB's for the GCL Twins last year, and is hitting .409 in 171 AB's for Beloit this year. The Twins will be extremely lucky if Hicks has anything remotely approaching that success. Fourth round pick Daniel Ortiz joins Hicks, and gives the club a couple of strong prospects.

The outfield is rounded out by Australian Tim Atherton (formerly considered a first baseman), South Korean Hyun-wook Choi, and Taiwan's Wang-Wei Lin. Lin is the only one of the three with any GCL experience, with 62 AB's last season. Unfortunately, he hit just .194. I have no doubt that the transition for many international players is a huge one, but let's hope that Lin, at least, can put together a stronger year in 2008 when he comes back from a season-opening stint on the DL.

Pitchers
As I said with the Elizabethton Twins, I'm not going to try to identify starters and relievers at this level because things can be a bit fluid. I'm also not going to mention everyone, because there are a lot of players I know nothing about. Here are some players that I find a notable, for one reason or another.

First, two picks from the 2008 draft are starting off on the GCL pitching staff. Twenty-first rounder Steven Blevins comes to the Twins out of Marshall University, and 25th rounder Alex Curry joins the club from Cypress College in California. Neither of them had great numbers (which explains why they were drafted in outside of the 20th round), but the Twins obviously thought they could be molded into something.

Meanwhile, if you're a fan of Russians, the GCL Twins have two on the roster this year. Nick Lobanov is the older of the two, and pitched three scoreless innings for the GCL Twins a year ago. Meanwhile, Andrei Lobanov will be making his GCL debut at some point this summer. They are not related, but they are supposedly similar pitchers, both throwing from the left side. If you're interested, there's an article from the Austrian Baseball Blog available that discusses the pair (yes -- I said "Austrian Baseball Blog").

There are also a bunch of VSL and DSL guys on the roster, and of the bunch I'm most interested in Martire Garcia, who just turned 18 in March. Last summer, the slight (5'11", 150 lbs) lefty put up a 7-2 record and 2.32 ERA with 81 K's and 25 BB's in 77.2 innings in the DSL. Those are great numbers, and I'm excited to see how he performs for the GCL club. He started the opening game, going 4.0 innings and allowing an earned run on 6 hits. I'd love to see the Twins consistently develop guys from the VSL and DSL, and hopefully Garcia can turn into one. I'm a little concerned by his small stature, but it is what it is, and we'll see if he can perform.

A Brief Look at the Elizabethton Roster

The Elizabethton Twins roster was finally posted today, and I just finished going through the organizational rankings making note of players now listed as playing there. Now, I'm going to briefly go through the names on the roster to let you know who I'm particularly interested in seeing play.

Catchers
The Elizabethton roster revealed some new information for me, as 2008 eighth round draft pick Jeff Lanning was listed. I hadn't seen his signing reported anywhere, so that was an interesting development. Lanning, who had a very good 2008 season with the University of New Orleans, should get the bulk of the playing time in Elizabethton (although maybe not -- he didn't play on opening night). He'll be joined by 2007 pick Daniel Rams, who was taken in the 2nd round a year ago. Rams hit just .258 in 97 AB's with the GCL Twins a year ago, but remember that he was adjusting from the high school game. This year should put him in a better light. Third stringer Alexander Soto hit .273 in 66 AB's for the GCL Twins a year ago, but I don't expect him to get a lot of playing time with Lanning and Rams in front of him.

Infielders
There are a number of very exciting players in the Elizabethton infield. I'm particularly intrigued by first baseman Rene Leveret, who hit .307 with an 862 OPS and 8 homers in 244 AB's for Elizabethton last year. The Twins must not have been convinced that he was for real, since those excellent numbers didn't earn him a promotion. I'm curious to see if he can put together another solid season in 2008 to prove he's for real. He's joined at 1st base by Jonathan Waltenbury, a 7th round pick from 2006 who was unexceptional last year in the GCL (.244/713/123 AB's), and, if he recovers from yet another injury, by Henry Sanchez. Sanchez was a first round selection back in 2005, but he's been a complete bust -- he's largely been unable to stay healthy, and even when he is on the field he's been unable to perform. I'd be willing to bet that we're in the end stage of his professional baseball career.

Up the middle, the most interesting name is Nick Papasan, who played well in limited action for the GCL Twins a year ago after he returned from injury. The Texan has been talked up incessantly by many of his fans from his high school days, so this will be his chance to live up to that hype. He's joined by Aussie James Beresford, Venezuelan Jeanfred Brito, and Puerto Rican Eric Santiago. Beresford and Brito both played well in the GCL a year ago, while Santiago struggled in Elizabethton and earned a return engagement.

At third base, the Twins will see what Juan Richardson can do after a solid 2007 season in the GCL, where he hit .317 with a 765 OPS. He'll be joined by former Golden Gopher Nathan Hanson, who was taken by the Twins in the 28th round of this years draft. As with Lanning, Hanson was a surprise to me because I didn't know he had signed.

Outfielders
There's a short crew in the outfield, with only four currently assigned to the team. Recent draft picks Evan Bigley (10th round out of Dallas Baptist University) and Michael Harrington (13th round out of the College of Charleston) appear to be similar players -- both are 6' tall and around 200 pounds, although Bigley hits from the right side and Harrington comes from the left. Both also have a bit of pop, so we'll how that translates with the wood bats. They are joined by 2007 draft picks Angel Morales (3rd Round) and Andrew Schmiesing (11th Round) who both played in the GCL a year ago. Morales, making the adjustment from high school, hit just .256 a year ago. Schmiesing, meanwhile, was coming out of St. Olaf college and had no trouble at the lowest professional level, hitting .321 in 109 AB's.

Pitchers
Starting rotations are usually a bit fluid in the short season teams, so I'm not going to split the guys up here. I'm also not going to comment on all of them. Two 2008 draft picks, Daniel Osterbrock (7th round - University of Cincinnati) and David Coulon (15th round - University of Arizona) have been assigned to Elizabethton, although Coulon appears to be on some sort of "reassignment" right now, so I'm not sure when, or if, he'll actually pitch for the team this year.

Other interesting names include recent Beloit pitchers Daniel Berlind and Bradley Tippett, who were sent down after struggling a bit so far this year (although neither of them was terrible). I'm also very excited to see Venezuelan Danny Rondon (1.14 ERA in 23.2 innings for the GCL a year ago), lefty Australian Jarrad Eacott (2.28 ERA in 27.2 innings for the GCL Twins in 2007), and Arkansan Lee Martin (18th round pick in 2007 who put up a 3.21 ERA in 14.0 innings in the GCL in 2007). Finally, because he's a Minnesotan who did well in 2007 (and because he's got a fun name), I'm curious to see how Mark Hamburger (1.20 ERA in 15.0 innings with the GCL in 2007) performs as well. No disrespect intended for any of the guys not mentioned, but these are the names I'm going to follow most closely in 2008 (unless someone gives me a reason to do otherwise!).

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Part II

This is the second in a series of posts looking at what's gone right and what's gone wrong at the various minor league levels of the Twins organization. A couple of days ago, I covered the AAA Rochester Red Wings, and today I'll be looking at the AA New Britain Rock Cats. Hope you enjoy!

New Britain Rock Cats (22-21)

The Good

Pitchers

Last season, righty Zach Ward was a mediocre starter for the Ft. Myers Miracle. This season, he's been converted to the bullpen, and the results so far have been extremely good. In 28.0 innings over 17 appearances, Ward has allowed just one Earned Run (and just 2 runs total) for a 0.32 ERA. His WHIP is sitting at 1.07, which is very good (if not quite as unbelievable as his ERA), and his 24-12 K-BB ratio is also quite good. The Twins bullpen has also been bolstered by solid efforts from Armando Gabino (2.96 ERA/1.17 WHIP/27.1 innings/18-11 K-BB) and, to a lesser extent, Jason Miller (3.94 ERA/1.25 WHIP/29.2 innings/26-10 K-BB). If you just look at the ERA stat, Kyle Aselton (2.22) and Ben Julianel (2.91) also are doing quite well, but the other stats suggest trouble ahead -- especially for Aselton, who has a really high 1.60 WHIP and a terrible 15-18 K-BB ratio for a guy with such a low ERA. I would suggest that unless he stops giving up so many base runners, his ERA will skyrocket.

In the rotation, lefty Ryan Mullins has been solid, posting a 3.04 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 50.1 innings while striking out 30 and walking 20. Those numbers aren't eye-popping, but they're not bad in the least. Yohan Pino has been even better -- his 3.25 ERA is a bit higher, but he has a very low 1.08 WHIP and a great 23-6 K-BB ratio in 36.0 innings of work. Anthony Swarzak has also been OK, posting a 4.06 ERA and 1.40 WHIP along with a very good 40-14 K-BB ratio in 44.1 innings.

Position Players

The name "Luke Hughes" jumps immediately to mind -- Hughes, who has a .356 batting average, 1.068 OPS, .417 On-Base Percentage, 10 homers, and a reasonable 30-16 K-BB ratio in 146 AB's has been covered so much already this season that, despite never having played above AA, he's been discussed as a possible big league callup. He's sort of this year's Matt Tolbert, just a level lower in the organization. Without question, the Australian righty deserves the attention for now -- but the question is whether he can sustain it. If I were the Twins, I'd wait another couple of weeks to ensure that he doesn't cool off, and if he keeps playing well I'd promote him to Rochester. We'll see what they end up deciding.

Middle infielders Steven Tolleson (2B) and Trevor Plouffe (SS) have also been playing very well this year. Tolleson, a 5th round pick from 2005, has always hit reasonably well, but this season he's putting up a .328/.938 in 134 AB's. Meanwhile, 2004 first round pick Trevor Plouffe, written off by many as a bust after a couple of underwhelming seasons in 2005 and 2006, is continuing the comeback from oblivion that he started in 2007 -- he's hitting .294/.779 in 153 AB's this season. Honorable mentions in this category also go to outfielder Dustin Martin (.314/.813/140 AB's) and one of my favorite Twins minor leaguers, Erik Lis (.290/.809/145 AB's). I should also mention that after a somewhat unexpected promotion, Toby Gardenhire is hitting .300/.714 in 40 AB's.

The Bad

Pitchers

There are plenty of pitchers to talk about in the "ugly" category, but no one here -- apparently, things either are going really right or really wrong for Rock Cats pitchers.

Position Players

Matt Moses and David Winfree are both being converted from infield positions to the outfield this year, so maybe some offensive problems are excusable. Nonetheless, 2003 first rounder Moses hasn't hit well since 2005 with Ft. Myers, and just isn't going anywhere right now in the organization. He's starting to look like a lost cause, thanks in part to his .245/.678 in 155 AB's this season. Those aren't terrible numbers, but if that's the best he can do after 6 years in the minors, it's never going to be enough. Winfree is another 2003 draft pick (a 13th rounder) who just hasn't hit to his potential. His .227 average is tempered a bit by his .781 OPS (thanks to 10 homers), but I'm still putting him in the bad category because the average has got to be better than that. It's arguable that I just shouldn't have put him on either list, since you could make the case that he's been somewhere between "bad" and "good" this season. Finally, the Twins brought Felix Molina back into the fold this off-season (he could have left as a minor league free agent), and he's picked up 105 AB's for the Rock Cats. Unfortunately, he's hitting just .238 with a .613 OPS. I have to think there'd be someone better to give this roster spot to at this point.

The Ugly

Pitchers

Ready for your eyes to bleed? The most eye-popping numbers come from reliever Jay Sawatski, who has an 8.72 ERA and horrid 2.03 WHIP in 21.2 innings to go along with a 23-13 K-BB ratio (which isn't bad -- too bad the other numbers are so horrible). A reliever is one thing, but two starters have been equally bad -- worse, if you consider the number of innings they've pitched. Top prospect Oswaldo Sosa, who is on the 40-man roster -- has been really, really bad -- he has a 7.20 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP along with an outlandish 23-25 K-BB ratio in 35.0 innings of work. What on earth happened here? I have to think that Sosa can turn it around, but these numbers are so bad that I really do wonder a bit. Also horrid has been Jay Rainville, who has a 7.53 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP along with a 25-12 K-BB ratio in 43.0 innings. This is a pretty sorry bunch right now!

Position Players

There are only three guys who qualify for this spot by my criteria (I pretty much limit this to guys who are hitting under .200), and none of them have over 100 AB's just yet. In fact, center fielder Brandon Roberts has just 32 AB's, having battled an injury problem. He's currently rehabbing in extended spring training, and hopefully will hit better than his current .188/.423 upon his return. The other two guys on the list are the team's two catchers, Drew Butera (.194/.530 in 93 AB's) and Jeff Christy (.196/.535 in 51 AB's).

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Part I

The phrase is something of a cliche, but it's apt for looking at what's gone right -- and wrong -- with any particular issue. Today, I'm beginning a four-part series full-season minor league clubs, starting with the Rochester Red Wings.

Rochester Red Wings (17-27)

The Good

Pitchers

Brian Duensing and Kevin Mulvey both have losing records, but both have pitched pretty well so far this season. Duensing has a 3.44 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 52.1 innings of work, moving himself into a position to be considered for a callup in the event that the Twins starting staff suffers another injury. Mulvey, meanwhile, has fallen off considerably from a great first 3 weeks or so, but still has a 3.89 ERA in 41.2 innings -- although his 1.56 WHIP is higher than I'd like to see. Glen Perkins (2.97 ERA/1.41 WHIP/33.1 IP) has been the best of the Rochester pitchers this year, but of course he's currently with the Twins and undoubtedly is hoping to stay there.

In the bullpen, minor league free agents are thriving. Lefty Mariano Gomez has a 2.36 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 26.2 innings, and with Bobby Korecky currently in the Twins bullpen and getting little use, the question has to be asked whether Gomez could find himself getting a callup. Casey Daigle has also been solid for the Red Wings, posting a 2.57 ERA and slightly high 1.52 WHIP in 21.0 innings. Meanwhile, Heath Totten has a 3.86 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 21.0 innings, and back-from-the-dead Danny Graves has a 1.00 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 9.0 innings since being promoted to AAA.

That's not to say that only the free agents have had success -- long-time Twins prospects Julio DePaula and Ricky Barrett have been solid this year (2.81 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 25.2 innings for DePaula, and 2.96 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 24.1 innings for Barrett) as well, and Rule 5 returnee Tim Lahey has a 3.96 ERA and very solid 1.06 WHIP in 16.0 innings since coming back to the organization. In other words -- the bullpen has been pretty darned good for Rochester this year.

Position Players

There are fewer offensive success stories for the Red Wings, but some of those stories are pretty compelling. Denard Span has been a great story, making his big league debut when Michael Cuddyer went down with an injury and playing outstanding baseball in AAA. Span has a .378 batting average and unbelievable 1.031 OPS in 90 AB's. He's added 14 steals, 3 homers, and a stunning .486 OBP to that mix. What do you even say to that?

I'm also stunned by the performance of Darnell McDonald so far this year. McDonald, you may remember, was picked up from the Nationals last year in exchange for letting Washington send Rule 5 pick Levale Speigner to the minors. He had a brief stint in the big leagues and didn't show much, and it was somewhat surprising that he was still hanging around the team this spring. After starting the season with an injury, McDonald has gone on a tear, hitting .336/.992 with 4 homers in 110 AB's. I certainly didn't expect this out of the veteran McDonald, and it will be interesting to see if he can hold up over the summer.

Meanwhile, third baseman Brian Buscher deserves credit for shrugging off a horrid spring by hitting .322/.898 in 118 AB's so far this season, and for finding his power stroke (he's hit 6 homers for the Red Wings in that span). Honorable mention also goes to catcher Jose Morales, who was absolutely terrible early in the season -- he's managed to raise his batting average to a very respectable .281 in 121 AB's. Over his last 10 games, Morales is hitting .471 -- I'd say he's solved whatever the problem was early this year.

The Bad

Pitchers

There's not actually much to talk about in the bad category. Former Met Philip Humber qualifies with his 5.09 ERA and 1.75 WHIP (and perhaps more disturbingly his near-parity 22-19 K-BB ratio). In fact, that line is close to being in the "ugly" category, but I'm going to be generous. Outside of that, there's no one else I can point to in Rochester who has consistently been bad.

Position Players

I was very excited about first baseman/DH Randy Ruiz this spring, because of his power potential and his seeming ability to hit for a decent average. Unfortunately, in 146 AB's for the Red Wings, Ruiz is hitting just .247 and has just 2 homers. Worse (and this stat belongs firmly in the "ugly" category), Ruiz has an eye-popping 48 K's in those 146 AB's, and just 7 walks. Yikes.

Former "Ray" Jason Pridie has also been pretty mediocre this year, hitting .231 in 169 AB's. Like Ruiz, Pridie has also had a brutal strikeout problem with 47 of them this season. That's a better ratio than Ruiz, but is still a horrid number, especially for a player like Pridie who certainly shouldn't be aiming for the fences.

The Ugly

Pitchers

There's no one on the team that I think needs to be in this category. You could argue that a couple of Francisco Liriano's starts could fit in this category, but I'm giving him a pass, and his actual ERA puts him somewhere just above the "Bad" category.

Position Players

Where to start? I guess the most disappointing player has been 1B/OF/DH Garrett Jones, who has a .181 average in 138 AB's. He's joined by the since-released Eli Whiteside, a backup catcher who hit just .167 in 24 AB's, and new backup catcher Ryan Jorgensen, who is hitting .143 in 14 AB's. I could also easily put recently claimed Sergio Santos on this list for his .171 BA in 105 AB's. Then, there's the sad performance of Tommy Watkins, the longtime Twins minor leaguer who was a popular callup to the Twins last year before seeing his season end with an injury. Unfortunately, after being brought back into the fold in the off-season (he could have left as a minor league free agent), Watkins is hitting just .179 in 56 AB's while dealing with injuries.

Transactions -- Big League & Below

First, thanks to those of you who have commented or e-mailed regarding my previous post. All of your comments have been appreciated, and if you haven't yet weighed in and would like to, please do. If you have no idea what on Earth I'm talking about, scroll down a post.

Now, onto the moves. After today's win, the Twins optioned Brian Buscher back to Rochester and activated Adam Everett (or at least, they'll do so by Friday's game -- same difference either way). I know that many fans already dislike Everett as much as they dislike Punto, but for now I'm willing to buy the story that his injury has caused him to perform badly. We'll see how things go starting in about a week once he's had a chance to get used to playing every day again. We all know that Everett isn't going to hit .300, but .250 sure would be nice.

As for Buscher, this is the move that most everyone expected. A reader suggested a few days ago that Tolbert should be the guy going down because he's essentially redundant while Buscher adds a slightly different skill set. I can understand the argument and don't necessarily disagree with it, but Tolbert is still hitting .300 and I think has earned his place on the team (even if he hasn't exactly been getting a lot of playing time of late). I wish Buscher the best of luck in Rochester, and I'm fairly confident that we haven't seen the last of him this year.

Dipping down a level, the Red Wings have released Outfielder Jon Knott and Catcher Eli Whiteside, and let me just breath a sigh of relief. I never understood having these guys taking up space on a AAA roster. It turns out that Whiteside was essentially just holding a space for Ryan Jorgensen, who was serving out what remained of a 50-game suspension for violating the drug policy. Color me unimpressed by Jorgensen -- he's a career .238 minor league hitter who will turn 29 in a few days. In other words, we switched out one light-hitting veteran catcher for a slightly older and even lighter-hitting veteran catcher. Granted, Whiteside had been miserable this year, but I doubt Jorgensen is going to light the world on fire.

Also, while the Beloit Snappers have also made a few moves over the last few days, the biggest one was the addition of Ben Revere to the roster from extended spring training. So far, he's going 4-for-11 with a couple of RBI's. I'm really excited to see how he performs over the next few weeks as he settles into life in Low A Ball.

Minor Signings

Sometime in the past few days, the Twins signed a couple of right-handed minor league starters who will presumably serve as filler at the AA/AAA level this season. Considering the tiny amount of transaction information that has been coming out over the past few weeks, this actually constitutes "news."

The first player signed was Landon Jacobsen, a South Dakotan born on May 4, 1979. Jacobsen was a 50th round pick back in 1999 by the Pirates, and he was in the Pirates organization through the 2006 season. Last year, he signed as a minor league free agent with the Phillies, where he split time between AA and AAA. Jacobsen actually has a solid career minor league ERA (3.46), but last season he struggled in both AA (4.61 in 93.2 IP) and AAA (4.80 in 69.1 IP).

The other player signed was Heath Totten, a Texan born on September 30, 1978. Totten was a 5th round pick by the Dodgers in 2000, and he was with LA through the 2006 season. Last year, like Jacobsen, Totten pitched at the AA and AAA levels for the Phillies. Totten was actually solid in AA, posting a 3.38 ERA in 56 IP while striking out 31 and walking just 13. Unfortunately, he was eaten alive in AAA as evidenced by his 7.09 ERA in 33 innings and his 11-8 K-BB ratio.

Minor League Free Agents

This news is now nearly two weeks old, but I missed the release of the official list and wanted to get it posted, along with a little bit of discussion on the topic. You can find the full list of minor league free agents by clicking here. As for the Twins, the following players became minor league free agents at the end of the season:

Matt Allegra - OF
Brad Baker - RHP
Brian Bass - RHP
Tristan Crawford - RHP
Angel Garcia - RHP
Dave Gassner - LHP
Ken Harvey - 1B
Felix Molina - 2B
Trent Oeltjen - OF
Gil Velazquez - SS
Glenn Williams - 3B
Jerome Williams - RHP

For some reason, the list does not include the following names, who reportedly are also minor league free agents:

Alejandro Machado - SS
Jason Miller - LHP
Josh Rabe - OF
Tommy Watkins - SS

From La Velle Neal of the Strib (and previous reports), we know that the Twins have already brought Tommy Watkins, Jason Miller, and Alejandro Machado back into the fold for next season. The team is also looking to bring back Brian Bass, Trent Oeltjen and Felix Molina. Meanwhile, Ken Harvey, Josh Rabe and Dave Gassner are sure goners.

AFL Rosters Announced

The Arizona Fall League rosters were announced today, and the Twins will have 7 players on the roster of the Phoenix Desert Dogs -- the affiliate that the Twins will share this year with the Athletics, Orioles, Pirates, and White Sox.

It's always exciting to see which players are assigned to the AFL, because it's usually a pretty good indication of who the team believes in for the future. Of course, there's always a curveball somewhere in the roster, and this year is no exception. Here's the list:

Nick Blackburn - RHP - AAA
Brian Duensing - LHP - AAA
Ryan Mullins - LHP - AA
Anthony Swarzak - RHP - AA
Drew Butera - C - AA
Trevor Plouffe - SS - AA
David Winfree - 1B/3B - AA

Here are some thoughts on each of them:

Nick Blackburn
When the year started, Blackburn was a middling pitching prospect at the AA prospect whose odds of making it to the big leagues some day were fairly slim. After all, Blackburn was drafted in the 29th round back in 2001 -- which isn't exactly a place where a lot of top prospects come from. His track record was also spotty -- he would occasionally put up a really nice year (2.77 ERA in 84.1 innings for Quad Cities in 2004; 1.84 ERA in 49 innings for New Britain in 2005), but never for a long enough period of time or at a high enough level to fully sell it. Last year, in his first full season in AA, Blackburn had a 4.42 ERA in 132.1 innings -- not that bad, really, but also not numbers that demonstrated that he was a top talent, either.

Then, this year rolled around and everything changed for Blackburn. He started the season by putting up a 3.08 ERA in 38 innings for New Britain before being promoted to Rochester, where he's been even better -- 2.12 ERA in 97.2 innings. It would appear that Blackburn has arrived. The AFL is a chance for Blackburn to keep up his solid performance and earn himself an invitation to Spring Training '08.

Brian Duensing
Unlike Blackburn, Duensing was supposed to succeed. The Twins drafted him in the 3rd round of the 2005 draft, and he's mostly had success in his time since then. Duensing's only poor stretch since joining the Twins was a 7 game, 40.1 inning stint with the Miracle in 2006 where he put up a 4.46 ERA -- but other than that, he's been extremely solid at every level. This year has been no exception, as Duensing started off with a 2.66 ERA in 50.2 innings with New Britain before being moved up to Rochester. Since the promotion, Duensing has put up a 2.97 ERA in 103 innings of work. As with Blackburn, a solid performance in the AFL likely means an invite to Spring Training '08 and a chance to try to get himself inserted into the conversation with the likes of Perkins, Garza, Slowey, Baker, Bonser, and Blackburn.

Ryan Mullins
Mullins, like Duensing, was a Twins 3rd round pick -- in fact, he was the next year's 3rd round pick, in 2005. Also like Duensing, Mullins has moved quickly through the Twins organization, generally with a great deal of success at each level. He started off with a 2.18 ERA in 53.2 innings in Elizabethton after signing in 2005. Then, in 2006, Mullins spent the entire season in Beloit and put up a 3.86 ERA in 156.1 innings. This season has been a big one for Mullins, as he started off in Ft. Myers, where in 54.2 innings he had a 1.98 ERA before being promoted to New Britain. Success with the Rock Cats (3.67 ERA in 68.2 innings) earned him another promotion, to Rochester -- but a rather horrifying 10.57 ERA in 15.1 innings of work caused him to be busted back down to New Britain. Even with the poor performance in Rochester, Mullins success everywhere else has him poised to be next year's Duensing -- rising to the AAA level sometime in 2008 and possibly getting into the conversation for a starting spot in the 2009 rotation or thereabouts.

Anthony Swarzak
The 2007 season started off poorly for Swarzak after he was suspended for 50 games on April 20 after testing positive for a "drug of abuse." Swarzak said all of the right things about the situation, and returned to action with the Ft. Myers Miracle when his suspension was up. When he returned, the former 2nd round pick pitched as if he hadn't missed a beat, posting a 2.30 ERA in 3 starts with the Miracle before being promoted to New Britain. Since the promotion, Swarzak has put up a 3.23 ERA in 75.1 innings. Hopefully, the suspension will prove to be a minor blip on Swarzak's career history -- certainly, the way he's pitching, it looks like that may be the case. Incidentally, the suspension coupled with Swarzak's strong performance pretty much made him a shoe-in for the AFL -- he missed nearly two months of the season, so extended action seems a perfect fit.

Drew Butera
Surprise! I mentioned that there's always a curveball, and this year there's no question that it's Butera. The son of former Twin Sal Butera, Drew was acquired from the Mets in the deadline deal for Luis Castillo. Butera was a 5th round pick in the 2005 draft, but has always been known more for his defensive ability than for his offense. As a matter of fact, Butera has just a career .212 average in the minors so far in his career, and while he's hitting .250 since joining the Twins organization, that's in just 28 AB's. Honestly, I'm not sure why the Twins would choose to send someone like Butera to the AFL rather than, say, Jose Morales -- a much better offensive catcher who seems like a more promising prospect.

Trevor Plouffe
Plouffe's career with the Twins has been, shall we say, a bit up and down. Plouffe was a first round pick back in 2004, and he started off solid with Elizabethton by hitting .283 in 237 AB's. Unfortunately, his offense collapsed in 2005 and 2006, when he hit .223 with Beloit and .244 with Ft. Myers respectively. Nonetheless, the Twins have continued to promote Plouffe, and this season Plouffe's offense has recovered a bit with him hitting .277 in 469 AB's with New Britain to this point. While his defense has left something to be desired (reaching the 20 error threshold is . . . well . . . not so good), it's happened in large part because of the (supposedly) sub-par infield in New Britain. To become a legit prospect again, Plouffe needs to continue to improve offensively, and the AFL will hopefully be a significant part of that process.

David Winfree
Winfree is the sole Twins returnee to the AFL from last season, and he's in need of a solid performance this winter after putting up a disappointing year with New Britain. Winfree has hit .256 in 403 AB's for the Rock Cats this season, and while that's not terrible, it's also not particularly good. His power numbers have also declined significantly, from 13 homers in 261 AB's in 2006 with Ft. Myers (roughly 20 AB's per homer) to 9 homers in 403 AB's this season (about 45 AB's per homer). All of this means that the 13th round pick from 2003 needs a pick me up, and maybe the AFL can provide it.

Catching up with the Minors -- Part III

This if the final post in a series in which I've looked at the good and the bad from this season's minor league teams. These are just highlights -- the players who have most caught my eye on the good side and the bad. I'll be doing a much more comprehensive analysis of the minor league teams once the post-season has begun. This final post will cover my thoughts on the AA New Britain Rock Cats and the AAA Rochester Red Wings.

New Britain Rock Cats

The Good

Garrett Guzman, OF, was drafted in 2001 and has slowly but surely risen through the ranks. For the most part, his seasons have been remarkably consistent -- and unremarkable. This season seems to be a bit different, as Guzman has put together a .304 batting average and 13 homers, which is easily his best season since his days in the GCL back in 2001. Those numbers virtually assure that he'll spend 2008 in Rochester. I'm also very pleased with the performance of Trevor Plouffe (SS) this year, even though it hasn't been perfect -- he's made 24 errors (albeit on what I've read is a terrible infield), and he's hitting just .279, which isn't all that remarkable. Nonetheless, this has to be considered a very positive season for Plouffe after he struggled mightily in 2005 with Beloit and 2006 with Ft. Myers. I don't expect him to be promoted at the start of next season (though it is a possibility) -- but he seems to be doing what he can to regain his status as a legitimate prospect.

On the pitching side, Oswaldo Sosa has started just 5 games in New Britain, but his season clearly has been excellent. Sosa started off in Ft. Myers, where he posted a 2.23 ERA in 105 innings before being sent up. In his 5 starts with the Rock Cats, Sosa has put up a 3.45 ERA in 28.2 innings, which is still pretty solid. Beyond that, the really impressive Rock Cats pitchers have all found their way up to Rochester.

The Bad

At the top of the list has to be Matt Moses, the once (and maybe future) top third base prospect in the future. Moses, who was the Twins first round selection in the 2003 draft, has so far been a bust. This year, he failed miserably in Rochester and was sent back to New Britain, being passed on the way by Brian Buscher, who proceeded to get an unexpected callup to the bigs. The Twins seem to have been hoping that Moses would take a step forward in 2007, positioning himself to take over in the Majors in 2008. Instead, Moses hit .224 in Rochester, and is hitting just .257 with New Britain. Things aren't looking good for Moses' future at this point, but of course he'll get another chance next year.

On the mound, there are a number of candidates for being on this list, but the top choice has to be Tristan Crawford. The right-handed swingman from Anchorage started his season in Rochester but lasted just 3 games, posting a 10.12 ERA in just 2.2 innings before being shipped back to New Britain. Since that time, he's put up a 5.56 ERA in 68 innings of work. That has to classify as a disappointment. The performance of righty reliever Danny Powers also has to be considered a disappointment (I'm breaking my rules here -- Powers has been demoted to Ft. Myers, but hasn't been there for long, so I'm including him on this list). After starting his season with 2 solid seasons of work, Powers put up a 5.28 ERA in 59.2 innings of work, which is a step backwards for him.


Rochester Red Wings

The Good

Jose Morales (C) was once something akin to a top-level prospect, back when he was drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round of the 2001 draft. His 2001 season in the GCL wasn't much, but in 2002 he hit .309 in 175 AB's to demonstrate that he had some ability with the stick. His 2003 and 2004 seasons were solid but unremarkable, and then things took a turn for the worst. Morales played in just 7 games in 2005 due to injury, and posted a .215 average in 251 AB's for New Britain in 2006. Imagine the surprise, then, when Morales returned to form this season by hitting .324 in 324 AB's. You have to love a guy making good, and hopefully Morales can back it up next season. I also have to mention Matt Tolbert (IF/LF), who has been constantly mentioned this season as being on the verge of a Major League callup thanks to his solid offensive season. Tolbert cooled off a bit in the summer, but is still hitting .305 on the year in 357 AB's.

On the mound, there are almost more deserving names than I can fit in a reasonably sized column. Forgetting about those players (Garza and Baker) who started the season in AAA and have since been promoted, there are still at least three guys who deserve a mention. First is phenom Kevin Slowey, who has a 9-3 record and a 1.77 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 89-14 K-BB ratio. He's also made his Major League debut, of course, and even though his stint in the bigs wasn't exactly what he was hoping for, this season still has to be considered a tremendous success for him -- he showed glimpses of what his future should hold. Also making the list are two pitchers who started off in New Britain but have risen to Rochester and, frankly, dominated. First off is Nick Blackburn, who is 7-1 with a 2.14 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 48-19 K-BB ratio. At the beginning of the year, he was not really on anybodies radar -- how could he be, when players like Garza, Slowey, Baker, and Perkins were ahead of him on the depth chart? Now, he's positioned himself to get an invite to Spring Training and a long look from the developmental staff. A 2008 Major League debut wouldn't be at all surprising for Blackburn. Finally, former Nebraska lefty Brian Duensing had a similar trajectory to Blackburn this year, also starting in New Britain and earning a promotion. Since his callup, Duensing is 10-3 with a 2.56 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 60-26 K-BB ratio. Those numbers certainly aren't as amazing as Slowey's or Blackburn's, but there's no question that he's been very solid.

The Bad

How could anyone other than Matt LeCroy be at the top of this list? Honestly, I almost didn't include him, simply because he's not exactly a prospect. Nonetheless, LeCroy has managed to be so spectacularly bad that he deserves inclusion on this list even if his performance is, ultimately, of no consequence whatsoever. LeCroy is hitting a whopping .195 on the year, along with a .279 On-base percentage and a .543 OPS in 231 AB's. Also on the list, largely due to the lofty expectations that he started the year off with, is centerfielder Denard Span. Span has managed to hit just .252 in 432 AB's. That's not an inspiring number for a player who many in the organization (and outside the organization) believed would get a chance to replace Torii Hunter in center for the Twins in 2008. That now seems like a very dubious proposition, indeed.

On the mound, the most disappointing performance to me has been that of Dave Gassner, who at one point seemed to be a top prospect. After being injured for much of 2006, Gassner was removed from the 40-man roster and was placed in AAA to see if he could hang with the young guns listed above. Instead, he's posted a 5.21 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 126 innings of work. Gassner's time in the organization has, unfortunately, very likely passed.

Catching up with the Minors -- Part II

This series of posts is designed to provide my thoughts on who has delivered -- and who hasn't -- in the minor leagues this season for the Twins. Today's trip through the system will be focused on low A Beloit and high A Ft. Myers. Tomorrow, I'll finish the series with my thoughts on the players in AA New Britain and AAA Rochester.

Beloit Snappers

The Good

The biggest surprise on the offensive side of the ball for the Snappers this season has been a player who didn't even start the season with the team. Wilson Ramos, a catcher, began the season in extended spring training but was added to the Snappers roster on June 2. Since that time, he's hit .295 with 7 homers and a .795 OPS in 251 AB's. Ramos skipped over Elizabethton entirely, having spent the 2006 season in the GCL -- and that's a big part of the reason why his development this season has been so surprising. His numbers aren't overwhelming, but they're very solid and bode well for Ramos' future. Unfortunately, that's about where the good news ends for the Snappers offensively -- at least, for the players still with the team. Several players earned promotions, and I'll discuss them as appropriate when I get to the Miracle.

The Snappers have also seen a number of pitchers promoted to Ft. Myers, but there are more success stories still in Beloit. Left-handed starter Tyler Robertson, for instance, has a 2.30 ERA and a 7-3 record in 13 starts and a relief appearance this season. Last season's third round pick was moderately successful in the GCL last season, but as with Ramos he's taken his game to another level since joining the Snappers. Alex Burnett (3.01 ERA in 134.1 innings) and Cole DeVries (3.04 ERA in 127.1 innings) have also had excellent seasons. Finally, Anthony Slama joined the team in July after becoming one of the last players to sign from the 2006 draft. The former 39th rounder has shown that he's a steal so far, with a 2.35 ERA in 15.1 innings of work. Small sample size, yes -- but still a nice way to start off his career.

The Bad

Man, are there candidates for this! The top answer has to be Chris Parmelee, last season's first round pick, however. Parmelee has clubbed 13 homeruns this season, but he's hitting just .233 with a .707 OPS. The Midwest League hasn't exactly been kind to the Snappers this season, but these numbers are pretty bad nonetheless. It seems very unlikely that Parmelee will advance to start the 2008 season, so he'll need to deliver in his second go-round in Beloit next year to get back on the development path. And, while I didn't expect him to be great, I have to include Danny Santiesteban on this list as well for his very poor offensive performance this season. Santiesteban is hitting just .208 with a .600 OPS in 283 AB's for the Snappers. Yet another outfielder, Joe Benson, deserves a mention on this list for hitting just .242.

On the mound, there haven't been any jaw-droppingly bad performances. Brian Kirwan has a 5.25 ERA as a starter, and Jose Lugo has a 1.67 WHIP, but while those aren't good numbers they aren't terrible either. I'll give the pitchers a pass on this one and say that I'm pretty pleased overall.


Ft. Myers Miracle

The Good

The two hitters that I'm listing in this section were both elsewhere when the season began. Second baseman Brian Dinkelman has been very solid this season, both with Beloit (where he started the season), and with Ft. Myers since his promotion. Dinkelman is hitting .291 with an .853 OPS and 6 homers in 172 AB's. The 8th round pick from 2006 is very quickly demonstrating that he's a very solid prospect -- and there's at least a possibility that a solid last three weeks could be enough to get him to New Britain when next season starts. Also deserving a mention is the newly acquired Dustin Martin, who the Twins picked up in the Luis Castillo trade. Martin was hitting .287 with the Mets low-A team before the trade, and has been even better in 51 AB's since coming over to the Miracle, hitting .333 with a .955 OPS. Obviously, he's not going to keep that kind of performance up, but it still looks pretty darned good for now.

On the pitching side of the ledger, there are a number of players who have to be mentioned. First, Jeff Manship started the season in Beloit and dominated, earning himself a promotion to Ft. Myers. He's continued to pitch well in the Florida State League, with a 2.63 ERA in 54.2 innings. Another Beloit to Ft. Myers promotion was handed to Robert Delaney after he blew away the competition as the Snappers closer earlier this year. He, too, has continued his success, posting a 1.65 ERA in 15.1 innings since he moved up. Finally, Jay Rainville has had a strong return from injury this season, with a 3.24 ERA in 125 innings of work. A number of other pitchers deserve mention, but they've since been promoted so I'll save them for later.

The Bad

Look at some of these numbers: Caleb Moore, Catcher, .196 batting average in 163 AB's; Toby Gardenhire, Infield, .197 batting average in 188 AB's; Whit Robbins, Corner Infield, .210 batting average in 205 AB's; Edward Ovalle, Outfield, .220 batting average in 372 AB's. That's not even mentioning a number of guys who were hitting well under .200 and have since been demoted. Yuck.

None of the pitchers deserve to be on this list except for one who is no longer with the team -- Alex Smit, who was on the Twins 40-man roster. Smit had a 5.86 ERA through 50.2 innings with the Miracle before the Twins removed him from their roster and saw him claimed by the Reds. He's actually been pretty good since moving to the Reds organization, but there's no question that he was downright bad while in the Twins organization this season.