Recap, 2015

ROCHESTER (77-67, Triple-A, International League) — The Red Wings finished second in the International

League North Division with a record of 77-67. Rochester’s offense was one of the league’s best, as they finished second in team batting average (.262), and third in hits (1,263) and runs scored (311). Infielder James Beresford’s .307 average on the season was the second best in the International League, as were his 153 hits. He received both Mid- and Postseason All-Star honors. On the mound, the Red Wings possessed several of the organization’s best arms, including Twins minor league Pitcher of the Year Jose Berrios. After starring in the 2015 MLB Futures Game in Cincinnati, he was promoted to Triple-A in July, and went 6-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 12 starts for Rochester. Numerous Red Wings pitchers made their way to the International leaderboards, including Pat Dean and Taylor Rogers, who were the top two in the league for innings pitched. Michael Bowden’s 2.58 ERA over 32 appearances (17 starts) was also the second best in league.

CHATTANOOGA (76-61, Double-A, Southern League) — The Lookouts concluded the regular season with a

76-61 record, second best in the Southern League North, to clinch a spot in the postseason. They beat Montgomery 3-games-to-1 in a best-of-five series to advance to the Southern League Finals, where they beat Biloxi 3-games-to-2 to capture their first league title since 1988. The Lookouts led the Southern League in triples (59), home runs (107), walks (573) and stolen bases (164). Chattanooga’s pitching staff had a 4.04 ERA and their 443 walks were fewest in the league. At the plate, Max Kepler was named Southern League MVP and Twins minor league Player of the Year, as well as a Mid- and Postseason All-Star after leading the SL with a .327 average, .415 on-base percentage, .540 slugging percentage and a OPS of .954. Adam Brett Walker led the league with 31 home runs and 106 RBI in 133 games. On the mound, David Hurlbut went 11-6 with a 3.59 ERA, while D.J. Baxendale pitched a team-high 118.1 innings, going 7-5 with a 3.80 ERA.

FT. MYERS (76-63, High-A, Florida State League) — The Miracle owned the best record in the Florida

State League and finished first in the South Division’s overall regular season standings. They still failed to make the postseason as they did not win their division in the first or second half. The Miracle’s success was anchored around their pitching staff, which finished with the second best team ERA in the Florida State League (2.70) and ranked third in strikeouts (991). Starting pitcher Aaron Slegers went 8-6 with a 2.87 ERA, good for the fourth best ERA in the league. The Miracle had a league-high six players named to the Midseason All Star team, including catcher Alex Swim, who led the team with a .311 batting average. Mitch Garver was also one of the Miracle’s best offensively, leading the team in hits (106), doubles (24) and RBI (58).

CEDAR RAPIDS (77-63, Low-A, Midwest League) — The Kernels finished the regular season 77-63, advancing to their third consecutive postseason. They beat Quad Cities in the West Division Semifinals and Peoria in the West Division Finals, before falling to West Michigan 3-2 in the best-of-five Midwest League Championship. Offensively, the Kernels hit .250 and led the Midwest League with 53 triples, while finishing fifth with 131 stolen bases. Cedar Rapids’ pitching staff ranked third in the league in ERA (3.22) and strikeouts (1,138) while tying for third in shutouts (13). Additionally, their 1.54 ERA in the postseason was best in the league. Nick Gordon led the offense, as the 19-year-old batted .277 during the regular season with 79 runs scored, second best in the MWL, and hit .324 in nine postseason games. On the mound, Jorge Felix went 6-7 with a 2.79 ERA in a team-high 142.0 innings. He held opposing hitters to a .225 average, second in the MWL, while his 1.06 WHIP was third.

ELIZABETHTON (34-34, Rookie Advanced, Appalachian League) — The Elizabethton Twins went 34-34,

finishing third in the Appalachian League West Division. The Twins pitching staff owned three of the league’s six best individual ERA leaders, and ranked second in strikeouts as well as recording the fewest walks as a team. Dereck Rodriguez, named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year, went 6-3 with a 2.85 ERA in 12 starts for the Twins, while Andro Cutura went 3-2 with a 1.34 ERA, the lowest in the league. At the plate, the Twins ranked third in the league in home runs (46). All-Star outfielder LaMonte Wade led the E-Twins in games played (64), runs scored (36), hits (72), home runs (9), RBI (44), total bases (117) and on-base percentage (.428).

GCL TWINS (27-32, Rookie, Gulf Coast League) — The GCL Twins finished third in the GCL South Division with a 27-32 record. The offense averaged only 3.45 runs-per-game. The 3.10 team ERA ranked fifth in the GCL, while their 492 strikeouts were second (8.9 strikeouts-per-9.0 innings). The pitching staff was anchored by Williams Ramirez, who led the GCL in ERA (1.05), WHIP (0.88) and battingaverage-against (.145), while ranking third in strikeouts (58). Lachlan Wells was the other consistent starter, going 5-2 with a 2.09 ERA (47.1 IP, 11 ER), 0.97 WHIP and 49 strikeouts. Offensively, the Twins were led by Luis Arraez, as the 18-year-old hit .309 with a team-best 19 RBI and 19 walks in 57 games.

DSL TWINS (36-36, Rookie, Dominican Summer League) — The DSL Twins went 36-36, which was fourth in the 10-team Boca Chica South. The offense carried the Twins, hitting .262 and scoring 5.28 runs-per-game, while drawing 297 walks, 12th in the 38-team league. Conversely, the pitching staff had a 4.32 team ERA, third-to-last in the DSL, while their 30 home runs surrendered were third most in the DSL. Jean Carlos Arias led the offense, hitting .311 with two home runs, a team-best 12 doubles, 37 RBI and .914 OPS. Gorge Munoz hit a team-high .315 in 46 games. Randolph Perez contributed for the Twins in 22 relief appearances; he had five wins, second most on the team, and a 1.90 ERA in 42.2 innings.