I am in Madison for the Iowa-Wisconsin game, thus today's report will be abbreviated.  I will also be travelling the next two Saturdays which means I won't get back to my positional rankings for three weeks when I will review the organization's top ten shortstops.

The Twins handed out awards this week to the top hitter and pitcher in the organization.  Ben Revere was the top hitter making him the first player to win the award in back-to-back years since LaTroy Hawkins.  With my final adjustments completed, Revere edged out Wilson Ramos to also rank as my top player this season.  David Bromberg was selected as the top pitcher in the organization.  I had Bromberg ranked second behind closer Alex Burnett. 

One interesting note from my year end rankings is that I have never had a GCL pitcher rank in the top ten.  This year I have two with B. J. Hermsen ranking eighth and Adrian Salcedo ranking ninth.  Baseball America had Salcedo ranked as the sixth best prospect in the GCL with Hermsen ranked eleventh best.  These two young men appear to be tremendouse young prospects.  It should be exciting to follow them in future years as they move up to higher levels.   

The Arizona Fall League began play this week with the Mesa Solar Sox off to a slow start with only one win in their first four games.  Michael McCardell made one start for the Sox, pitching 2.0 shutout innings with 4K/1BB.  Short reliever Alex Burnett made one appearance, pitching a shutout inning with 1K/3BB.  Steve Hirschfield made two appearances, pitching 2.0 innings with one run allowed and 5K/0BB.  Spencer Steedley also appeared in two games, pitching 2.0 innings with 2K/6BB and 2 runs allowed.  Chris Parmalee, who is playing first base for the Sox, appeared in three games and is 0-10.  Left fielder Rene Tosoni, who began the Sox season with a lead off home run, is 2-12 in three games.  Second baseman Steve Singleton is 3-9 in two games with 2 doubles.

The defending Caribbean champion Aragua de Tigres are off to a very slow start in the Venezuelan Winter League at 1-6.  That is not to say however, that Wilson Ramos hasn't done everything he can to get them more wins.  Ramos has gotten hits in five of their six games including three games with two hits and his first three hit game last night.  In 28 at bats, Ramos is hitting .393/.469/.821 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 7 runs scored and 7 RBI.  First baseman Justin Huber has appeared in three games, hitting .333 Average in 12 at bats.  Dustin Martin is hitting .120 Average in 7 games (25 at bats) while Elizabethton outfielder Jonathan Goncalves is hitting .182 Average in 11 at bats.  Former Rule V selection Jason Jones has made two starts, pitching 9.0 innings with a 5.00ERA and 4K/0BB.  Reliever Frank Mata has appeared in three games (5.0ip) with a 1.80ERA and 2K/3BB.  The DSL Twins Ace Pedro Guerra is pitching for LaGuaira.  Guerra, who had a 7-0 record and 0.38ERA in the DSL this summer, has appeared in three games (3.1ip) with a 8.10ERA and 2K/3BB.    

The Dominican Winter League begins play this weekend and the Puerto Rico Winter League doesn't start until the second week of November.