Sunday, June, 14th

Twins Talk
Twins 2 Cubs 0

• The Twins won their 2nd straight victory over the Cubs yesterday afternoon with a big 2-0 win. Anthony Swarzak was the story of the game as he went 7 shutout innings to pick up his 2nd win of the year. Swarzak went 7 innings and gave up no run on only 4 hits along with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts to bring his era down to 3.90 on the year. The funny thing is after the game the Twins sent him down to the minors to add a hitter with Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer hampered with injuries. Swarzak has proved that he is a major league pitcher and it is just a matter of time before he returns to the Twins and continues to show how good fo a pitcher he is. Matt Guerrier then pitched a clean 8th inning not giving up a hit and striking out a batter to lower his era to 3.03. Joe Nathan then came on and pitched the 9th giving up 1 hit and walking 1 and striking out one to pick up his 15th save of the year.

• In a pitchers duel the Twins just did enough to pick up the victory as they only got 5 hits in this one. The good thing though was that the 5 hits resulted in the 2 runs that they needed to pick up the win. Jason Kubel went 1-4 with his 11th homerun of the year and 2nd in 2 days and drove in his 37th run. Joe Mauer went 1-4 with his 40th rbi of the year and dropped his average to still an unbelievable .408 on the season. Justin Morneau, Carlos Gomez, and Nick Punto also added hits in the win.
• Today, the Twins try to go for the sweep as they take on the Cubs in Chicago as Scott Baker gets the start for the Twins.

Rochester Wrap

Toledo 4 Rochester 2

• The Red Wings lost another tough game to Toledo last night as they continue to struggle offensively. Philip Humber got the start for the Red Wings and was much better than he had in previous starts. Humber went 5.1 innings and gave up 3 earned runs on 7 hits along with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts to lower his era to 6.22 on the year. Humber has not pitched very good this season and possibly a return to the Red Wings bullpen would do the trick for him like it did last year when he was much better in the 2nd half. Armando Gabino continued his good season as he came in relief to pitch 1.2 scoreless innings along with 3 strikeouts to lower his era down to 3.03. Gabino has probably been the most consistant relief pitcher on the Red Wings this year and he continues to pitch good for the Red Wings. Tim Lahey finished it and pitched a good inning finally and did not give up a run to lower his era to 10.47.

• The Red Wings saw their offensive funk continue as they were only able to push 2 runs across on 8 hits. Justin Huber and David Winfree led the attack with 2 hits apiece. Justin Huber also added his 5th homerun of the year and his 7th double and 27th rbi to bring his average up to .264. David Winfree added his 15th double and brought his average up to .283 on the season. Steve Tolleson added his 5th double in his short stay with the Red Wings and brought his average to .340. Dustin Martin, Trevor Plouffe, and Matt Macri added hits in the losing cause.
• Tonight, the Red Wings continue their series with Toledo as they send Brian Duensing to the hill for Rochester

New Britain Business

New Britain 6 Bowie 5

• The Rockcats snatched victory out of the hands of defeat in this one as they put 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to pull out the victory yesterday 6-5 over Bowie. Carlos Gutierrez got the start for the Rockcats and was much better than his first start when he gave up 5 runs. In this one Gutierrez went 5 innings as they try to limit his innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits along with 3 walks to lower his era to 5.40. That is more like the kind of start we should expect to see out of Guti from here on out. In 15 outs in the 5 innings 11 of the 15 were groundouts and that is what he is a better version of Carlos Silva. Frank Mata then came on and struggled giving up 3 runs on 2 hits in only 1/3 of an inning along with 1 walk to raise his era up to 5.56. Jose Lugo then came on and pitched 2.1 innings and only gave up an unearned run on 3 hits along with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts to lower his era to 4.76. Yohan Pino then came on and got an out to lower his era to 4.63. Anthony Slama then came on and pitched a scoreless top of the 9th to pick up his 4th win of the year along with 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 2.65.

• For a long time in this one it looked like the Rockcats were going to let this one get away as they left 12 guys on base. That is way to many and you are not going to win very many games when you leave 12 guys on base so the Rockcats should consider themselves very fortunate to get the win. Erik Lis had a huge day going 4-4 with 2 rbi's to bring his season total up to 3o. Yancarlos Ortiz, Whit Robbins,and Matt Moses each had 2 hits in the game. Moses also had a 2 run single to win the game in the bottom of the 9th. Juan Portes, Danny Valencia, and Toby Gardenhire also contributed hits in the victory for the Rockcats. Robbins raised his average up to .342 on the year. Which is unbeliveable considering Whit has never finished a season higher than .268 a 72 points lower than what he is hitting right now. I keep expecting him to go in a slump, but I am beginning to believe it is not going to happen and he is that good.
• Today, the Rockcats continue their series with Bowie as Ryan Mullins gets the start for New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

• The Miracle had their game with Daytona washed out and will play a doubleheader today. Mike Mccardell will start the first game and will be followed by Steve Hirschfeld pitching in the sencond game.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 4 Burlington 1

• The Snappers won their 3rd straight game with a hard fought 4-1 victory last night over Burlington. Dan Osterbrock got the start for the Snappers in this one and pitched very well once again. Osterbrock went 6.1 innings and gave up 1 run on 6 hits along with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 5.15 on the year. Osterbrock has had his rough moments this year with the Snappers, but all in all he seems to be improving which is all you can ask for from any pitcher. If he can have a good second second half the year will not turn out to bad year for him after how he started. Joe Testa then came on and finished the game for his 6th save of the year. Testa went 2.2 innings and gave up 1 hit along with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts to lower his era to 1.71.

• The Snappers only were able to put 6 hits up in a very hard fought win, but the good thing is they were able to put 4 runs on the 6 hits so they finally got some key hits. Ramon Santana had his 13th double of the year and had his average drop to a still very good .340. Dominic De La Osa, Michael Harrington, Ozzie Lewis, and Jon Waltenbury contributed hits in the big win. Ozzie Lewis drove in hsi 25th rbi and Juan Richardson drove in his 4th run of the year in the winning cause.
• Today, the Snappers begin a series with Clinton at home after the long road trip. Bobby Lanigan gets the starts for Beloit.

Travis Talks prospect list: Prospects 30-21

I will be continuing my Minnesota Twins prospect list with players ranked 30-21. I won't promise the rest on a certain day because I have been so busy that it is a waste of time to promise things. So I encourage everyone to keep checking back because I for sure will have it done by midweek next week because I have something else planned for the end of next week so everyone keep checking back.


30. Deibinson Romero 3b 22 (9/24/1986)
2008 teams: Beloit Snappers

• Deibinson Romero signed as a free agent with the Twins in 2004 out of the Dominican Republic. After spending the 2005 with the Dominican Summer League Deibinson joined the Twins organization in the States in 2006. In 2006 Romero played with the GCL Twins and posted very good numbers by hitting .313 with 4 hr and 38 rbi's along with 10 doubles in 50 games. In 2007 Deibinson split the season between E-town and Beloit. At E-town he hit .316 with 9 hr and 52 rbi aloing with 16 doubles before being promoted to Beloit for the last 2 games. It was then that everyone started talking about Romero as a possible 3rd baseman prospect and he jumped up lists. He started 2008 with Beloit and lets say it was a disappointment in that he only played in 40 games due too injuries. On the field he did not do much as he hit .268 with 3 hr and 18 rbi's along with 8 doubles. This season he moved up to Fort Myers and got off to a good start, but then went through a 1-36 slump that lowered his average from .270 down to .201. He has rebounded a bit lately and comes into today with a .222 average with 2 hr and 29 rbi along with 12 doubles in 54 games. The key to this season is he is playing and take away that bad slump he has had a pretty solid year. Deibinson's problem is his defense as he has already committed 10 errors at 3rd base and that won't fly with the Twins. My sources say that the Twins are pretty high on Romero and are hoping he can bring it together. The second half is very important to Romero as he will be 23 at the end of the season. That is not old for his level, but he was always young for his level and now he is kind of evened out. He really needs to start next season in New Britain, but if he doesn't blow up in the 2nd half I don't see that happening. Deibinson is a doubles machine as his 12 doubles so far this year would suggest. If he has a big second half which he very well could because he has the talent too he will fly up the charts for my end of the year look at the prospects.
• 2009: play 3rd base at Fort Myers and try to stay healthy
• Projection: Compete with Danny Valencia as starting 3rd baseman for the Twins

29. David Winfree RF 23 (8/5/1985)

2008 teams: New Britain

• David Winfree was a 13th round pick by the Twins in 2003 out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. After signing with the Twins he joined the GCL Twins and hit .129 in only 17 games. In 2004 Winfree moved up to E-town and did much better hitting .286 with 8 homeruns and 37 rbi's along with 8 doubles in 59 games. In 2005 David moved on to Beloit and hit a very good .294 with 16 homeruns and an unbelievable 101 rbi's in 135 games. After the 2005 season David was really seen as a true prospect for the Twins. In 2006 he moved up to Fort Myers he hit .276 with 13 homeruns and 48 rbi's in only 67 games as he left the organization for a month to figure things out. In 2007 he moved up to New Britain and did ok not great, but not bad as he hit .267 with 12 homeruns and 51 rbi's in 123 games. After the 2007 season the Twins decided to switch his position because he was not working out as a 3rd baseman. The hope also was he could relax and do better at the plate with less to worry about on defense. In 2008 he stayed with New Britain and had an up and down year as a hot streak at the end got his average up to .252 on the year. That does not tell the whole story because he was very effective by his 19 homeruns and 87 rbi's along with 27 doubles. This year he moved up to AAA Rochester and has done even better which really surprised me as I thought he would struggle. In 55 games David is hitting .283 with 9 homeruns and 30 rbi's along with 15 doubles. David is only 23 years old which is very young for AAA so he could spend 3 years there and still be young for the big leagues. He has always been a good run producer and his defense since he moved to the outfield has been good. If he can keep his average in the .270-.280 range he will jump up the charts. He is one of those guys that your shocked at the end of the year when he has 20 hr and close to 100 rbi's. I am a bit higher on him then a lot of other people are. I could forsee him being a bench player for the Twins possibly as early as next year. Be that guy on the bench that comes in late in games needed the big hit. So I really think the future is very bright for David Winfree
• 2009: Play Right Field for Rochester
• Projection: Bench Player for the Twins as early as 2010

28. Juan Morillo RHP 25 (11/5/1983)

2008 teams: Colorado Springs and Colorado Rockies

• Juan Morillo was acquired on waivers from the Colorado Rockies in April 2009. Juan was signed by the Rockies as a free agent in 2001 from the Dominican Republic. After spending 2 years in the DSL Morillo came to American and his first season in Rookie Ball was 2003. In 15 games he went 1-6 with a 5.91 era with 40 walks and 44 strikeouts in 64 innings. In 2004 he moved to the northwest league where he went 3-2 with a good 2.99 era in 14 starts. In 66.1 innings he struck out 73 batters, but also walked 41 which was way to many. In 2005 he split the season between Class A Ashville and high A Modesto. At Ashville he went 1-3 with a 4.55 era in 7 starts where he had 13 walks and 43 strikeouts in 33.2 innings. At Modesto he went 6-5 with a 4.41 era in 20 starts. In 112 innings he had 65 walks and 101 strikeouts. That season showed that he can strikeout a lot of hitters, but also that he walks just as many. In 2006 he moved up to AA Tulsa where he went 12-8 with a 4.62 era in 27 starts. In 140 innings he walked 80 and struck out 132 which led to a promotion to the Rockies. Things did not go well with the Rockies as he made one start and gave up 8 runs in 4 innings before being sent back down to AA. In 2007 he started at Tulsa where he went 6-4 with a very good 2.35 era in 46 games out of the bullpen. In 57 innings he walked 27 and struck out 59 before being promoted to AAA Colorado Springs. In 7 games there he went 0-1 with a 3.73 era in 9 innings. That led to another opprotunity with the Rockies where he struggled again. He gave up 4 runs in only 3.2 innings in 3 outings with the Rockies. In 2008 Juan returned to AAA where he went 1-0 with a 5.28 era in 52 games. In 59 innings he walked 56 batters and struck out 55. This led the Rockies to decide they could not figure him out and put him on waivers in April which the Twins quickly claimed. In 3 games with the Twins he gave up 5 runs in 2 innings, which caused the Twins to put him on waivers, but in the Twins case they got lucky and he made it through so they sent him to Rochester. He has done pretty good at Rochester going 3-2 with a 3.22 era in 15 games. In 22.1 innings he has walked 15 and struck out 31. He has had his good games and then his bad games. Morillo is a hard one to figure out as he has a 100 mile per hour fastball and a good slider and when he throws strikes he is absolutely dominant. If he could harness that control he would be the top pitching prospect in the organization. He has the most potential of anyone in the organization and if he can harness that control he will be closing for the Twins in 3 years.
• 2009: Spend season relieving for Rochester
• Projection: I see him as a future closer for the Twins

27. Evan Bigley OF 22 (3/9/1987)

2008 teams: E-town

• Evan Bigley was a 10th round pick of the Twins in the 2008 draft out of Dallas Baptist University. Bigley after signing joined the E-town Twins where he hit .300 with 14 homeruns and 47 rbi's along with 13 doubles in 53 games. This year he moved up to Beloit where he hit .307 with 2 homeruns and 22 rbi's along with 6 doubles in 25 games before being promoted to Fort Myers. At Fort Myers in 27 games he is hitting .295 with a homerun and 11 rbi's along with 3 doubles. Evan Bigley has really impressed me as he has hit at every level that he has been. He is a career .301 hitter so far in his career. He plays a very good outfield with a good arm and good speed. If he can keep being consistant he will continue to move through the system. He has more potential than just about anyone in the organization so it is important to keep an eye on him and see how he does.
• 2009: Play rest of season in outfield in Fort Myers
• Projection: I project him as a 4th outfield type who could develop into a starting type.

26. Whit Robbins 1b 24 (9/25/1984)

2008 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Whitney Robbins was drafted by the Twins in the 4th round of the 2006 draft out of Georgia Tech University. After signing with the Twins Whit joined the Beloit Snappers and in 32 games he hit .304 with 3 homeruns and 26 rbi's along with 9 doubles. He did so well there that in 2007 he was moved up to high A Fort Myers. In 64 games with the Miracle Whit hit .211 with no hr and 21 rbi's along with only 6 doubles. After that season some members of the Twins were concerned if he was going to be able to make it. So in 2008 he repeated Fort Myers and did a little bit better. In 91 games Whit hit .268 with 6 hr and 42 rbi's along with 13 doubles as he split time with Johnny Woodard at first for the Miracle. After the 2008 season the Twins decided to let Woodard go and see what they had in Robbins and moved him up to AA New Britain. This year at New Britain Robbins is having a break out year for the Rockcats. Whit is hitting .342 with 7 hr and 29 rbi's along with 15 doubles in only 53 games. As we have seen with other players sometimes it just takes time for a player to get it. Whit Robbins is just like one of those guys because right now he is crushing the ball all over the park for New Britain. He plays a very solid first base and gets on alot by his .417 obp says. I really have high hopes for Robbins going forward because if he continues to play like this he will find himself in the majors in a couple years. He is not a power guy, but I see him as a line drive hitter who will hit for a high average. It will probably not be with the Twins, but I really think Whit Robbins has a future in the Major Leagues.
• 2009: Play first base for New Britain all year
• Projection: I see him as a starting caliber first baseman for someone

25. Rob Delaney RHP 24 (9/8/1984)

2008 teams: Fort Myers and New Britain

• Rob Delaney was signed as a free agent by the Twins in 2006 out of St. John's University. Delaney started his career in the bullpen for the GCL Twins pitching 17 games and going 1-3 with a 4.64 era and 2 saves. He was then promoted to Fort Myers and pitched in 3 games to end the year giving up 3 runs in 5 innings of work. In 2007 he split the season between Beloit and Fort Myers and started at Beloit. In 36 games for the Snappers Delaney went 1-0 with a awesome 0.77 era and a Snapper record 28 saves. In 46 innings of work he only walked 6 batters. He was then moved on to Fort Myers where he did an equally good job going 2-0 with a very good 1.54 era in 17 games along with 7 saves. Even though many wanted him to be moved up to AA he started 2008 back at Fort Myers and dominated again going 1-2 with a very good 1.42 era in 23 games along with 13 saves. He was then promoted to AA New Britain where he did a very good job going 2-1 with a awesome 1.05 era in 24 games along with 5 saves. Going into 2009 there were some that were clamoring for him to start in AAA, but he started in AA and was dominant once again going 1-1 with a 2.00 era in 26 games for the Rockcats. Delaney was then promoted to AAA Rochester where he has only pitched in 3 games so far and 1 of the 3 was bad so his 6.00 era looks bad but trust me it will come down fast. Rob Delaney has come from a undrafted free agent to being one of the top relieving prospects in the System. He has impeccable control by his 35 walks in about 214 innings show. He has a very bright future with the Twins because he is probably good enough to be with the Twins right now and do a solid job. I see him as a 6th to 7th inning guy with his low 90's fastball and good breaking pitches. The only reason I don't have him ahead of Anthony Slama is his strikeout totals are not real great for a closer so I think he will be a middle innings guy for the Twins. Look for him in a Twins uniform maybe as early as the September callups.
• 2009: Finish season closing for Rochester
• Projection: I project him as a middle innings reliever who can get left or right handed hitters out.

24. Joe Benson OF 21 (3/5/1988)

2008 teams: Beloit Snappers

• Joe Benson was selected in the 2nd round by the Twins in the 2006 draft out of Joliet, Illinois. After signing with the Twins Benson was sent to GCL. In 52 games he hit .260 with 5hr and 28 rbi's along with 11 doubles and 9 stolen bases before being promoted to Beloit for the last 7 games where he went 5-19. In 2007 Joe started the season at Beloit and did ok there. He hit .255 with 5hr and 38 rbi's along with 18 doubles and 18 stolen bases which showcased his 5 tools on display. There was a lot of expectations for Joe going into the 2008 season after doing so well in 2007, but a fracture in his back shortened his season to only 69 games. He was not hitting real great before he got hurt as he was only hitting .248 with 4hr and 27rbi along with 16 doubles and 17 stolen bases. Going into this year they felt that 2 full seasons at Beloit was enough and it was time to move him up to Fort Myers. That thinking was correct as he was doing awesome until he decided to punch a wall after a strikeout and of course the wall won as he broke his hand. That is not supposed to take away from the start he had with the Miracle. In 28 games with the Miracle Benson was hitting .293 with 3hr and 14 rbi along with 4 doubles and 6 stolen bases. Joe Benson is a hard prospect to really judge because he has missed most of the last 2 years because of injury. It is great to have 5 tools but if your not on the field to use them whats the point. However, that is not taking away the awesome athletic ability he has. He is a doubles machine that will develop power. He can play any outfield position and play it very well. He has power, speed, defense, can hit for average, really he can do it all on the baseball field. If he could stay healthy he would be in my top 10 that is how good I think he can be. He should be back in a couple weeks so I am excited to see if he can put a good 2nd half together and show everyone why he is considered one of the top 2 or 3 pure athletes in the organization and why you can't forget about him when you are talking about our future outfield.
• 2009: Stay healthy and play all over for Fort Myers
• Projection: I project him as a starting caliber outfielder who one day may go 30-30.

23. Cole Devries RHP 24 (2/12/1985)

2008 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Cole Devries signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2006 out of the University of Minnesota. He started his career with the Twins in 2007 with the Beloit Snappers. With Beloit he went 9-5 with a very good 3.41 era in 25 starts. In 2008 he moved up to the Fort Myers Miracle and went 10-9 with a very good 2.93 era in 23 starts. In 2009 Devries moved up to AA New Britain and is having another very good year going 4-5 with a very good 3.27 era in 12 starts for the Rockcats. Cole Devries has always been looked over saying that he is not big enough and does not throw hard enough to get professional hitters out. All he has done and prove people wrong time after time. I will admit I thought he would get eaten for lunch this year, but he has been the most consistant starter for New Britain this year. Cole is an innings eater who finds a way to get guys out and doesn't walk many batters so you have to hit to get on against him. I am done saying how good he is going to be because I have no idea anymore and anyone that says they know are lying. So just sit back and enjoy the way Cole Devries is pitching and see how far it goes.
• 2009: Spend season with New Britain pitching in the rotation
• projection: I project him as a long reliever in the bigs

22. Brian Dinkelman 2b 25 (11/10/1983)

2008 teams: Fort Myers and New Britain

• Brian Dinkelman was drafted by the Twins in the 8th round of the 2006 draft out of Mckendree University. Brian started his Twins career with E-town and hit .298 with 4 homeruns and 32 rbi's along with 11 doubles in 46 games at E-town. 2007 was split between Beloit and Fort Myers for Brian. At Beloit Brian hit .283 with 7 hr and 21 rbi's along with 16 doubles in 67 games before being promoted to Fort Myers. With the Miracle Dinkelman hit .255 with 6 hr and 21 rbi along with 7 doubles in 64 games. After 2007 there was some doubt about Dinkelman's hitting ability and he answered it in 2008. He started season at Fort Myers and hit .293 with 2 hr and 19 rbi along with 18 doubles and 10 stolen bases in 63 games. After the All-star Break Dinkelman was promoted to AA New Britain where he struggled only hitting .247 with 2hr and 21 rbi along with 14 doubles in 52 games. Again he struggled after a promotion something he has done at every level. This year he started season back at New Britain and took off hitting .312 with 3 hr and 34 rbi's along with 15 doubles in 55 games with the Rockcats. Brian is a double machine who will hit for a good average and hit line drives all over the park. The negative is his age he will be 26 after the year and still in AA. He really needs to get up to AAA because at his age he will no longer be viewed as a prospect even though he is an excellent player. He has speed, can hit for average, play a good defensive 2nd base and also steal some bases. If he can start next season at AAA he will be fine because he is ready to go now and he really needs to get there. I view Brian as a possible future 2nd baseman for the Twins who just needs a chance.
• 2009: Starting 2nd baseman at New Britain with a possible promotion to Rochester.
• Projection: I view Brian as a possible 2nd base candidate for the Twins

21. Shooter Hunt RHP 22 (8/16/1986)

2008 teams: E-town and Beloit

• Shooter Hunt was a first round pick, a supplementary pick, by the Twins in the 2008 draft out of Tulane University. After signing he was assigned to E-town where he went 0-0 with a crazy 0.47 era in 4 starts where he only gave up 1 earned run in 19 innings. He was quickly promoted to Beloit where he did pretty good going 1-4 with a 5.46 era in 12 starts for the Snappers. His problem last year at Beloit was wildness as in 31.1 innings he walked 27 batters. Going into this year there was hope that he would put his control issues in the past. However, that did not happen as this year he went 0-1 with a 10.70 era in 5 starts. The unbelievable thing about it is in 17.2 innings this year he walked 33 batters. They called it a strained groin, but it was believed that the Twins shut him down to build him back up because he has too good stuff to pitch like that. I really believe that Shooter Hunt is going to overcome this and be the pitcher the Twins drafted. The reason they drafted him was his incredible upside and the ability to be an ace of a staff. I really believe it is going to be like when Roy Halladay was sent to A ball by Toronto and built back up to being the pitcher he is today. I believe in 2 years he will be the top pitching prospect in the organization and be a futre ace for the Twins. Shooter Hunt has a overpowering fastball with an incredible curveball when he is on he will blow hitters away and it is just a matter of time before he gets back to that.
• 2009: come back and join Beloit rotation for the second half
• Projection: I view him as the ace of the Twins staff as early as 2012