Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/21): Bash Brothers

[Steve Lein]

Happy Father’s Day across Twins Territory!!!

 

While Jake Arrieta was taking it to the Minnesota Twins lineup and Anthony Rizzo continued to bash their pitchers on Sunday afternoon, three of the four full-season league affiliates were in action in the minors.The organization went 2-2 on the day. In the minors a come-from behind victory was sparked by a pair of bash-brothers in a single inning, and there were several standout bullpen performances.

 

Read on to find out about all the action on Sunday afternoon!

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Louisville 3, Rochester 2

Box Score

 

The Red Wings managed to score first and last in this contest, but were still handed a loss as Louisville put a crooked number on the scoreboard in an inning, while the Wings did not.

 

In the first inning Danny Santana led off the game for Rochester with a double and after being moved to third on a groundout he trotted home to score the game’s first run on a Danny Ortiz single and 1-0 lead.

 

It would remain that way until the third inning, when Red Wings starter Pat Dean gave up a solo home run to number eight hitter Ryan Lamarre to tie the game at one. Dean had retired the first seven hitters of the game to that point.

 

He ran into further trouble in the fourth inning as the middle of the lineup for Louisville came through with some more power. Number three hitter Hernan Iribarren singled to start the inning, and trotted home on a two-run home run from cleanup man Josh Satin, making the score 3-1.

 

Dean faced the minimum over the next nine outs before walking two around a strikeout to begin the top of the seventh. He was relieved by Alex Meyer who escaped the inning with no damage after two fly-outs.

 

In the bottom of the seventh inning, it was again Santana providing a spark for Rochester. His third triple in 12 games with the Red Wings allowed him to score on a sac fly to left field from James Beresford, moving the score to 3-2.

 

Meyer pitched a scoreless eighth inning, picking up two strikeouts along the way, to keep the game within striking distance for Rochester. Caleb Thielbar retired the side one-two-three in the ninth, bringing up the home team for their final at-bat.

 

Eric Farris singled with one out, then was erased on an Eric Fryer fielder’s choice. Fryer moved to second on a balk, placing the tying run in scoring position for the games star to that point, Danny Santana. Unfortunately, this at-bat ended in a groundout to second base instead of an extra-base hit, and Rochester fell 3-2.

 

Santana (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 3B) and Oswaldo Arcia (2-4) were the only hitters in the lineup with multiple hits and Reynaldo Rodriguez added a triple to lead the offense.

 

Dean managed a quality start, allowing the three runs on five hits and two walks in 6.1 innings, striking out five.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Jacksonville 5, Chattanooga 6

Box Score

 

The Lookouts found themselves down 5-1 after the top-half of the sixth-inning, but the powerful bats in their lineup refused to let them stay there.

 

D.J. Baxendale made the start and pitched the first three frames in his first start returning from shoulder discomfort. He allowed zero runs on one hit and two walks, while striking out three.

 

Tim Shibuya came on for the fourth inning, and promptly allowed a solo home run to the first batter he faced, the rehabbing Michael Morse of the Miami Marlins, to tie the game at one. It didn’t get much better for Shibuya, as he allowed two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to put the Lookouts in a 5-1 hole. Brandon Peterson came on in the sixth inning with two outs and a runner on third, but picked up a strikeout to end the frame.

 

This is when the big boppers in the Chattanooga lineup came out to play.

 

Mike Gonzalez led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, and Adam Brett Walker made the score 5-3 with his Southern League-leading 19^th home run of the year. Singles from Jairo Rodriguez and Levi Micheal around a Stephen Wickens fly out and a Niko Goodrum strikeout would bring Miguel Sano to the plate. His 13^th home run of the season put the Lookouts out front 6-5 and they never looked back.

 

Peterson picked up four more strikeouts and did not allow a single base runner in the seventh and eighth innings, before yielding the save opportunity to J.T. Chargois.

 

He walked one but retired the three other hitters to pick up his fifth save in eight appearances with the Lookouts. His ERA stands at 2.08 for the season and 1.17 with Chattanooga.

 

Assisting Sano (1-3, 2 R’s, HR, BB, 3 RBI) and Walker (1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) with multiple hits in the comeback victory were Michael (2-4, R, BB, SB), and Rodriguez (2-4, R). Max Kepler was 0-2 but reached base via walk twice and stole his eleventh base from the cleanup spot in the lineup (behind Sano).

 

The Lookouts finish the first half of the Southern League season atop the North Division standings, and tied with the Biloxi Shuckers of the South Division with 43-25 records. The 43-25 mark is the Lookouts best first half record in the history of their home park, AT&T Field.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

 

The Miracle enjoyed a day off on Sunday afternoon, and host the Palm Beach Cardinals for a three game series starting tomorrow at 6:05 PM CST at the Century Link Sports Complex and Hammond Stadium.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 2

Box Score

 

Cedar Rapids jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Brett Doe led off the frame with an infield single and moved into scoring position when T.J. White was hit by a pitch. He scored on a Rafael Valera single.

 

Kernels starter Jared Wilson gave the run back in the bottom half when a two-out single brought home Joseph DeCarlo, who had doubled. Cedar Rapids responded by adding two runs in each of the third and fifth innings.

 

Max Murphy was the catalyst in both of those innings. In the third, he slugged his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to make the score 3-1. In the fifth, his double put runners on second and third. A balk scored Alex Real and moved Murphy up to third, before a pick off attempt caught Pat Kelly between first and second base with two-outs. Kelly was savvy enough to make the LumberKings attempt multiple throws in a rundown, and Murphy was able to scamper home before they tagged out Kelly to end the inning.

 

Randy LeBlanc was the first pitcher in relief of Wilson, and he went three scoreless innings to improve his record to 5-0. He allowed just two hits and struck out two. These three scoreless innings improved his ongoing scoreless streak to 26 innings, tying him with Trevor Hildenberger for the team’s longest streak of the year and lowered his ERA to 1.52.

 

Lefty Cameron Booser came on for the eighth inning and allowed one run on a sac fly after a walk and two singles, but struck out the last two hitters he faced to escape with limited damage.

 

Hildenberger then came on for the ninth and recorded his eighth save by striking out the side. His ERA rests at 0.51 on the season and has not been above 1.00 since April 23^rd.

 

The Kernels got multiple hits from Real (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B), Murphy (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) and Valera (2-3, BB, RBI) to lead the offense.

 

 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Brandon Peterson, Chattanooga Lookouts (W, 2.1 IP, 5 K’s)

Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts (1-3, 2 R’s, GW 3-Run HR, 3 RBI)

 

 

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Pawtucket (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Tyler Duffey (1-4, 4.15 ERA)

Chattanooga – Scheduled Day Off.

Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – TBD

Cedar Rapids – MWL All-Star Break.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

 

Click here to view the article

[GMinTraining]

ABW II - 1st half numbers of 19 HRs and 59 RBI are outstanding.  

 

Listen to the Southern League 1st Half Recap from Non Lookout personnel / Other Southern League Announcers.  Interesting perspective.................Listen from 8:45 mark

 

https://soundcloud.com/jacksonville-suns/eye-on-the-southern-league-june-19-2015

 

 

[mickeymental]

ABW II - 1st half numbers of 19 HRs and 59 RBI are outstanding.  

 

Listen to the Southern League 1st Half Recap from Non Lookout personnel / Other Southern League Announcers.  Interesting perspective.................Listen from 8:45 mark

 

https://soundcloud.com/jacksonville-suns/eye-on-the-southern-league-june-19-2015

but 101 strikeouts in 248 at-bats against AA pitching ... not so much.

[bulldozier14]

 

but 101 strikeouts in 248 at-bats against AA pitching ... not so much.

Yeah, he reminds me of Joaquin Phoenix's character in Signs, who absolutely crushed home runs but struck out way too much to be a ball player. 

[GMinTraining]

 

Yeah, he reminds me of Joaquin Phoenix's character in Signs, who absolutely crushed home runs but struck out way too much to be a ball player. 

 

Why is it always about the HRs with Walker.  He has hit as many doubles as anyone on the team (17) in addition to his minor league leading 19 HRs.  Certain guys hit 17 doubles and it shows their potential for future power, while Walker hits 17 doubles and he is all or nothing based on Ks and HRs.  A .312 ISO and .407 wOBA mean nothing either?   Not to mention the fact that he has SCORED more than damn near everyone in the entire league.  

 

When do we start appreciating the part of his game that actually helps you win games [hrS; SCORING RUNS; DRIVING IN RUNS].  He has put himself in scoring position more times than anyone else in the league based on hits alone (posted before - XBH).  Damn a strikeout.  What can you do to help me win games?  Get on base (BB) and wait for the next guy to help you get around the bases?  How's that working for the Twins lately?  Every team needs RUN PRODUCERS!!!  Walker has 18 more RBI  than Sano and that doesn't matter because he strikeouts too much. I said 18 MORE.  How many Twins don't even have 18?   And for the record - WALKER BATS 7th in the lineup - 7TH!!!

 

It's crazy because the announcers from another Southern League team dubbed ABW as the 1st half MVP in their eyes, but his own organizational fan base sees him as a probable failure.  All they talked about was his production while never mentioning his SO once.  I'm sure he's working on flaws and I don't want people to turn on him based on my opinion.  Just saying............Thought AA was the most difficult transition in minor league ball?  I guess that's half right and the only half that matters is SO.   

 

Back to the minor league night in baseball - No more Walker talk from me.  Sorry Steve

Edited June 22, 2015 by GMinTraining

[bulldozier14]

 

Why is it always about the HRs with Walker.  

Oh man, I was not really disregarding his hitting there. He is having an impressive season, but he is striking out at an incredible rate in AA. That won't get any better in the majors- it's not hard to see him striking out 40% of the time or more in the pros. Even Adam Dunn can't touch that, and Dunn walked a lot more. It's hard to see a guy with Walker's peripherals succeeding. Maybe he develops better plate discipline, but he is going to have too many at bats where he does nothing positive if he doesn't. He's also a couple of years older than Sano, which is important to factor in when you're comparing the two. 

[GMinTraining]

Age matters at retirement.  Plenty of late blooming vets in baseball.

[twinssouth]

Walker actually should have a few more HR's. Playing in that stadium is not helping in that the outfield wall all the way around is so high, completely plastered with billboards. It's not Green Monster height but close. Sat. night he hit the top of the wall, would have been a homer in any other park. The ball ricochet hard back towards ss and kept him to a single. His game has really improved, he's getting there

[drivlikejehu]

One positive for Walker is that he has relatives/friends who are passionate enough to endlessly fill TD with praise of his exploits. 

[clutterheart]

It's hard to see a guy with Walker's peripherals succeeding.

 

 

Maybe his power tool is so elite it will give him the ability to overcome his horrid peripherals.  Thats my hope for this kid.  He could be the exception that proves the rule.   

[HitInAPinch]

AND NOW TWINS FANS:  PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO YOUR NEW CENTER FIELDER.......

 

Da Da Da DANNY SANTANA!!!

 

[Seth Stohs]

There are so many sides to the AB Walker discussion. At the end of the day, no one knows anything about what will happen in the future. Here are some of my thoughts.

 

1.) His production at every level has been remarkable. He is not "old" for the level at all - never was, and now really isn't. He is putting up very similar numbers as he moves up, which means that he is making some adjustments. Pitchers are better, but he's still putting up similar numbers.

 

2.) We've seen some of Byron Buxton's strikeouts in the big leagues. Big league pitchers are incredible. And a 40% K rate in AA likely translates to a 50+% K rate in the big leagues. There aren't going to be as many mistake pitches.

 

3.) There's no rush. He will be added to the 40 man roster after this season (and may get a Sept call up first). Then he has three years of options remaining. He should spend this whole season in AA, working to improve the K and BB rates. Then he should move up to AAA next year and make some more adjustments. Then he can get to the big leagues if and when it's earned and he's going to have to make a bunch of adjustments. The difference is that is the pinnacle. If he can adjust there, he could be tremendous.

 

There are a lot of What-Ifs. I want him to make it because he is such a terrific guy and does have the productivity and power that can make us hope. I also want him to make it to quiet some of the skeptics who believe way too much frequently in some stats. (that said, I agree with some of that too) It will be interesting. 

[mickeymental]

here's hoping walker becomes a force for the twins. but does anybody remember bernardo brito?

[drivlikejehu]

 

There are a lot of What-Ifs. I want him to make it because he is such a terrific guy and does have the productivity and power that can make us hope. I also want him to make it to quiet some of the skeptics who believe way too much frequently in some stats. (that said, I agree with some of that too) It will be interesting. 

 

I wonder if it's really productive to go down the path of politely calling out 'haters' (my translation) and implying that skeptics do not want Walker to succeed. That is just false... I'm not aware of anyone on here that has questioned any aspect of Walker as a person or professional. Nor am I aware of Twins fans here that hope prospects fail and damage the future of the big league club.

 

You are also papering over how stark the reality is with Walker. It's not about belief in "some stats." I researched the issue and found no record of any player with anything close to Walker's plate discipline troubles in AA that went on to success. 

 

Walker would, at an absolute minimum, have to improve in that area more than anyone has in the past 15 years. Probably he would need one of the most dramatic improvements in the history of MLB. These are not exaggerations. I welcome empirical counter-points if you have any. 

 

The issue from a prospect standpoint is this - how can you assume Walker might make a borderline-impossible improvement without granting the same to other players? What if Hu started throwing 100 mph? That kind of wish-casting is not how prospects are evaluated.

[jokin]

 

Walker actually should have a few more HR's. Playing in that stadium is not helping in that the outfield wall all the way around is so high, completely plastered with billboards. It's not Green Monster height but close. Sat. night he hit the top of the wall, would have been a homer in any other park. The ball ricochet hard back towards ss and kept him to a single. His game has really improved, he's getting there

 

Yep.  The one game I saw down there, Walker hit a homer deep and high to right center, the one area of the park where the wall is a bit lower.  That game saw both Sano and Polanco settle for XBH on balls hit very high off the walls, balls that surely would have been home runs in most every major league park.  Plus the wind usually blows in from left or center.  Without benefit of spray charts, I would have to think that both Walker and Sano have probably lost a half dozen home runs due to the park factors in Chattanooga.

[70charger]

Oh good. Another Walker thread.

[RaymondLuxuryYacht]

GCL Twins season started today, Elizabethton starts tomorrow.

 

Probable starters, game times listing in the article would be helpful

[Steve Lein]

 

GCL Twins season started today, Elizabethton starts tomorrow.

 

Probable starters, game times listing in the article would be helpful

 

The GCL game was not listed on the MiLB scoreboard page when I wrote this last night. Even if it was, I'm certain they would not have listed a probable starter, just like they currently do not for tomorrow: http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?cid=&lid=&org=142&sc=&sid=milb&t=affiliate&ymd=20150623

 

Believe me, it'd be there if it was on that page or at any of the other locations I search for the starters!

[DJL44]

Is this just anecdotal evidence regarding park factors in Chattanooga or is there actual data that the park supresses HR?

[Guest]

I don't know if there are any official "park factors" for Southern League ballparks, but I had the same thought when I saw that the dimensions were "normal" and the fences were twice normal height.

 

I didn't do any real research other than to look up Chattanooga's stats from last year and see that they did have one guy who launched a few. That was Scott Schebler, who hit 28. Couple of others in the teens. No idea what Scheblers home/road split was, though.