Minor League Month In Review: June

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

First, to take a look at May's Minor League Month in Review, click here.

The short-season leagues started this month, which caused quite a bit of player movement throughout the minor league system.

Another reason for a lot of player movement in June is due to a few Minor League All-Star Games that were played, in which the Twins enjoy seeing their players participate in (if elected). For that reason, players who were voted into All-Star games likely won't be promoted until afterward.

But the most important time of year for the minor league system was also in June, which is the key determinant for player movement in June. The MLB Draft was in June, which gives an organization an idea of where its strongest positions are in terms of depth, which plays a big part in player movement.

For instance, Aaron Hicks was promoted to Single-A Beloit following the draft. The Twins opted against drafting any outfielders in the first nine rounds, and with the Snappers' offense in need of a real boost, Hicks' time in Extended Spring Training ended shortly before he was scheduled to report to Elizabethton, Tennessee, where he would have seen his second batch of Rookie-ball competition.

The six affiliates combined for a 62-59 record while scoring 518 runs and giving up 501. The 51 percent win percentage is down from a 55 percent win percentage the four full-season leagues combined for in May, but teams did manage to cut the average number of runs allowed by .7 percent.

Unfortunately, while the average runs allowed were cut down, so was the average runs scored. In May, the teams combined to score 4.9 runs per game. In June, that number was 4.3 runs per game.

The first two months showed something some of the affiliates aren't used to seeing—good run production.

While the Twins have always been viewed as a "pitcher's paradise" for their ability to develop good pitchers, the offense really was the talk around the system. That changed in June when many of the pitchers started finding their so-called "groove" and finally started having more success.

The Red Wings reverted back to the "April ways" while playing sub-par offense mixed with terrible pitching. The offense averaged 4.2 runs per game, but the reason for their 13-16 record really had a lot to do with their pitching staff giving up an average of 5.1 runs per game.

Hitter of the Month

Signed before the season to add some "pop" to a young Red Wings lineup, Justin Huber

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