New to the Cedar Rapids Kernels this year is Randy Rosario, a left handed pitcher who won’t turn twenty until next month. Randy hails from the city of Nagua in the Dominican Republic, which is also the home of Ubaldo Jimenez!

Randy went pro at the age of seventeen playing in the Dominican Summer League. He then put in a year with the Gulf Coast League Twins and, last season, pitched for the Elizabethton Twins. His innings pitched totals have increased each year and his ERA over these three years is 2.75. An interesting factoid is that, so far, Randy has faced 501 batters and has yet to give up a home run in his pro career!

Randy is scheduled to start tonight, Friday, if the morning’s predicted snow showers in Cedar Rapids don’t amount to much.

I just got the email announcing that tonight's Kernels game is postponed until tomorrow because of the horrible weather. I was weirdly looking forward to dressing in (many) layers and watching Randy Rosario pitch, but it's not to be.

The Kernels will play a double header tomorrow, but I can't make it, so my report on Randy's outing will be box score based, I'm afraid.

Randy Rosario’s debut with the Cedar Rapids Kernels was not too glorious. A weather postponement pushed his start from Friday to Saturday afternoon, and I wasn’t able to attend. Based on the box score, things did not go well.

Randy lasted 3.2 innings and gave up six hits (two of them home runs) and two walks, which adds up to a WHIP of 2.18. Also, he registered no strikeouts, which surprised me.

I don’t expect to see Randy’s next start in person since the Kernels go on the road next week. Hopefully, my next update will have more positive news!

Randy Rosario’s Friday night start for the Kernels in Lansing was a definite step forward for the young Dominican lefty. Randy pitched five innings, gave up four hits, two walks and struck out two. He left with a two run lead but, alas, wasn’t credited with the victory. Best of all, Randy was awarded the coveted Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day designation!

Thursday night's start against West Michigan wasn't a pretty one for Randy Rosario. To summarize, Randy lasted three innings, gave up five walks, five hits and struck out two. It was painful to watch him pitch the first inning, where Randy missed the plate five times to start the game. He didn't get hammered by West Michigan; most of the five hits were seeing-eye ground balls, but he didn't have much swing-and-miss stuff, either. Let's hope it was the cold temperatures that kept Randy from doing better.

Rosario remains on the Kernels' Disabled List, but hopes he's within a week or so of rejoining the team.

 

Saturday night was one of the Kernels' special jersey nights, this one benefiting the American Cancer Society with a silent auction of the white/pink jerseys the players and coaches wore.

 

I won the bidding of Rosario's jersey and found another reason for Rosario fans to like him - he has an autograph that Killebrew and Cuddyer would be proud of.

 

Randy Rosario had Tommy John surgery on Wednesday.