Minor League Ball Gameday, Wednesday, March 1st

Good morning everyone and welcome to the Minor League Ball Gameday discussion thread for Wednesday, March 1st, 2017. Here are some items worthy of your attention on this brisk morning.

****Minnesota Twins 2016 first-round pick Alex Kirilloff hurt his elbow and will undergo Tommy John surgery in a few days. He will miss all of the 2017 season. The hard-hitting outfielder was drafted in the first round last year out of high school in Pittsburgh and was considered one of the top prep bats available. The injury is obviously a setback for his development but certainly not as big of a deal for a hitter as it would be for a pitcher. The main issue is the lost playing time. He hit .306/.341/.454 last year in the Appalachian League.

****The Tampa Bay Rays stomped the Twins 19-0 yesterday, with prospect Jake Bauers driving in four runs on a double and a home run.

****Click here for today’s spring training scoreboard.

****Luis Torres at Beyond the Boxscore looks at the 2011 Trevor Cahill and Jarrod Parker deal between the Oakland Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks, examining the trade in retrospect.

****Rob Parker at Fake Teams gives us a comprehensive MLB closer depth chart, useful for fantasy owners.

****At Halos Heaven, JeffJoiner examines the impact that Jefry Marte will have on the Los Angeles Angels roster, perhaps greater than anyone not named Mike Trout.

****At The Hardball Times, Adam Dorhauer posits an All-World team of historical players.