As games finished on Labor Day in the Twins minor league system, the Twins minor league season came to an end. New Britain had an opportunity to make the playoffs had Reading lost and the Rock Cats won. Unfortunately, the R-Phillies won their game. The Elizabethton Twins were the lone playoff team in the organization, although they lost in the first round. It was a disappointing season in the Twins farm system. However, there are a lot of guys who had very good seasons. Today, I'll present for you my choices for the Twins Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher of the Year. There were a lot of great choices, and you can feel free to debate them, or ask any questions you may have in the Comments section: Relief Pitcher of the Year #4 – Chuck James – Rochester Red Wings (3-2, 2.30 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 62.2 IP, 49 H, 27 BB, 67 K) James was inexplicably not a September call-up, but he had a terrific year with the Rochester Red Wings. #3 – Matt Hauser – Beloit Snappers/Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rock Cats (5-6, 12 saves, 1.98 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 63.2 IP, 29 BB, 75 K) Hauser was the Twins 7th round pick in 2010 out of the University of San Diego. He throws hard and racks up strikeouts. The 23 year old threw 17 games for Beloit, 24 games for Ft. Myers, and then gave up just one run in 2.2 innings in this AA debut on Labor Day. #2 – Jose Gonzalez – Beloit Snappers (5-3, 13 saves, 2.47 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 62 IP, 49 H, 23 BB, 63 K) At 5-9, Jose Gonzalez is a mini-Jose Mijares, in stature. Like Mijares (circa 2009), Gonzalez throws hard and has a very good slider. He gave up just two home runs and opponents hit just .210 against him. Left-handers hit just .143 off of him. Relief Pitcher of the Year – Andrew Albers– Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rock Cats (8-2, 4 saves, 2.16 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 95.2 IP, 92 H, 14 BB, 80 K) Albers ended the 2010 season playing independent league ball in his native Canada. He got a late tryout with the Twins this spring and made the most of it. He began the season at Extended Spring Training, but he was quickly promoted to Ft. Myers where he was 4-1 with a 1.55 ERA. Quickly, he moved to New Britain and was 4-1 with a 2.91 ERA. He fulfilled many roles for his teams this year. He made seven starts. He pitched long relief and short relief, and he closed out some games. The 25 year old was a tremendous minor league free agent signing! Starting Pitcher of the Year #3 – Adrian Salcedo – Beloit Snappers (6-6, 2.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 135 IP, 131 H, 27 BB, 92 K) The 20 year old Top 10 Twins prospect had a very good 2011 season. He made 20 starts and pitched well, although his final start pushed his ERA above three. He had reached his innings limit and moved to the bullpen where he gave up just one earned run in 13.2 innings. Salcedo is young and very talented. Like that kicker from The Replacements, he "wiry." He will be a good one! #2 – BJ Hermsen – Beloit Snappers/Ft. Myers Miracle (13-8, 3.33 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 151.1 IP, 165 H, 37 BB, 101 K) Hermsen was the Twins 6th round pick in 2008 out of Masonville, Iowa, where he was a four-sport star in high school. At 6-5, Hermsen certainly has room to grow, but he works hard and that work really paid off this year. As Salcedo reached his innings limit, Hermsen was at his finest and earned his promotion to the Ft. Myers Miracle (11-7, 3.10 ERA with Snappers). He made five starts for the Miracle and in the middle three, he gave up a total of three earned runs in 18 innings. His first and last starts of the season were rough, but doesn't take away from a tremendous 2011 season for Hermsen. Starting Pitcher of the Year – Liam Hendriks – New Britain Rock Cats/Rochester Red Wings (12-6, 3.36 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 139.1 IP, 137 H, 21 BB, 111 K) For the second straight year, Liam Hendriks is my choice for the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year. I talk a lot about having seen Angels' OF Mike Trout in Beloit last year (playing for Cedar Rapids). Hendriks began his 2010 season with the Snappers (Low A). After six starts (1.32 ERA), he moved up to Ft. Myers where he was their top pitcher 1.93 ERA). In 2010, he was 8-4 with a 1.74 ERA. In 108.2 innings, he gave up just 79 hits, walked just 12 and struck out 105! He began the 2011 season with New Britain. He went 8-2 with a 2.70 ERA before pitching in both the Futures Game and the Eastern League All Star game. He then moved up to AAA Rochester where he has gone 4-4 with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts. In AAA, he has three walks and 30 strikeouts. A tremendous control pitcher, Hendriks is also very competitive. The 22 year old Australia native missed the entire 2008 season with a spinal cord injury, but he has been terrific since then. He has a tough delivery that has been described to me as "It's just Liam, there is no comparison." That is why I am excited to see him make his Major League Debut on Tuesday night at Target Field against the White Sox. Hitter of the Year There were a lot more good hitters up for Hitter of the Year consideration, or at least mention, than there were pitchers this year. There will be more of a countdown. #10 – Aaron Bates – Rochester Red Wings (.316/.408/.439, with 23 doubles, 7 HR, 37 RBI) Didn't even sign with the Red Wings until May, but played well throughout the season. #9 – Oswaldo Arcia – Beloit Snappers/Ft. Myers Miracle (.291/.335/.531, with 23 doubles, 4 triples, 13 HR, 51 RBI) Missed a month with elbow surgery, but came back and moved up to Ft. Myers. Great power to all fields. Very quick bat. #8 – Michael Gonzales – Beloit Snappers (.289/.371/.468, with 27 doubles, 1 triple, 15 HR, 76 RBI) Consistent performance in his second season with Snappers. Lost 30+ pounds, and his bat speed was much improved. #7 – Chris Parmelee – New Britain Rock Cats (.287/.366/.436, with 30 doubles, 5 triples, 13 HR, 83 RBI) 2006 top pick finally gets that big league promotion today. He had a very solid, consistent season with the Rock Cats. He also improved his defense at 1B while still occasionally playing in RF. #6 – Yangervis Solarte – New Britain Rock Cats (.329/.367/.466, with 36 doubles, 3 triples, 7 HR, 49 RBI) The 24-year-old Venezuelan hit .300 or higher every month of the season. He also led the organization with 36 doubles. #5 – Miguel Sano – Elizabethton Twins (.292/.352/.637, with 18 doubles, 7 triples, 20 HR, 59 RBI) He had just 290 plate appearances, yet I just couldn't put him any lower on the list. Sano's 20 home runs is third-most in Elizabethton history. His 45 extra base hits led the team. At just 18 years old, it was a remarkable season for one of the team's brightest future stars. #4 – Jairo Perez – Beloit Snappers (.337/.413/.580, with 20 doubles, 1 triple, 15 HR, 60 RBI) Perez missed the entire 2010 season because of Tommy John surgery. His 2011 season didn't start until June, and yet when he was activated by the Snappers, he did nothing but hit the rest of the summer. Not a large man, Perez takes a huge swing and as you can see, he made a lot of contact in 2011. #3 – Joe Benson – New Britain Rock Cats (.285/.388/.495, with 28 doubles, 4 triples, 16 HR, 67 RBI, 13 SB) The Twins 2010 Minor League Hitter of the Year is certainly a candidate to repeat again in 2011 despite missing 4-5 weeks because of knee surgery. Benson is a remarkable athlete with tremendous power and speed. He had great range in the outfield and a very strong arm. The weak point in his game is his contact rate, which did improve significantly from 2010 to 2011. He was also promoted to the Twins and will be flying to Minneapolis on Tuesday. It would be great for him to be able to make his big league debut against his home town White Sox. Benson will be a key for the Twins in the next year or so. #2 – Eddie Rosario – Elizabethton Twins (.337/.397/.670, with 9 doubles, 9 triples, 21 HR, 60 RBI, 17 SB) It is hard to put a player from one of the short-season teams up this high on the list, but Rosario was the Appalachian League MVP this year and posted incredible numbers. His 21 home runs were just one shy of Paul Russo's E-Town single-season record. He also hits for average. He has great speed. Plays very good centerfield and has a canon for an arm. The Puerto Rico high school product drafted in the 4th round just one year ago will soon turn 20. After five homers in June and six homers in July, Rosario hit ten home runs in August. It will be interesting to see how his game translates to the full season. Hitter of the Year – Brian Dozier – Ft. Myers Miracle (.320/.399/.491, with 33 doubles, 12 triples, 9 HR, 56 RBI, 24 SB) Dozier was drafted as a senior out of the University of Southern Mississippi after leading his team to the College World Series. After signing, he hit .353/.417/.431 in Elizabethton. Last year, he started the season by hitting .278/.347/.338 in 39 games in Beloit. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where he hit .274/.352/.354 with 11 doubles and his first five pro home runs. It was surprising when he received an invitation to big league spring training but he made a strong showing. He returned to Ft. Myers and hit .322/.423/.472 with 11 doubles, five triples and two home runs in 49 games. He then moved up to New Britain and hit .318/.384/.502 with 22 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs in 78 games. His .885 OPS led the Rock Cats (Benson was at .883). Dozier is not the fastest runner, but he stole 24 bases. He is said to have average range and an average arm, but pitchers I have talked to that have had Dozier playing behind him, love it. Dozier will be representing the Twins in the Arizona Fall League. He will likely receive another invitation to big league camp next year, and depending upon what other moves that Twins make in the offseason, he could make his debut with the Twins any time in 2012! Any thoughts? I'll be around to answer any questions you may have.

  • Listen to last night's final episode of Twins Minor League Weekly where Seth and Travis talked about everything throughout the Twins minor league season. We discussed our choices as top players for each team and in the organization, how each team did, and much, much more. Check it out here!
  • Nick looked at a couple of the Twins Reinforcements.
  • Dakota Watts will also now represent the Twins in the Arizona Fall League. Previously the Twins had announced the RHP Cole DeVries, LHP Scott Diamond, RHP Bret Jacobsen, RHP Bruce Pugh, SS Brian Dozier, C/OF Chris Herrmann, and OF Aaron Hicks will play in the league.