Lefty shows progress

Errol Simonitsch keeps making the steady progress teams like to see out of their minor league prospects.

The left-handed starting pitcher is in his first full season of professional baseball after being the Twins' sixth-round draft pick in 2003. Everything is going smoothly for Simonitsch, who falls into the category of being a crafty left-hander.

Simonitsch is 5-1 with a 2.26 earned-run average for Class A Quad Cities this season. This comes on the heels of going 5-1 with a 1.76 ERA last year for Elizabethton, a short-season rookie league affiliate of the Twins.

"Simonitsch has a below average fastball, but it's useful," said Rob Antony, the Twins' director of baseball operations. "He throws anywhere from 85 to 89 (mph), but he has a really good curveball. So he has an 'out' pitch. He spots the ball and moves it around. He also has a good changeup."

Simonitsch is projected to be a starting pitcher in the big leagues. Because he isn't overpowering, despite his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame, he likely will be a No. 3 or 4 starter if he makes it to the highest level.

"He's still a big, strong kid who throws a lot of strikes," Antony said. "He has all the requisites to be a starter. He's got the pitch mix and the mentality. He goes out there and goes six, seven, eight or nine innings every time. If you're going to project a guy as a No. 1 or 2 starter, usually it's a guy that makes you go, 'Wow!' when you see him. He isn't that type of guy, but he's the type of guy who can go out there without his best stuff and get people out. He's just going to have to battle through that."

Simonitsch, who played college baseball for Gonzaga, has 78 strikeouts and 24 walks in 79 2/3 innings.

"Everybody strongly emphasizes throwing strikes to their pitchers," Antony said. "But we're willing to sacrifice some things to give our defenders a chance to make plays."

Comeback trail: J.D. Durbin, the Twins' top starting pitching prospect, has returned to the mound after missing two months while recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Durbin, who plays for Class AA New Britain, was limited to two innings in his first start last week. Reports said he had his arm strength at a good level but looked rusty.

Durbin began the season 2-0 with a 2.06 ERA before getting injured. His ERA rose to 2.45 after his last outing.

He'll be allowed to reach a 45-pitch count in the next couple of starts as he gets his arm up to speed.

Cruise control: Kyle Waldrop, the last of the Twins' three first-round draft selections June 7, is showing good mound presence for the Twins' Gulf Coast League affiliate. In his last start, the 6-5 Waldrop threw 66 pitches in a six-inning outing.

Early returns: Trevor Plouffe, the first of the Twins' three first-round draft selections last month, is off to a good start while playing at Elizabethton.

The high school shortstop from Northridge, Calif., has shown good defensive skills, including a strong arm. At the plate, he has collected a double and a home run in the first two weeks.

The Twins want to judge how Plouffe handles playing daily as opposed to three or four times a week in high school.