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Pretty impressive that Gordon started on opening day for Elizabethton. Not only does this indicate how quickly he signed but our most recent top picks--Buxton and Stewart-- made their debuts in the GCL. If he has a good season, it could really accelerate his development.

Pretty impressive that Gordon started on opening day for Elizabethton. Not only does this indicate how quickly he signed but our most recent top picks--Buxton and Stewart-- made their debuts in the GCL. If he has a good season, it could really accelerate his development.

 

Not only is it impressive that he started, but how well he played certainly looks nice too! Hopefully he will develop quickly!

What's impressive is that the team pushed him to E-Town. I haven't officially researched, but I think the last time a high school hitter from the draft went right to Elizabethton was Trevor Plouffe in 2004. That year, Plouffe got 264 plate appearances in 60 games. He hit .283/.340/.380 with seven doubles, two triples and four home runs.

 

In 2001, Joe Mauer signed later and got 130 plate appearances in 32 games. He hit .400/.492/.491 with six doubles and two triples. He walked 19 times while striking out just 10 times.

 

Paul Kelly (2005), Joe Benson (2006), Chris Parmelee (2006) all played in the GCl after signing, but when the GCL season was done, they spent 5-11 games in Beloit.

 

Ben Revere and Aaron Hicks each played in the GCL and then jumped to Beloit the next season.

 

In 2011, Travis Harrison was drafted, but he didn't sign. So in 2012, he began in Elizabethton, but that wasn't in the same season. 2002 top pick Denard Span also signed late and began his career in 2003 at Elizabethton.

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the day in your professional debut! He'll always remember that

Nice start for Gordon... hoping for a Buxton like start to his career.

 

What's with the Twins drafting all of Vavra's kids? How many more does he have?

Why do they continue to give Hermsen innings? Back at High A after two seasons in AA. I'm sure he's a nice kid and all but...

talent trumps age and injuries. Give Hermsen a proper chance

Vargas now has 57rbi, leading the MN minors, Walker with 53.

Vargas SLG now .551

 

NB on a roll.

Why do they continue to give Hermsen innings? Back at High A after two seasons in AA. I'm sure he's a nice kid and all but...

 

I imagine the Twins see Hermsen's future, assuming he has one, as a reliever at this point, but the Miracle need to have arms to fill their rotation. I imagine the Twins expected someone in CR such as Slegers or Eades (or both) to be ready for promotion by now and that has not happened.

Interesting to see Wheeler promoted and not Berrios.

I imagine the Twins see Hermsen's future, assuming he has one, as a reliever at this point, but the Miracle need to have arms to fill their rotation. I imagine the Twins expected someone in CR such as Slegers or Eades (or both) to be ready for promotion by now and that has not happened.

 

Glad you mentioned the latter two, JC. I haven't seen alot written about Eades and Slegers falling off the ledge, as it were. Any simple explanation for why this is happening?

Vargas now has 57rbi, leading the MN minors, Walker with 53.

Vargas SLG now .551

 

NB on a roll.

 

And how! New Britain has won 10 of 11 since Eddie Rosario has hit the lineup. I guess his buddy, Kennys Vargas, is happiest of all in having him back. In those 11 games, Vargas is slashing .391/.420/.826/1.246 with 6 HR. En Fuego much?

I was at the game last night to see Yohan Pino's debut. Looked like maybe 10k or so fans. Pino doesn't strike me as a flash in the pan. Unlike Albers, I didn't get the feeling that I was witnessing an heroic, one-off performance as he battled the White Sox. Pino spots his 88mph heater around the edges, and he varies his arm angle along with everything else. He's got a sharp breaking curve and a very deceptive change-up, both of which he can throw for strikes away from the middle. The result of mixing in such good off-speed pitches was that opposing hitters were late on his mediocre heater. And if they sit on his heater, they get the change-up.

 

Seven K's, one BB, 2 runs over seven innings. I think he really could keep doing that. I'd leave him at fifth starter until somebody better comes along.

Glad you mentioned the latter two, JC. I haven't seen alot written about Eades and Slegers falling off the ledge, as it were. Any simple explanation for why this is happening?

 

Hey if I knew why it was happening, I'd be a pitching coach!

 

 

They've both had a few pretty decent starts, but there have been too many real clunkers, as well.

 

The thing I have to keep reminding myself about is that there's a very real difference between the approach you take to "working on things" at Class A than at the Big League level (or even higher minor league, I suspect).

 

Kernels SPs have 2 bullpen sessions between starts where they are working with their pitching coach on various things. Maybe it's a new grip on a pitch, maybe it's something in their mechanics, or whatever.

 

You may tweak things at high levels, too, but I think you just work on things in your pen sessions and then go out and and just pitch when you get in games.

 

At this level, the games are part of the instructional aspect. They're expected to go out during their starts and put in to practice the things they've been working on in pens, possibly much sooner than they would if winning games was the be all and end all of things.

 

Not saying they don't care about the results. These guys really do. They hate losing. Most of them aren't used to losing. But they have to balance that with also working on whatever improvements their coaches are trying to help them make so they can be even better in the long run.

One more Vavra kid coming up yet. I believe he is a senior in high school this year(or was).Joe is from my hometown and before getting hired by the Twins my wife worked for him while she was in college at a family fun center type place where he gave batting lessons. We actually bought our dog from him.

 

Not sure if any of his sons will end up in the Majors, but they seem to at least have enough talent to justify their draft spots. Sometimes people gripe about the Twins being too loyal, but in this case it seems that loyalty and talent have merged themselves nicely.

Hicks has to be depressed. He puts up and O-fer(3), and gets pulled from the game on a night when the RockCats get 19 hits. Snap judgment: I don't see him back in Minnesota this year. Rosario and Vargas maybe, and both of them at Target Field before Hicks.