Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/10): Buxton Shines

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Since last night’s podcast/minor league review there have been a few more moves.

 

The Twins placed Aaron Hicks on the DL with a strained hamstring and recalled Oswaldo Arcia.

 

The Red Wings, who had a full roster following the addition of James Beresford and re-addition of Chris Colabello, placed Danny Lehmann on the 7-day DL with right elbow neuritis. You can Google it like I did and you’ll get to read about a bunch of “elbow terms”, but it basically boils down to “sore elbow” which, in this case, is double-secret code word for “our roster is full”.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

 

Anyway, the Red Wings now have a roster spot available.

 

New Britain released Mark Sobolewski. Good luck to Mark as he continues his baseball career.

 

The Miracle added Bryan Haar to their roster. Haar will essentially serve as a place-holder until a reinforcement or two come from Cedar Rapids. Haar is expected to be E-town’s primary first baseman.

 

The Twins also inked their first draft pick of the year: 9^th-round pick C Mitchell Garver. Garver signed for $40,000, which is $108,100 less than his designated pick value. He will report to Fort Myers before heading to Elizabethton for the start of their season.

 

ROCHESTER RED WINGS 4, TOLEDO MUD HENS 12

Box Score

 

There's getting worked. And then there's getting worked. Both happened to Rochester tonight.

 

In football, spotting a team 10-point in the first half isn't a kiss-of-death, but it's also not strongly advised. In baseball, well, at most levels there's a thing called a "Mercy Rule". That would have been in effect tonight.

 

Cole DeVries gave a touchdown and two-point conversion in only a little over one hockey period (3.1 innings). Shairon Martis ran out of the back of the end zone, twice. (Four runs, 1.2 innings.)

 

Anthony Slama, Luis Perdomo and Aaron Thompson came in and stopped the bleeding. But by that point it was such a mess, the Red Wing was dead and the Mud Hen had picked the bones clean.

 

Off that topic, but back on the actual topic, Aaron Thompson has really come around. After missing the first part of last year with a 50-game suspension and then struggling as a starter in New Britain, Thompson has thrived since his move to the bullpen. He also, allegedly, has a sweet mustache. So that may be the source of his new-found success.

 

If you're curious about the Rochester bats, it's just about what you'd expect. Colabello raked (3-for-5). Antoan Richardson got on base 40% of the time (2-for-5). Trevor Plouffe went 0-for-3. James Beresford got a hit in his AAA debut.

 

Wait, Trevor Plouffe...? Oh, he started his rehab assignment and DH'd for Rochester. His defense has never been better. I'm kidding, all right? I'm a huge fan of Plouffe keeping the seat warm for our "Little Angel" (as in Miguel Angel Sano).

 

Vanimal will be on the bump tomorrow for a noon game.

 

NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS – Day off

 

Pat Dean (3-6, 4.81) pitches tomorrow at 6:35 ET.

 

FORT MYERS MIRACLE 6, DAYTONA CUBS 9

Box Score

 

It was the first Miracle game in the post-Sano Era. It was also the Javier Baez Show. Baez, a top prospect in his own right, went 4-for-4 with four home runs and seven RBI.

 

It should come as no surprise then that the Miracle pitchers didn't have great lines.

 

Matt Tomshaw gave up five runs in three innings. Adrian Salcedo gave up three runs in three innings (and struck out four). Jose Gonzalez gave up a run in two innings. All allowed home runs to Baez.

 

The bats weren't terrible. They managed six runs on ten hits.

 

Matt Koch had a double and a single and drove in two runs. I've long been a fan of Koch and think that when Pinto moves from AA to AAA, Koch will be able to fill in that hole in New Britain (with a little less power).

 

Andy Leer had two doubles. Stephen Wickens doubled. Big Spoon Vargas hit his 20th double. It won't be long until Vargas re-joins his buddies in New Britain.

 

Jason Wheeler (5-1, 3.99) will pitch tomorrow at 7:05 ET. Let's see what Baez thinks about him.

 

You know what this lineup needs? The guy you're going to read about next.

 

 

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6, KANE COUNTY COUGARS 2

Box Score

 

Byron Buxton was the star of this show, featured on FSNorth. Defensively, he made two running catches in the left-center field gap. They looked fairly routine (for him). He also made a

near the wall in the left-center gap that is hard to put into words. It looked like something Ben Revere would do. It would be a SportsCenter Top 10 play if they featured minor league plays (which maybe they will).

 

Download attachment: buxtoncream.jpg

 

Offensively, Buxton was a home run short of the cycle. He singled up the middle on a two-strike count. He had a three-RBI double on a left-center drive that fell about six feet short of a grand slam. Most impressively, the #GeorgianJesus tripled to the right-center field gap on a ball that didn’t reach the warning track.

 

He also proved to be in near-human form when he was caught leaning off first base and tagged out between first and second. Personally, I was also disappointed he didn’t at try to steal home after his triple. He’s fast enough to beat the pitch home. Obviously.

 

Mason Melotakis had an impressive seven inning start, picking up his team-leading sixth win of the season. The lefty worked very quickly and allowed only four hits and three walks. He was aided by two double plays and he struck out two.

 

Tomorrow night, Hein Robb will make his 2^nd MWL start against the Lance McCullers-led Quad Cities River Bandits at 7pm CT.

 

If Quad Cities loses tonight and the Kernels beat them tomorrow night, the Kernels will have clinched a playoff spot (if my math serves me correctly). Comparing schedules, I think that Buxton will finish out the first half with Cedar Rapids. The Miracle don’t play Friday through Sunday, so it wouldn’t make sense to have Buxton take three days off when the Kernels could still potentially use him.

 

Comments or questions, please post below.

 

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