Minnesota Twins Minor League Stars of the Week

This week we go into the Minnesota Twins minor league organization to find the shining talent that we name the Minor League Stars of the Week.  Read on to see who we have named for this week's stars and take a moment to answer the poll and comment on any other players you feel that should have been named.

• Cedar Rapids Kernels (A - Low) - Tanner English (OF) - Our star for the Kernels this week is Tanner English, outfielder for Cedar Rapids.  English has been one of the hottest Kernels at the plate in the past 10 games and his bat is the reason that he made the list for this week.  In his past 10 games, English is hitting .378 with 1 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R, and 6 SB.  This output was highlighted with a five hit game against Dayton on Tuesday, August 4.  For the season, Tanner is hitting .259 with a .356 OBP, a .399 SLG, and a .755 OPS.  On the 2015 season, English has 19 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 34 RBI, 59 R, and 34 SB.  He has also been rock solid in the outfield with only one error in 2015.  With the speed and defense that English has there is no doubt that as long as he continues to grow at the plate, he will be a name that will move up through the Twins organization and he should be in Fort Myers to start 2016.  He is definitely the kind of top of the lineup player that the Twins would like to have in the future.
• Fort Myers Miracle (A - High) - Ryan Eades (P) - This week's star from the Fort Myers Miracle is Ryan Eades, starting pitcher for the Miracle.  We have been accustomed to good pitching shining with the Miracle this season and Eades is another in that line.  A lot of the talk has went to Chih-Wei Hu, Aaron Slegers, and Stephen Gonsalves with good reason, but Eades is another arm that will have a chance to move through the organization and be a potential starter of the future for Minnesota.  In his last two starts, Eades has a 0-0 record with a 1.64 ERA to go with a 6 SO/6 BB ratio.  For the 2015 season, Ryan is 6-3 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.  Eades has started 18 games for the Miracle and has thrown 108.1 innings with a 74 SO/32 BB ratio.  Hitters in 2015 are hitting .252 off of Eades, keeping him and the Miracle in most games.  Eades is one of the quieter prospects at Fort Myers but there should be no surprise in seeing Ryan move to Chattanooga in early 2016.
• Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) - Shannon Wilkerson (OF) - Our star from the Chattanooga Lookouts this week is Shannon Wilkerson, outfielder for the Lookouts.  Wilkerson is new to the Lookouts in 2015 but looks to be settling in well under the influence of Doug Mientkiewicz and the coaching staff in Chattanooga.  In his last 10 games, Wilkerson is hitting .372 with 6 RBI, 9 R, and 5 SB.  For the 2015 season in Chattanooga, which has been 20 games, Shannon is hitting .301 with a .363 OBP, .349 SLG, and a .712 OPS.  On the season, Wilkerson has 4 2B, 8 RBI, 12 R, and 6 SB.  He has also played steady defense for the Lookouts with no errors yet this season.  With the Twins seemingly always in the need for outfielders, Wilkerson will be an interesting prospect to watch especially once Max Kepler is promoted on to Rochester or to Minneapolis.
• Rochester Red Wings (AAA) - James Beresford (2B) - This week's star from the Rochester Red Wings is James Beresford, second baseman for Rochester.  The Red Wings are trying to make their end of the season push to make the playoffs and Beresford has definitely been one of the hot bats behind the playoff drive.  In his past 10 games, Beresford is hitting a blistering .405 with 4 RBI, and 4 R.  For the 2015 season, steady James is hitting .314 with a .349 OBP, .375 SLG, and a .725 OPS.  During the 2015 campaign, Beresford has 18 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 36 RBI, 47 R, and 1 SB.  His defense has been respectable as well with 8 errors on the season.  The Twins have a decision to make with Beresford, if there's no room at second for him and the front office doesn't feel that he can play shortstop then this would be the time to see if you can move James as part of a package deal to possibly get a need in return.  Keep an eye on Beresford the rest of 2015 to see if the Twins come to a conclusion as to his role in the organization.