TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
Ft. Myers (A – Florida St. League) first baseman D.J. Hicks is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In six games for the Miracle, Hicks hit .435 (10-for-23) with two home runs, eight RBI, two doubles and scored five runs. Dalton Hicks was drafted by the Twins in the 17th round of the 2012 First-Year Player draft, was signed and played his first year of pro ball in Elizabethton. The 6’5″ left-handed hitting Hicks is hitting .308 in 28 games with the Miracle this season after getting promoted from Cedar Rapids where hit .297 in 89 games to start the season.
Rochester (AAA – International League) first baseman Jeff Clement is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In seven games for the Red Wings, Clement hit .375 (12-for-32) with two home runs (including a grand slam), 12 RBI, three doubles and three runs scored. In Rochester this season Clement has played 1B in 47 games and served as the DH in 53 games. In 104 games and 425 plate appearances the 29-year-old Clement is hitting just .218 but he does have 15 home runs and 62 RBI.
Clement is in his ninth season of pro ball and has appeared in 152 big leagues games, 75 with the Seattle Mariners in 2007-2008 and 77 with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010 and 2012. The Twins originally selected Clement in round 12 of the 2002 June amateur draft out of Marshalltown High School (Iowa) as a catcher but he chose not to sign and went on to attend USC. He was then drafted by the Mariners with the third overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player draft. Although drafted as a catcher, Clement has only caught 35 big league games and he last caught in the majors in 2008. Clement signed as a minor league free agent with the Twins in November of 2012 and has spent all season in AAA – Rochester.
New Britain (AA – Eastern League) outfielder Daniel Ortiz is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In five games for the Rock Cats, the left-handed hitting Ortiz hit .350 (7-for-20) with two home runs, nine RBI’s and three runs scored. Ortiz is hitting .272 (108-for-397) with 24 doubles in 108 games for the Rock Cats this season.
Ortiz, 23, was drafted by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Benjamin Harrison High School in Puerto Rico Ortiz has progressed through the Twins minor league system playing primarily corner outfield but he has seen duty in center as well. Ortiz has hit 10 or more home runs each season he has played pro ball except for his first season in 2008. Ortiz did not play in 2009, not sure why.
Cedar Rapids (Single-A – Midwest League) pitcher Brett Lee is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In two starts for the Kernels, the 22 year-old Lee went 2-0, pitching two complete games (18.0 IP), allowing two runs on 11 hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts. The left-handed 6′ 4″ Lee pitched primarily in relief in Elizabethton in 2012 where he was 4-0 with a 2.68 ERA but in Cedar Rapids this season Lee has appeared in 17 games and started 15 of them. Thus far this season Lee has a 7-4 record while posting a 3.30 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. In 95.1 innings he has allowed 100 hits with 22 walks and 74 punch-outs. Lee was a 40th round pick by the Pirates in 2009 and was selected in round 33 by the Dodgers the following season but chose not to sign. Lee was then drafted by the Twins in the 10th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Ft. Myers (A – Florida St. League) outfielder Jhon Goncalves is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In five games for the Miracle, the right-handed hitting Goncalves hit .555 (10-for-18) with six doubles, five RBI and three walks.
Jhonathan Humberto (Cervelli) Goncalves, 24 was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 2005 out of Venezuela. Goncalves started the 2013 season with New Britain Rock Cats but struggled hitting just .196 in 31 games and was demoted to Ft. Myers. Goncalves is hitting .306 in 177 at-bats for the Miracle with 2 home runs and 5 stolen bases.
Previous winners this season include (in order): P Tyler Duffey, INF Miguel Sano, OF Adam Brett Walker, INF Jorge Polanco (twice), P Kyle Gibson, INF Chris Colabello, P Logan Darnell, P Taylor Rogers, P Andrew Albers, OF Byron Buxton and P Trevor May.
Cedar Rapids (A – Midwest League) 2B/SS Jorge Polanco is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week for the second time this season. In two games for the Kernels, Polanco hit .500 (9-for-18) with two doubles, one home run, 10 RBI and five runs scored. Polanco is hitting .306 (90-for-294) with 21 doubles, nine triples, 3 home runs, 61 RBI and 47 runs scored in 73 games this season. That is an impressive RBI total for a guy with a total of 3 home runs.
The switch-hitting 5-foot-11, 190-pound infielder was signed by the Twins for a $700,000 bonus as a non-drafted free agent on July 5th of 2009 the day after his 16th birthday and is in his fourth season of pro ball even though he is only 19 years of age. Players from the Dominican Republic are allowed to sign contracts with Major League teams as soon as they are 16 years old. Polanco was named to the MiLB.com Twins organizational All-Star team in 2012.
New Britain (AA – Eastern League) right-handed pitcher Trevor May is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. The 23 year-old 6’5″ May tossed 7.2 scoreless innings allowing just four hits while striking out nine Erie batters on June 18. May has a 3.56 ERA over 14 starts and a 1.80 ERA (20.0 IP, 4 ER) over his last three starts for the Rock Cats. His fastball is in the 92-94 range with heavy sink, and his secondary pitches, curve and a straight change are almost ready. In his sixth season of pro ball, May already has over 600 innings of minor league ball under his belt. His career SO/9 rate is 10.8 but his BB/9 of 4.7 is what is holding him back from moving up the ladder. May was acquired by the Twins this past offseason from the Phillies along with Vance Worley for Ben Revere.
Previous winners this season include (in order): P Tyler Duffey, INF Miguel Sano, OF Adam Brett Walker, INF Jorge Polanco, P Kyle Gibson, INF Chris Colabello, P Logan Darnell, P Taylor Rogers, P Andrew Albers and OF Byron Buxton.
Cedar Rapids (Single-A – Midwest League) outfielder Byron Buxton is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In six games for the Kernels, he hit .370 (10-for-27) with three doubles, one home run, eight RBI, six runs scored and three walks. The 19-year old 2012 second overall pick is hitting .344 (85-for-247) with 15 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, 51 RBI, 40 walks and 29 stolen bases in 63 games for the Kernels this season. How long can the Twins keep Buxton in Cedar Rapids? Ft. Myers manager Doug Mientkiewicz must be licking his chops waiting for Buxton after three of his best position players got bumped up to New Britain in the past week.
Previous winners this season include (in order): P Tyler Duffey, 3B Miguel Sano, OF Adam Brett Walker, INF Jorge Polanco, P Kyle Gibson, 1B/OF Chris Colabello, P Logan Darnell, P Taylor Rogers and P Andrew Albers.
The records for the Twins minor league teams through yesterday are listed below.
AAA – Rochester Red Wings are 33-36 and 7 games behind
AA – New Britain Rock Cats are 32-35 and 9 games out
High A – Ft. Myers Miracle are 43-21 and in 1st place
Low A – Cedar Rapids Kernels are 40-27 and 1 game behind the leader
The DSL Twins are 6-5 and a half game out of first place
Kyle Gibson
The Twins 2009 first round pick Kyle Gibson continues to toil in Rochester while Twins management keeps saying that Gibson must show more consistency before they will call him up to pitch at Target Field. Gibson’s numbers are pretty darn good considering he is playing for the sub .500 (33-36) Rochester Red Wings. Gibson is 6-5 with a 3-26 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 85.2 innings. Gibson has only given up 73 hits and he has struck out 73 batters. Not bad numbers for less than half a season of baseball. Gibson missed most of last year due to TJ surgery so the Twins have him on a pitch limit this year. The number of specific innings remains a Twins secret but you have to assume that it is probably about 160 innings so that means that Gibson is past the half way point. GM Terry Ryan has stated all along that Gibson will be pitching in a Twins uniform in 2013. You know the Twins want to give Gibson a taste of the big leagues this year and give him an opportunity to show what he can do against the big leaguers, but like sand through the hour-glass, time and innings are slipping by. I am thinking we will see Gibson in a Twins uniform shortly after the All-Star break.
In closing, I would like to wish all you fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day!
Rochester (AAA-International League) left-handed pitcher Andrew Albers is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In two starts for the Red Wings, Albers went 2-0, pitching 15.0 innings allowing just four earned runs (2.40 ERA), with 11 strikeouts and just two walks. The 6’1″ and 195 lbs. 27 year-old Albers was signed by the Twins as a minor league free agent in 2011 but was originally selected by the Padres in the 10th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Kentucky. In 12 starts with Rochester this season Albers has thrown 67.2 innings allowing 71 hits, striking out 60 and posting a 3.06 ERA. Previous winners this season include (in order): pitcher Tyler Duffey, infielder Miguel Sano, outfielder Adam Walker, infielder Jorge Polanco, pitcher Kyle Gibson, infielder Chris Colabello, pitcher Logan Darnell and pitcher Taylor Rogers.
MINOR LEAGUERS OF THE MONTH: Rochester (AAA – International League) infielder Chris Colabello is the Twins Minor League Player of the Month for May. In 20 games for the Red Wings, Colabello batted .425 (34-for-80) with 12 doubles, six home runs, 20 RBI while scoring 15 times. Colabello, who was signed as a minor league free agent in 2012, was added to the Twins roster today as the 26th man in time for today’s DH. Fridays Twins /Nats game was rained out and is being made up today. Major league rule allow teams to add an extra player for a doubleheader. The rule’s intent is to allow teams to add pitching, but the Twins are already carrying 13 pitchers and have an off day on Monday, so Gardenhire chose to add an extra pinch hitter
Rochester (AAA – International League) left-handed pitcher Aaron Thompson is the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Month for May. Over a combined 11 appearances between Rochester and Double-A New Britain, he posted a 1.26 ERA in 14.1 innings and allowed 2 earned runs while holding opponents to a .143 batting average with a a 0.70 WHIP. Thompson, 22, was signed by the Twins as a minor league free agent in 2011 after being originally drafted in the first round by the Miami Marlins in 2005. Albers is in his 5th year of minor league ball after missing all of 2009 due TJ surgery. During his minor league career Albers has been primarily a starter going 21-7 with a 2.64 ERA and has averaged 7.7 KO/9.
MINOR LEAGUE GAME TELEVISED: FOX Sports North announced plans to televise the Cedar Rapids Kernels vs. the Kane County Cougars minor league game live at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, June 10. Coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a live version of “Spotlight: Next Generation,” an in-depth look at the Minnesota Twins farm system with an emphasis on the Class A team in Cedar Rapids. The telecast is designed to educate fans about up-and-coming Twins players, FOX Sports North will profile some of baseball’s top prospects, including Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Anthony Lapanta and Roy Smalley will anchor the telecast from the FOX Sports North studio with Marney Gellner reporting from Cedar Rapids. Key members of the Twins front office, including Paul Molitor and Dave St. Peter will also join the telecast to help showcase the Cedar Rapids Affiliation.
Ft. Myers (A – Florida State League) left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In one start for the Miracle, the 22 year-old Rogers pitched 7.0 shutout innings, with seven hits allowed, no walks and seven strikeouts. Rogers was selected by the Twins in the 11th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Kentucky. The Twins gave Rogers a $100,000 signing bonus and that is not bad for a player drafted 340th over all. Rogers was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 in round 37 but chose to attend the University of Kentucky.
The 6’3″ 175 lb. Rogers started the season in Cedar Rapids where he did not seem to be particularly effective starting 3 games (0-1) and pitching a total of 10 innings allowing 14 hits with 10 strikeouts along with a 7.20 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP but for whatever reason the Twins promoted him to Ft. Myers where he has started 6 games going 4-1 with a 1.32 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Go figure….
Previous winners this season include: pitcher Tyler Duffey, infielder Miguel Sano, outfielder Adam Walker, infielder Jorge Polanco, pitcher Kyle Gibson, infielder Chris Colabello, and pitcher Logan Darnell.
